Highlight on 2022 Album Releases

Dwell at Dazzle 4.23.22
Sarah Mount & the Rushmores
Impartial, Oct. 2022
facebook.com/denverfunkandsoul

With a virtually year-long residency at beloved Denver jazz venue Dazzle, Sarah Mount & the Rushmores discovered the house wanted to hone this distinctive 3-song EP right into a cohesive, extremely improvisational show of funky jazz wizardry, together with a soulful look by vocalist Emily “Sparklechicken” Hatch on the observe, “Let me be Free.” It was recorded in a single evening at a present in April, they usually have been hitting HARD.

Human Go well with
Anonymonkey
25 BPM Information, Might 2022
anonymonkey.co

Anonymonkey could also be my favourite new band out of Colorado. This album is fireplace from high to backside — a melange of good lyrics with slicing social commentary, nice hooks, and driving riffs that weave all of it collectively. The facility trio of Chad “Chadzilla” Johnson (lead vocals, bass, trombone), Ryan “Feegs” Fiegl (guitar) and Sean “Barf” Bartholomew (drums, vocals), are longtime Denver music scene fixtures who’ve come collectively to ship one thing highly effective and interesting that delivers extra than simply the sum of their spectacular particular person elements.

MAD
Shady Oaks
Impartial, Oct. 2022
shadyoaksband.com

By all accounts, Shady Oaks completely blistered the viewers of their 2022 UMS Showcase look. It’s not laborious to think about why if you spin MAD, their  hard-rocking, lo-fi storage rock debut album — 13 tracks of face-punching, relentless rawk. It’s obtained fuzzy notes of the White Stripes — if their sound was even larger.

Varied Singles
Jelie
Impartial, 2022
jelie303.com

Usually talking, rap in Colorado has been an underserved style over time. There’s good things on the market, however the ubiquity of jangly guitars, jam-grass and indie-rock have held extra sway over the scene. Jelie exhibits as much as disabuse music followers of the notion that rap can’t thrive within the Mile Excessive — excellent beats, considerate lyrics, and infectious stream make her a direct star ascending on this scene.

Second Day of Spring
Companion
Impartial, 2022
companionband.com

Similar 23-year-old twin sisters Sophia and Jo Babb ship a heartbreakingly attractive assortment of indie folks tunes that almost bleeds in its lovely ache and whispers of hope. It’s clear there’s one thing deeply cathartic at play right here with tunes like “If I Was A Ghost” and “How May I Have Recognized.” It’s the temper music you want when it’s time for a superb cry.

Optimistic Voices
Bluebook
Impartial, Feb. 2022
thisisbluebook.com

Their digital liner notes name Bluebook, “the haunting apocalyptic lounge mission of Julie Davis, Jess Parsons, Hayley Helmericks, and Anna Morsett,” and that’s nearly as good a label as any. Synth-driven soundscapes present the sonic underpinning of a bittersweet, melancholy assortment of lilting vocals on this outing.

Can’t Get Proper With The Darkness
Clementine Was Proper
The Blue Flip, March 2022
theblueturn.com/clementinewasright

From the snare shuffle intro of “Half of my Coronary heart is a Runaway Prepare,” the opening reduce of Clementine Was Proper’s 2022 outing, the 9-track LP affords up an easy assortment of alt-country, rife with vocal harmonies and catchy honky-tonk riffs — however simply “alt.” sufficient to search out its approach right into a half-dozen different document retailer bins.

Someplace Between The place We Are And The place We’ve Been
Bury Mia
Impartial, Jan. 2022
burymia.com

Sorry, not sorry, I’ve a gentle spot in my coronary heart for pop-punk. And it’s an area that Bury Mia occupies affably, with its 2022 launch of 10 rowdy tracks together with songs like “Significantly Although, Let’s Enhance The Minimal Wage,” and “We Deeply Apologize For The Lack of Horn Part” (which is definitely the title observe however with a cheeky disclaimer on the digital model). They will not be treading new floor right here, however they tread this well-worn path so damned effectively, you’ll be able to’t assist however prefer it.

Once I Was With You
Dafna
No Coincidence Information, Might, 2022
dafna.rocks

Dafna’s electric-pop-infused sound is a neatly developed dreamscape of textures that doesn’t lose itself in over-production. Her winsome voice rides over a lush set of harmonies, making a soundtrack that feels prefer it must underscore the subsequent Wes Anderson movie. It shows a major maturity in composition that belies her younger age. She’s undoubtedly going locations.