The Best New Music by Colorado Musicians Released in March

Spring has officially sprung, and Colorado musicians have seemingly awoken from hibernation to share a ton of new music, everything from pissed-off hardcore to funky house beats. Find the best new releases by local musicians in March below:

John Hayes
Bloom
Denvermulti-instrumentalist and producer John Hayes kicked off the month by releasing his new EP, Bloom, via Netterwork Music Group on March 1. The five tracks were inspired by his close friend, who passed away at the age of 23. Processing his grief through music, Hayes shares cinematic ambient compositions that are also hypnotic and infused with deep-house beats. He calls it a “refined dance-floor approach,” which is best exemplified in songs “Dyad” and “Changeless.”

"I really embraced experimentation when writing this EP,” he shares. “Many of the tracks were born from playing with these synths until I found a little sound that sparked some kind of creative flow.”

On March 22, Hayes also shared new single “Draft of a Night.”

Ransom Note
“Forced Isolation”
Mile High hardcore newcomers Ransom Note dropped a heavy-hitting single, “Forced Isolation,” on March 1. The band’s third release, and first of the year, includes Andrew Carey and Alex Varian of Evergreen Terrace.

Reminiscent of Knocked Loose and the Acacia Strain, Ransom Note isn’t messing around. Vocalist Terek Milligan says the group is ready to hit the studio to record at least one more single in April, with plans to play out more locally. The ultimate goal, though, is to hit the road. With such an incendiary sound, Ransom Note is poised for a breakout in 2024.

Years Down
“Can’t Shake This Feeling”
The pop-punk scene continues to grow in Denver, and Years Down officially announced its arrival with its debut album, December State of Mind, last year.

Drummer Ben Gonzalez, guitarists Dylan Beresford and Rob Cornell, vocalist Griffin Mather, and bassist Sterling Swanson started the year by independently sharing single “Can’t Shake This Feeling” on March 1. While it’s not necessarily traditional pop-punk in the vein of Green Day and Blink-182, which the Years Down lists as “titanic influences,” the new song falls more in line with the metalcore of early-2000s bands such as A Day to Remember and Pierce the Veil. It’s heavy, yet catchy. A real earworm.

Bear and the Beasts
“Harbinger”
Denver ensemble Bear and the Beasts calls itself an indie-rock band, but the group led by singer-songwriter Bear Redmon dabbles in post-punk, cosmic country and psych-jazz as well. The latest example comes in the form of the single “Harbinger,” released independently on March 8, off of the upcoming album, The Earth Shall Claim Your Limbs, which is due to release in September).

The soaring horns on the latest track really pack a punch and give Redmon’s somber-sounding vocals a lift as he croons, “There is a crimson light that burns in me.” From now until September, Bear and the Beasts will be debuting a single a month, so there’s more to come.

SunSquabi
Cloudburst
SunSquabi, the Denver-based electronica jam band, released its new EP, Cloudburst, on March 8. Complete with new drummer Scott Zwang, the trio unleashed a bevy of creativity on the four tracks that comprise Cloudburst, the follow-up to its 2022 record, Arise.

The groovy instrumentals are more of SunSquabi’s “hydro-funk,” as it’s come to be called. Kevin Donohue’s guitar and keys are at the forefront, especially on the song “Hard Pass,” while bass and synth player Josh Fairman provides the steady backbeat. The title track is a more laid-back, spacey jam. The infectious “Rain Shadow” and “Trick Shots” are more energetic, danceable bangers that seem readymade for the stage, which is where you can currently catch SunSquabi.

Justin Jay
Wait For The Drop
Justin Jay, Denver house artist, didn’t wait long to share his new EP, Wait For The Drop, via Deadbeats on March 8. The four songs also include LA artist Bayer & Waits. Jay aimed to capture his “Denver experiences” on Wait For The Drop, which are “fueled by passion for the city's vibrant bass music scene,” he says.

“Mixed Signals” and the title track are certified club anthems. The EP also includes a VIP Edit and Y3llO remix of “Wait For The Drop.”

Jay has already made a name for himself across the city, as his local after parties have attracted such dance-music heavyweights as Skrillex, Zeds Dead and John Summit over the years. This new EP continues in that tradition.

Smoakland and Big Gigantic
“Always Wanna Talk” and “Disco Fevers”
Smoakland and Big Gigantic teamed up for new singles “Always Wanna Talk” and “Disco Fever,” which released on March 15 via Deadbeats.

Smoakland’s Anthony Battaglia and Harrison Hays, who moved to Denver last year, are known for marrying dubstep and cannabis culture from their days growing up in the Bay Area, before meeting as student-athletes at Boise State University.

With “Always Wanna Talk” and “Disco Fever,” Smoakland recruited Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken of the popular electronic project Big Gigantic. The result is a double dose of dubstep and doobies.

Ragwater
Shifting Shapes
Way down in Pagosa Springs, Ragwater has the locals rocking with the ten new tracks of its album, Shifting Shapes, released independently on March 17.

The band, which includes Chris Rapp (lead guitar), Glen Goss (rhythm guitar), Brooks-i (bass), Jason Dockter (drums), Dione Novae (vocals) and Chris Haas (lead vocals), doubles down on its brand of blues-infused rock, something the members call “down home flavor.”

The previously released singles “Scars” and “Leave Me Alone” showcase Ragwater’s tight musicianship, while “Open Sea,” an instrumental, and “29 Years” are the album’s standout rock ballads. The variety is refreshing and keeps listeners on their toes, if they’re not too busy stomping their feet.

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club
“Harris”
All hail Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. The alt-country band known best for pioneering the “Denver Sound” has never been one to rest on its laurels and is busy making new music. In anticipation of its upcoming album, Kinnery of Lupercalia; Buell Legion (out on May 31), the group shared single “Harris” on March 21, and it’s everything you’d expect from an Auto Club offering. It’s straight-up Gothic Americana and further develops the fictional world of Lupercalia, from the madcap mind of band member Munly Munly.

“Harris” is beautifully haunting and hints at an alternate reality in which self-proclaimed rabbit kings frolic freely.

The String Cheese Incident
“County Road Blues”
If you’ve ever seen the String Cheese Incident live, you already know how the legendary Colorado bluegrass band usually treats its audiences to a little something extra during each set. So it’s not too surprising that SCI has a couple bonus tracks leftover from last year’s album, Lend Me A Hand. The latest is “County Road Blues,” released on March 22.

The easy-listening instrumental is the type of jamgrass that Billy Nershi and the boys from Crested Butte and Telluride have become so famous for. It’s not necessarily a medley, but an acoustic pallet cleanser.

American Culture
“Let It Go” and “Survive”
The indie-punkers of American Culture started and finished the month strong by sharing two new singles from upcoming record Hey, Brother It’s Been A While (set to be released via local label Convulse Records on May 3).

The first song, “Let It Go” (March 4), features guest vocals from Midwife, aka Denver-born solo multi-instrumentalist Madeline Johnston. It’s reserved indie-rock for the introvert, thanks to Midwife’s hushed vocal delivery. Meanwhile, “Survive” (March 25) is more upbeat and poppy, even though singer and guitarist Michael Stein admits that he “still don’t want to live forever.” That juxtaposition makes American Culture one of the more interesting DIY bands around.

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