The Best New Music by Colorado Musicians Released in June

Summer brings an abundance of music festivals and big tours to Colorado, but it also means a consistent stream of fresh offerings from local musicians. From downtempo to doom, the levee broke in June, and in this case, that’s a good thing for local melomaniacs. In case you were busy buying concert tickets, we put together a list of the best new music released by local musicians this month.

Dorothy Marie
“Six Strings”
Dorothy Marie, who grew up in Greeley, is using social media to make a splash with her pop music. Releasing snippets of new single “Six Strings” on social media (@dorothyymariee) over the past month has fans yearning for more from the L.A.-based artist and actress.

The single, which ventures into new-wave country tones, showcases Marie’s raw and real lyrics, while her vocal tone is reminiscent of singer-songwriter/actress Sara Bareilles and Denver’s Isadora Eden. But she also pulls influences from bands such as Jimmy Eat World, giving “Six Strings” more of an emo edge.

Weir
Ithaca
Denver-based electronic producer Weir has been releasing singles regularly since 2019. Now he’s back at it with a new EP, Ithaca, which hit the airwaves on June 2 via his independent label New Something Records. Inspired by acts like Rufus, ODESZA and Big Wild, Weir creates a distinct blend of ambient, downtempo and tribal, psychedelic electronica across the five songs on Ithaca. “I have never felt prouder of my production and storytelling capabilities than I have through these songs. I feel like I really cracked into a sound that I have been scratching at for so long, which resulted in what I feel is my most authentic music yet,” he says.

shadow work
“Something Trivial”
Denver alt-rock trio shadow work is a bit moody, but that’s where Rafael Nava, Joseph Szlanic and Ben Zickau thrive. The three amigos regularly use dark, washed-out guitar textures, intricate bass riffs and dynamic jazz-inspired rhythms to create energetic frameworks for their tortured, soulful narratives. The band's new song, “Something Trivial,” is no different. Recorded and edited at shadow work’s quaint and comfy home studio, the single is off the band's upcoming sophomore record, Imago. There's also a summer tour coming up, so check the act out whenever you can, and maybe bring a box of tissues — to wipe up tears of joy, of course.

6ixth Element
“Warzone”
Denver hip-hop artist and entrepreneur 6ixth Element dropped an explosive new single, “Warzone,” that sounds like a long-lost track from the ’90s East Coast rap heydays of Biggie and Nas. A collaboration with New York MCs Tragedy Khadafi and Ruste Juxx as well as singer Mr. Blap, the song is gritty and grimy, thanks to the production of Ukrainian beatmaker KD The Stranger. The single is laid down with hard-hitting drums, dusty synths and a hook that sounds like a battle cry — "I come from the warzone. Raised in the battlefield, all I see is tragedy" — as the three MCs go on to detail the physical, mental and spiritual “warzones” they’ve endured.

Voideater
Speak Into Existence
Voideater's "blackened doomcore" is presented in all its cosmic glory on the group’s new album, Speak Into Existence, which was unleashed on June 9. Blending syrupy stoner-doom elements and more up-tempo sludge is what Voideater does best. Such songs as “I Am the Astronaut” and “Wake Up” stretch and pull listeners unwillingly through a sonic black hole, while shorter bursts found on “Black Nebula” and “Arise” are breakneck blast-offs into the Voideater universe.

Andy Frasco & The U.N.
“Iowa Moon”
Jam-scene veteran Andy Frasco admits he isn’t a “really good communicator outside of my art,” despite his popular podcast, so he wrote the cheery acoustic song “Iowa Moon” for “the first girl I really ever committed to.” The new single, which was released on June 9, is from the upcoming Andy Frasco & the U.N. album L’Optimist (available Friday, August 11, via Fun Machine Records/Soundly Music). Frasco says the song is meant to tell his loved one, “I don't know what the fuck I'm doing, this is a new world to me, but I know that I love being with you and I love you teaching me how to love."

N3ptune
“SHADOW”
N3ptune, who won a 2023 Best of Denver award for Best Breakout Musician, is back with dark-pop anthem “SHADOW,” co-written with his stalwart collaborator, Rusty Steve. A sneak peek at the duo’s upcoming album, set to release in September, the single “speaks to Gen-Z’s outlook on an ailing world filled with media overconsumption and overexposure,” N3ptune says. Produced by both N3ptune and Rusty Steve, “SHADOW” takes that generational existential crisis to the dance floor through throbbing synths and booming 808s that immerse you in the depths of darkness in an attempt to find the light.

Corsicana
“Ludlow”
Denver dream-pop shoegaze outfit Corsicana is set to release a new album, kept, on October 13, but you don’t have to wait until the fall to hear most of the record: The band is dropping it song by song up to the release date. The latest single, “Ludlow,” came out on June 16 and showcases singer-songwriter Ben Pisano’s penchant for writing moody melodies and silky smooth guitar licks. In such a “content-obsessed culture,” Pisano says, Corsicana is conducting “an interesting experiment” this summer with its new release schedule.

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