Courtesy Buried in Lies
Audio By Carbonatix
The last year has brought a lot of heavy hitters from across the the state and in a multitude of genres. So it is fitting that we close out the year with one more month in the same vein, including a young punk duo that is just getting started.
Here are the best December releases by Colorado musicians:
Buried in Lies
Finding Beauty in Pain
Denver metalcore crew Buried in Lies turns tragedy into triumph on latest EP, Finding Beauty in Pain, released on December 10 via local independent label Auricular Impalement.
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Initially inspired by a Devil’s Night hospital visit that forced vocalist Tyler Trejo to cope with the possibility of losing his grandfather, the seven tracks are more emotionally charged than anything Buried in Lies has done before.
“Reality is a cruel thing, isn’t it?” is the question at the core of the EP’s ethos, according to Trejo.
From the somber “A World Without You” to the sharp shredding of “You Wasted Away,” Finding Beauty in Pain sees Trejo, guitarist-vocalist Dylan Jordan, guitarist Dan Boren and drummer Andrew Campos explore more sonic territory — straight metalcore, hardcore, nu-metal, and at times, shoegaze. The closing title track encapsulates what Buries in Lies is all about best.
Cherokee Social
The Garden
While it might have taken two years, Cherokee Social’s latest EP, The Garden (released independently on December 9), was worth the wait.
The official three-song offering from indie-pop duo Julian Navarro and Alex Creighton follows this year’s five previously shared singles, including November’s “Red Ferrari,” giving Cherokee Social a total of eight new songs in 2025. That’s a pretty productive twelve months, not to mention the West Coast tour with Coyote Island in August and September.
That run and road time inspired The Garden, particularly track “Seattle,” a love song about a what-if long-distance romance. “A Never Ends,” with a soothing lullaby of a guitar lick from Creighton, is the type of bedroom pop that Cherokee Social is known for, an upbeat outlook on otherwise weary dispositions.
Kung Fu Juice Box
“High Expectations”
Here’s a fun one: Kung Fu Juice Box bills itself as a straight-edge punk band from Longmont and just played its first-ever show at Moe’s Original BBQ earlier this month, which this writer unexpectedly caught while enjoying a pre-Khemmis meal. From what was collected from the contingent of family and friends in attendance, the two-piece comprises young brothers not even of legal age who love three-chord punk.
And Kung Fu Juice Box — what a great name, by the way — premiered its inaugural single, “High Expectations,” live the same night, December 20, while filling out the opening set with some covers.
The duo owned it, and the biggest takeaway was just how much fun they were having. It takes some serious guts to jump up on stage and play loud music, but Kung Fu Juice Box has that type of moxie in spades, not to mention all the youthful energy needed to make such raw and real punk. And they’re just getting started.
NightWraith
“The Candlelight”
NightWraith capped 2025 with a searing single, “The Candlelight,” released independently on December 19. Initially written during the record cycle for last year’s LP, Divergence, the track is a soaring groove-and-doom melodeath epic that now signals what’s next — the Denver band’s upcoming fourth album to be recorded in Spring 2026.
Vocalist-guitarist Ben Pitts was inspired to create “The Candlelight” while reminiscing about his early days in the Denver DIY scene, particularly when he called the once-lauded punk spot The Yellow Bordello home.
“It can be hard to take a leap of faith and think outside the box, but if an artist won’t take risks, then nothing new is ever going to happen. I hope listeners will understand our vision for ‘The Candlelight’ and are receptive to the risks we’ve taken by releasing a non-traditional sounding heavy metal song,” Pitts shared.
With Lauren Vieira, also of local band Dreadnought, joining as full-time keyboard and synth player, NightWraith looks to push the boundaries even further next year.
Worst Worry
“The Last Noel” and “The Hardest Thing Of All”
Lafayette musician Lisa Lynn Wallace, the creative behind solo darkwave project Worst Worry, released a fuzzed-out festive single, “The Last Noel,” independently on December 7, paired with the punkier “The Hardest Thing Of All.”
Formerly of London vamp-rock band Black Time (as Janie Too Bad) and “reject” riot grrrl two-piece Sexaphone, Wallace leans more lo-fi with latest endeavor Worst Worry, which features minimal synth textures and her wispy goth vocal first introduced on her self-titled debut earlier this year.
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