DEBR4H – “The Court Of Richard II”

“This isn’t the normal, like, girl-joins-the-band story,” DEBR4H’s Jed Murphy tells BandWagon. “I was really kinda hitting the end.”

Murphy’s dead-end feelings were palpable to his audience and especially to his romantic partner. “Kayna literally got tired of going to shows and just sitting there,” Murphy laughs, “so she joined the band.” 

But it’s not that simple. “It’s more about having a team,” Murphy says, citing DEBR4H’s newest single “The Court Of Richard II” as a turning point, with synth modulations atop an ever-steady beat, while stabs of disoriented Kraftwerk-keyboard undercut Murphy’s Morrisey-like monotone.

“Richard the 2nd was a boy king. He did whatever he wanted. Then he’s overthrown and they starve him to death. I really liked that idea: have whatever you want, but it can turn bad.”

Album Review: Ellsworth – Ellsworth

Denver’s Ellsworth has struck a vein with her eponymous 11-song LP, traversing anxiety, self-doubt and lost love in gorgeously graceful strides.

Soft but with immense conviction, her quiet tone conveys intimacy, like an earnest conversation meant for one person’s ears in a crowded room. 

“When we push away our feelings of sadness or anxiety, we are in fact pushing away a part of ourselves,” says Ellsworth.

In just a handful of masterfully crafted folk songs, she taps into the shared trauma of a generation.

Album Review: Bones Muhroni – Boom Snap Clap

Bones Muhroni, aka Crew Rienstra has done a lot over the years to find ways of making interesting music. While folk rock was always at the center of the breadth of material Rienstra (along with many other talented musicians) released under the Bones Muhroni name, there was always something bizarre and out of place happening underneath.

Packed with nuance and texture, Boom Snap Clap is Rienstra letting go in a lot of ways, creating something that bounces between electro, R&B, grunge rock, even a metal tune.

Album Review: Wolf van Elfmand – All Blue

Coloradan songwriter Wolf van Elfmand’s music has always had a western flair. This remains true in his newest album All Blue released in February, but he also incorporates what the title suggests: the blues.

Cool and steady like a long lost J.J. Cale gem, van Elfmand incorporates improvisation and musical playfulness between the melody and simple chord structures, leaving comfortable spaces for harmonica, pedal steel and lead guitar to add conversational nuances to the texture. 

A Brother’s Bond: Holdfast. Stays, Fights and Reflects

“We are three brothers” is the first sentence Holdfast. wrote in their Facebook bio and they’re not really wrong about that. Brothers Tom and Mikey Maddocks and their cousin Charlie Maddocks grew up right next door to each other in Windsor, CO. They did everything together, including signing a sync licence with Audio Network in 2020 and releasing their first full length Stay And Fight on January 8, 2021.

Album Review: Fresh Fruit! – Independently

The groovy, Denver-based soul band Fresh Fruit! released their first EP on January 1st. And while the chill, yacht rock vibes of their past occasionally surface, “Independently” accentuates their soul sounds in a way that is groovy and more commercially appealing.

2GETHR 4EVR: NGHT WLVS Find The Formula

For Northern Colorado-based synth hop trio NGHT WLVS, creating music together was nothing new. Long-time friends Will Duran, Sam Archuleta, and Tommy Martinez began making music together over a decade ago, and while life took them down separate roads, they reconnected. Rocking a sound saturated in the lushness and sparkle of classic synth pop while sticking to their hip hop roots.

Album Review: Kid Astronaut & Psychologic – Kenopsia

Pervasive feelings of extreme unknown lurk in the consciousness of most citizens on planet earth these days, which is why the similarly intangible music, soundscapes and dark, thrilling emotions on the concept EP Kenopsia hit so hard. A brilliant and concise collaboration between Denver-based R&B hip-hop vocalist Kid Astronaut and producer Psychologic, the record’s pop sensibilities are balanced by an epic, dystopian sense of drama and purpose.