From reggae and rap to hardcore and electronica, Denver musicians continue to put out more fresh music than anybody can track. In Playtime, Westword music writers will introduce you to some of the best new offerings.
To start, here are six new releases from hometown artists that should appeal to music lovers of various tastes:
Death by Dub
"Abundance"
Denver reggae band Death by Dub offers up a breezy, horn-heavy instrumental track with Scott Flynn on trombone and Drew Sayers on tenor sax. Sit back, pour yourself a drink, and relax to this number from the local label Color Red. "Abundance" is the title song off the band's debut LP, slated to drop later this year. — Kyle Harris
Direct Threat
Self-titled demo
Hardcore outfit Direct Threat comprises three of the four members of straight-edge quartet Tuck Knee. The eight songs on this self-titled demo offer rough-around-the-edges hardcore tunes that are lo-fi and ugly. The entire noise-soaked affair clocks in at about ten minutes. Iron Lung Records released the songs on an already sold-out cassette, but you can still check them out on Bandcamp. — John Bear
IANxSolo
"Road to Nowhere"
Fresh off releasing his debut EP, Screen Door, in May, IANxSOLO is pushing the music video for the song "Road to Nowhere," a track about trying to make the most of life when living is far from guaranteed. It's drunken romancing and a bit creepy, but when death's coming, you might as well have a good time and bounce. — Kyle Harris
L Keys
"I Got Mine"
Aurora rapper L Keys's latest track, "I Got Mine," is hardscrabble rap, delivered in a laid-back cadence, about scrambling for money and the drama of life in the ’hood. It's a song loaded with braggadocio, taking aim at fakes and posers, with a smooth-riding beat and a steely hook. L Keys is ready to fire, with all the strength of his gang behind him. — Kyle Harris
Mr. Frick
Planet Euphoria
Mr. Frick's debut, Planet Euphoria, is a three-track EP harking back to ’90 raves, in which the timbre of timeless drum machines meets nostalgic synth pads and flourishes. "Space Jam" combines booty bass, breaks and the occasional vinyl scratch to create a dance track with plenty of open space. The eponymous "Planet Euphoria" is built from ethereal pads and an undulating counter-melody, evoking the golden age of raves. "Hydraulics," a collaboration between Frick and Mort.Domed, uses a similar drum pattern but is driven by minimalist vocals, accentuated by the TB-303, the legendary bass-line synthesizer that continues to define electronic music nearly forty years after the instrument first hit the scene. — Alex Berryhill
Yvie Oddly
"Chicken Dinner"
Yvie Oddly and producer Brad Kemp know how to do a remix right. “Winner Winner,” the remix of Yvie’s track “Chicken Dinner” from her debut album, Drag Trap, is not just the same song with added features; it’s an entirely new track, revamping the “Chicken Dinner” beat with boosted bass and funky synths. Not only are there two new verses courtesy of fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race winners Shea Couleé and Bebe Zahara Benet, but Oddly's original verses have also been swapped out for brand-new bars. While “Chicken Dinner” was written by Oddly fresh from her season-eleven win, her bold, self-assured lyrics for “Winner Winner” prove that she is now firmly at home among the series’ champions. She even calls them all out by name, from “Regal Like Bebe” (season one winner Bebe Zahara Benet) to “True Beauty Like Jaida” (the most recent winner, Jaida Essence Hall), cleverly co-opting each queen’s trademark as part of her own multifaceted persona. As expected, Couleé delivers a punchy verse with her signature cockiness, but it’s Benet who shines here, refusing to let anyone forget that she was the original queen supreme. — Cleo Mirza
Have a new release? Send it to [email protected].