February may be the shortest month, but there was no shortage of new local music, including releases related to Friday the 13th, Galentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day, as well as some surprises (hint: dungeon synth).
From indie-folk ballads to brutal goregrind, these are our favorites from Colorado musicians this month:
Alyssa Mongiovi
“Julie”
Denver singer-songwriter Alyssa Mongiovi shared a Galentine’s Day ditty, “Julie,” on February 13. The soulful song is an homage to a fearless friend who helped a young Mongiovi find her voice, while serving as an early musical inspiration and confidant. Mongiovi, who croons and swoons over her acoustic guitar parts, decided to pursue music full-time a little over a year ago, releasing a debut single, “Poet,” last summer.
Blue Mesa
Where Hopes and Dreams are Medicine
Denver alt-rocker Blue Mesa shared its third record, Where Hopes and Dreams are Medicine, independently on February 27. As the band puts it, the nine new tracks are “an eclectic collection that showcases a personal journey from tragedy to triumph, capturing a multitude of fun, intense, upbeat and nostalgic vibes.” For listeners, Blue Mesa brings it back to the second wave of pop-punk in the early 2000s, especially on songs “Running on Empty,” “You Know Me Better” and “Oceans of Time.”
Bonnie Paine
“Ashes”
Bonnie Paine, the singer and multi-instrumentalist best known for her work with Elephant Revival, is going solo, as the Boulder musician released her first single, “Ashes,” independently on February 20. With the debut track off upcoming album Unseen (coming May 8) out now, Paine shares that the project’s “been living in notebooks, voice memos, late nights and long drives for a while now,” and “Ashes” is a glimpse into what’s to come. “Writing this song felt like sitting with what’s left after something settles into embers, brushing through the remnants and finding something tender still growing,” she says. “Noticing what really matters, shining brighter than before.”
Chariots & Charioteers
“Fools”
In the mood for a piano ballad? Then check out the latest from Denver quarter Chariots & Charioteers, “Fools,” released independently on February 20, a harmonious ode the conveys that feeling of “being so crazy for your person that it makes everything simple,” according to the group. In other words, a perfect Valentine’s Day tune.
Disgustingest
Coagulating Putrescence
Or maybe you’re looking for brutal deathgore? Then Disgustingest is the band for you! Local metal mage Kendrick Lemke, also of Pedestal for Leviathan, took a solo project and morphed it into a sickening supergroup with members of Consanguinity, Aleister Cowboy, Insipidus and Phthisis. The slamming Denver incarnation shows off its fetid stuff on new EP, Coagulating Putrescence, released via Paper Wings Records on February 20. Chew on “Digital Cyst” and “Primitive Lobotomy,” for starters.
Jesus Christ Taxi Driver
“Lana Del Rey”
Denver weirdos Jesus Christ Taxi Driver aren’t suffering an identity crisis on the band’s latest single, “Lana Del Ray,” released on February 20, but are practicing some type of bizarro garage-rock affirmation in channeling the undisputed baroque pop queen.
“Lana Del Rey is representative of self-belief and confidence amidst persecution and self-doubt,” says vocalist-guitarist Ian Ehrhart. “She is a pop icon that transcends pop icons through artistic integrity and an unrelenting sense of identity. She has it all — mystique, intellect, depth. She is a figment of our imagination.”
That’s Jesus Christ Taxi Driver for ya. The new tune is from impending album Taxi The Rich, set to be unleashed on April 24 via Kansas indie label Midtopia, so it’s just going to getting stranger.
Magoo
What a Life
Magoo is already one of Colorado’s most beloved bluegrass outfits but surprisingly, the Denver-Steamboat Springs four-piece hasn’t put out a proper LP debut until now. What a Life, released independently on February 27, is everything Magoo does so well. The band even brought in the king, Sam Bush, for track “Angel of Telluride,” a true love story about how mandolist Courtlyn Bills fell in love at Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The album feels like a culmination of the years Magoo has already put in, yet leaves you wanting more.
Nicki Walters
“liability / readtheroom”
Nicki Walters dropped double-single “liability / readtheroom” on Friday the 13th via local independent label Mean World Records. With the help of drummer Nick Schell, the Denver indie singer-songwriter casts an electro-folk spell that’s equally hypnotic and head-bobbing in its alternative ethos.
Of The Trees
Moonglade Park
Of The Trees, aka Tyler Coombs, is already having a big 2026. The Denver EDM artist announced the return of the Camp Alderwild summer festival in Telluride earlier this month, before dropping the album Moonglade Park on February 13 via his own label, Memory Palace. The first Of The Trees record in a decade, Moonglade Park showcases the type of atmospheric bass and electronic music that’s becomes a Coombs signature. “Dolori” and “Look Into My Eyes” are great entry points here.
Secluded Tower
Adventurer’s Map
Secluded Tower dropped debut dungeon-synth EP Adventurer’s Map out of nowhere on February 9, so not much is known of this mysterious mountain magician. But what we can conclude is that Secluded Tower’s “fantasy synth drawn forth from realms far beyond” is capable of inspiring the inner swordsman and sorcerer who long for a medieval quest. Starting with “Enter an Ancient Land” and concluding with epic closer “Many Partings,” Adventurer’s Map is an unexpected journey.
The Tammy Shine
Ok Shine OK
Tammy Ealom, the legendary Denver musician and creative force behind Dressy Bessy, is going solo with debut album Ok Shine Ok, released on February 20 via Georgia indie label Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records. Under moniker the Tammy Shine, Ealom brings all her clutter-punk glory on standout tracks “Junk Mail” and “Speed Date,” while expanding on what she’s always done so well for over three decades.
These Nights
“Open Letter”
These Nights, a pop-punk project out of Colorado Springs, marry glowing synths and electro dance-pop on the new single “Open Letter,” released independently on February 11. Upbeat and energetic, it’s certainly danceable, but the lovelorn lyricism still gives the song an emo edge that makes for the perfect pop-punk balance.
Volores
Shores of Scorpio
Dark-alt duo Volores returned with sophomore album Shores of Scorpio, released February 20 via its own banner Broken Stag Records. The project of couple Shelby (vocals and guitar) and Nathen Maxwell (bass, also of Flogging Molly), Volores goes heavier, emotionally and sonically, on its second record, as Shelby navigates the life-altering discovery that her biological father was not the man who raised her, which can heard through post-punk tension on such songs as the title track and “The Huntress.”
waxpool
“pretend”
Relative alt-rock newbies waxpool continued to hype upcoming debut EP, i love it here (release date TBD), by sharing a second single, “pretend,” on February 6. On the latest track, the Denver indie four-piece displays a knack for making the type of slow-crush music that’s perfect for long car rides to nowhere in particular, the types of drives that allow the mind and soul to wander.
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