The best new music releases from Colorado artists in May

May was hot with new music from local artists, including Fleeceflower’s Bandcamp-only single, “I’ll See You There.” We saw a SZA-approved viral hit and one of the craziest hip-hop albums you’ll hear all year, too, and then some.

Here are our favorite picks from Colorado musicians this month:

Cruel Mourning
“Another Love”
We’re not sure if Denver synth-pop trio Cruel Mourning knows the secrets of time travel, but the group’s latest single — “Another Love,” released independently on May 15 — sounds like it’s straight out of the 1980s new-wave era.

Melancholic and moody, singer-songwriter D.C. Myers, synth player Jeremy Lombardo and bassist Adam Hawkes make electronic music for modern goths. “Another Love” is off the upcoming debut album “Modern Tension,” which will be celebrated with a release show on June 19 at HQ.

Frail Talk
“Circles & Visions”
NoCo indie duo Frail Talk dropped a soothing EP, “Circles & Visions,” on May 1 via indie label Only One On The Mountain.

Musicians Al Woodchek and Cor Wright make “squiggly indie music for squiggly people,” as they like to say, which means the two dabble across roots, folk and soft pop in coming up with such a daydreamy sound. “Serenity” and previously released single “Decompose (Winter),” for example, live in that soothing space.

Khemmis
“Beneath the Scythe”
Khemmis is ramping up ahead of the release of its self-titled album, out on June 12 via Nuclear Blast, with its second single in as many months. “Beneath the Scythe,” shared on May 7, is a galloping doom dirge, switching from high-energy riffage to pummeling reprieves.

Denver’s modern doom lords are feeling, and sounding, refreshed and better than ever on their first fresh material in five years. The record coincides with a Decibel magazine cover story, so stay tuned for even more next month.

sunstoney
“WAITING TO BLOOM”
When SZA reposts your new single days after it was released, it’s safe to say it’s a hit. That’s what happened to Eman El Saied, aka Denver indie artist sunstoney, when she shared her latest song, “WAITING TO BLOOM,” independently on May 25.

An infectiously upbeat dance tune, “WAITING TO BLOOM” is off sunstoney’s upcoming album, which will be out later this summer. Seeing SZA’s nod of approval regarding the video, directed by Ana Paula Pinto, felt surreal, El Saied tells Westword.

“I run to my phone, and I’m checking my mentions, and there it is,” she says. “Within one day of her sharing it to her, you know, 23 million followers on Instagram, I gained 600 new followers. I’m at 700K views because of her. … I was getting so many amazing comments from people being like, ‘SZA sent me here.’”

The Mañanas
“Leopard Lady”
The Mañanas are having a big year. The Denver surf-psychers were recently named Flora RiNo’s first-ever artist-in-residence, which pairs perfectly with the four-piece’s plans of working on a new, yet-to-be-named album, set for release in September. Latest single “Leopard Lady,” shared independently on May 25, is a taste of what The Mañanas are up to. With loungey retro-rock vibe and swing, singer-guitarist Brandon L. Unpingco, drummer Danny Pauta, bassist Jessica Pulido and guitarist Eliza Newman-Golden are exploring different textures and sounds.

Wheelchair Sports Camp
“oh imperfecta”
Wheelchair Sports Camp — the Denver duo of rapper-activist Kalyn Heffernan and musician Gregg Ziemba — put out one of the year’s most punk records (so far) with album “oh imperfecta,” released via Jello Biafra’s label Alternative Tentacles.

Biafra actually makes an appearance on “MAKE it MAKE SENSE,” as does early punk peer Radio Pete, as well as “DEAD.” But what makes Wheelchair Sports Camp so unique is Heffernan’s zany rap style, which is as politically charged as it is original. “EAT MEAT!” is the most to-the-point example here in taking on society’s many hypocrisies.  

Want your music to be included in our monthly roundup? Email it to [email protected].