Below is the best new music released by Colorado musicians in February:
Autumn Creatures
Doomsday Fantasy
Longtime Colorado Springs instrumental band Autumn Creatures started the month by saying goodbye with its fourth and final album, Doomsday Fantasy, released independently on February 4.
The group started pushing out post-rock in 2013, but the five latest songs are the last notes Will Gress (keys), Alex Merrill (guitar) Josh Austin (bass), Jessie Richardson (guitar) and Earl Standerford (drums) ever recorded together, before deciding to put Autumn Creatures to rest.
That emotional gravitas and finality permeate the record, making tracks like “Endless Mirror Gazing” even more existential-sounding. “The Teeth That Fit The Wound” and “Doomsday Fantasy” are also fitting farewells.
“It was a massive labor of love,” the band shares on social media. "Thank you to everyone who supported us throughout the years.”
N3PTUNE
“WMD”
Queer Denver alt-pop artist N3PTUNE unleashed his first single, “WMD,” in two years on Valentine’s Day, and it’s a bombshell of a banger against all those who weaponize attention and affection.
“‘WMD’ is about the relationships that have the power to change our lives for the worse. It expresses that love can be a warzone, and that love can be weaponized against you,” Westword’s 2023 Best Breakout Artist explains. “‘WMD’ gave me the space to share one of the deepest wounds of my life. The line, ‘Using my love as your weapon’ shattered me, but also gave me the freedom to be brave enough to be vulnerable in a way that once felt impossible. This is honestly the soliloquy of my broken heart, and the reward for the hell I endured.”
The song is also a preview of an upcoming project slated to drop in mid-April, so stay tuned.
Old Skin
Wails of Ten Thousand
Heathens craving some dirty, filthy noise-sludge should check out Old Skin’s new album Wails of Ten Thousand, released independently on February 21. The festering Fort Collins sextet worships at the altar of NOLA sludge created by bands such as Eyehategod and Acid Bath back in the ’90s. On Wails of Ten Thousand, there’s even a song called “Acid Bath.”
But Old Skin (what a sickening name, the more you thik about it), loves harsh noise, too, as heard on “Vessel (Brainworm).” We’re not sure if they’re talking about RFK or not there, but we do know that vocalists Matt Dooley and Kyle Milam, guitarist Hayden Cooley, bassist Joe Helzer, drummer Kyle Milam and noise merchant Gage Christopherson weren’t afraid to throw some grind and death into Wails of Ten Thousand for good measure, making the seven songs akin to the most deadly of sins.
Palehorse/Palerider
Waves I
Denver’s preeminent doomgazers Palehorse/Palerider released its much-anticipated EP, Waves I, independently via 3s and 5s Records on February 7. After sharing singles “Don’t Leave Me Behind,” an homage to late drummer Nathan Marcy, and “Lobotomy Domine” last month, Waves I — the group’s first new music in five years — is rounded out by two more tomes.
At just over eight minutes, “Division” is a consistent cascade of reverb that’s more oppressive doom than gloom. “Heaven or Las Vegas” is poppier in a post-punk kind of way but shares a similar sentiment in its mood.
The best thing about the four tracks, though, is that it marks Palehorse/Palerider’s rebirth, with singer-guitarist Brandon Richier and bassist David Atkinson current drummer Ryan Sims.
Polish
“Decay”
Double the bass, double the fun when it comes to powerviolence. Budding Denver trio Polish (like nail polish) is proving there’s no need for traditional guitars with bassists Issac Roybal, who also the vocalist, and Dante DeLaurier throwing down such a deafening dual-attack.
Polish, which also includes drummer Eddie Eaton, is readying a debut LP this year (released date TBD), and unleashed first single, “Decay,” via independent California hardcore label No Time Records and Parker punk imprint Eat These Records on February 21.
“Decay,” like Polish’s other output to date, is a quick jab to the jaw, clocking in at under two minutes. The beefed-up bass is bludgeoning, and Eaton equals that intensity on the skins. Polish is one group to keep an eye out for in the local hardcore scene.
Racyne Parker
Will You Go With Me?
Inspired by her move from small-town Oregon to the big city of Denver, singer-songwriter Racyne Parker poured her experiences into debut album Will You Go With Me?, released independently on February 25, which was also her birthday.
Through country, folk and Americana, songs “Most Likely To Be,” “Make It Out Alive” and title track “Will You Go With Me?" capture the highs and heartbreaks of chasing something bigger, while Parker didn’t lose sight of where she started. Then there’s “Get Close,” which was produced by Denver’s own Andy Sydow and engineered by Loren Dorland at local spot Mighty Fine Studios.
Parker, who is now based in Seattle, was also a finalist in Denver’s 2023 Hometown for the Holidays contest and Planet Bluegrass’s 2024 Telluride Troubadour Contest. Overall, Will You Go With Me? serves as the first recorded chapter in Parker’s sonic diary.
The Savage Blush
“Mapachtli”
The Savage Blush has been around for a decade now, but the Denver neo-psych trio is back to amping up the tuneage since 2023 album Ether Dome and shared latest single “Mapachtli,” released independently under banner Wolf Bunny Records, on February 21.
The song, its name meaning “one who takes everything in its hands” (it’s also the Aztec word for raccoon), is a psychedelia take on traditional Latin American cumbia. Rebecca Williams (guitar and vocalist), Joshua Williams (drums and percussion) and Derek Crane (bass) now what they’re doing, and this dance piece is no different. The group is playing a show at hi-dive on Saturday, March 1, with local acts In Plain Air and Funscreen, too. Groovy!
Tiny Tomboy
Psychic Scar
Denver’s Tiny Tomboy put out a massive album, Psychic Scar, on February 1 via local indie label Mean World Records. A follow-up to the band's 2022 debut, Sunburn, the eight new tracks are a more fully formed version of the trio that consists of guitarist and vocalist Eliza Neiman-Golden, drummer Sam Seymour and bassist Ethan Gould.
Originally a college band, Tiny Tomboy has matured since its Colorado College salad days and explores more coming-of-age themes such as love and independence on Psychic Scar. Featuring lyrics pulled straight from Neiman-Golden’s own journals, songs “Dead Dog,” “Disposable Vape” and “Vegas,” in particular, aren’t your typical love ballads, but empowering indie-pop anthems about recognizing and growing from youthful growing pains. Sometimes all you can do is push forward, and in Tiny Tomboy’s case, write catchy alt-rock to cope.
Voidatlas
“Severance”
Djent is making a comeback, especially if Denver group Voidatlas has anything to do with it. The progressive metal quartet of drummer Zander, guitarist and vocalist Trent, bassist and vocalist Jake and guitarist Stephen (first names only here) made a splash in June with debut EP Surrounding, comprised of three tracks that mix metalcore melodies, djent guitarwork and clean singing.
New single “Severance,” released independently on February 28 along with an official music video, is more of the same and a preview of an upcoming EP this year (release date TBD). So if you start seeing a resurgence of djent around Denver sometime soon, consider Voidatlas at the forefront.
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