Greeley's Futurebabes Have Transformed Into DEBR4H

By: Norman Hittle

Out of the reformation of former Greeley synthpop band futurebabes, DEBR4H was conceived. The new band recently released their debut EP Taipei Rock City. Check it out below:

In regard to their recent transformation, the band had this to say: “Well gang, we’re doing it. It’s come time to retire the futurebabes name. We’ve taken it down a long road with many ups and downs and fought the good fight. But now it’s time for a restart. A time to let go of the past and look towards the future and that future is not forever anymore.”

With some similarities to their former sound in futurebabes (which you can find our review for here), DEBR4H continues the highly eclectic electronic trend with a heavy synthwave vibe. Their new record makes for very chill driving music, accompanied by a singing style similar to She Wants Revenge and Interpol.

DEBR4H.

DEBR4H.

Along for the ride in this reformation are Oliver and Jakob from Slow Caves, with Oliver taking the helm of the producer for the project as well. As of now, there are no performances booked for the band but here’s to hoping DEBR4H will continue to play out around the Denver area as futurebabes once did.

-Norman

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

Poets & Wolves Bring Their Alternative Indie Dance Pop Sound Alive At Denver Show

By: Nathan Sheppard

Poets & Wolves played Your Mom's House last week, with Adventure Nothing and The Ugly Architect. The intimate show started with a mix of original songs and solid covers by Adventure Nothing. Then The Ugly Architect, an outfit from Fort Collins, took the stage and bumped up the energy with their exuberant performance style and fun-loving stage presence.

Poets & Wolves.

Poets & Wolves.

The Greeley-based band Poets & Wolves finished off the night with a solid set. The alternative indie four-piece use a wide variety of influences and genres to create a sound unique to themselves. They mix slow, melodic bass with catchy guitar riffs to get you dancing while simultaneously keeping alt chill elements strong throughout their catchy, grooving tunes.

The group opened their set with songs from their debut EP To The Moon, having only released two double-single records prior. Poets & Wolves also did a cover of Linkin Park's “Waiting For The End” with their own alt emo twist. They topped off the night with one of their older singles, “Pretty Little Mess,” which sent the night off with a stomping frenzy.

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You can stream Poets & Wolves’ music on all platforms and keep up with them on Facebook. Though this was the band’s last show of 2017, you can see them January 11th at Globe Hall with Stereoshifter, Echoes In Reverie, and Wolf Poets.

-Nathan

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

Review: Synth Pop Act futurebabes Bring Us "Spreadsheets In Bedsheets"

By: Norman Hittle

Much like some of our favorite legendary artists, futurebabes came about out of a broken relationship and an artistic mindset to delve into music as therapy opposed to lingering in crippling sadness.

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Since signing to Bandwagon Records in 2015, this Greeley-based synth pop act have been making headway with their drum machines and analog synthesizers that create a nostalgia  of 80s sounds. With a very indie nod to Joy Division and perhaps the Human League, futurebabes presents us with their latest single “Spreadsheets in Bedsheets.”

Aside from this recent release, they have also released 2015’s Day Job EP, 2016’s “Thirsty Man’s Hunger Plea” and 2016’s “Wolves”. You can peep all of these releases on their Bandcamp.

Keep an ear out for futurebabes and their upcoming Colorado shows, as well as a new tune or two as they are currently in the studio!

-Norman

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

England's Fenech-Soler Talk With Us About 'ZILLA' & Their New 360° Music Video

By: Hannah Oreskovich

English electropop outfit Fenech-Soler have been a project since 2006, though you probably know them best from their 2010 self-titled record, which made major waves on BBC Radio and brought the group the attention that soon after found them signed to Warner Bros. Records. The group’s album Rituals was released thereafter in 2013, spurring them into a massive UK tour and an eventual spot playing the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. In 2016, founding members Daniel Fenech-Soler (from which the band’s name stems) and Andrew Lindsay left the project, but brothers Ross and Ben Duffy kept writing. This year, the duo dropped ZILLA on So Recordings, and are currently on tour in support of it. Next Monday and Tuesday, May 15th and 16th, Fenech-Soler make their Colorado appearances on their North American tour, with a stop in Greeley on Monday at The Moxi Theater and Lost Lake on Tuesday in Denver. We recently chatted with the Duffy boys to learn more about their latest record, their new 360-degree interactive music video, and their plans for the summer. Check it:

ZILLA is arguably your most pop-leaning record yet. How did (mostly) self-producing this record influence its sound?

It hugely influenced its sound because every production decision was made by us and limited by the equipment we use. We tend to work pretty quickly when we start an idea, so [we] use a lot of things on the computer, but then re-record sounds using outboard gear if we feel it's needed. A lot of the sounds from ZILLA actually came from one keyboard that we bought as kids, so we feel it's a distinctive sound. The keyboard has these perfect faux-vintage synths, which we loved.

Fenech-Soler.

Fenech-Soler.

Your single “Kaleidoscope” was described by Noisey as “3:39 of pure joy.” What was the inspiration behind writing this hit track?

We just wanted to write the most concise 'to the point' pop song we could. It really is the most emblematic song of the ZILLA sound, so I guess the inspiration was to be as simple as possible in our approach. It was a kind of a less-is-more affair. We've always been influenced by lots of different artists, so in many ways, there's tons of inspiration wrapped up in there somewhere, but I couldn't really say one specific influence. The other songs from ZILLA guide it stylistically.

Your new video for “Conversation” is filmed in 360° and is super interactive for the viewer. Who did you work with to film the video? Why did you choose this platform for “Conversation” over other tracks? Is the location in your Northamptonshire studio?

Thanks very much! We had a lot of fun making the video and we choose a white art space in west London for the location. We wanted a minimalist colour scheme to again reflect a simplicity in the sound. The 360-degree element also felt right for this song because it's one of our favourites to perform live, so an immersive platform where the viewer can control what they see, combined with the clinical aesthetic, just seemed like a good idea. Toby at Blind Club directed the video. He's very talented.

Photo Credit: Ed Whitmarsh

Photo Credit: Ed Whitmarsh

Having played all over the world since your inception in 2006, what is one of your favorite things about playing shows in North America?

There's so much of North America we haven't seen. This tour is taking us to some new cities, and giving us the opportunity to play to fans who we haven't managed to get to since we started the band. Oh, and we also love the American food options. It's the best.

Tell us one thing you make a habit of doing on your off days on tour.

Sleeping! Even though to be honest, on this tour, we said on the flight over that we have to do more tourist things. There's so many incredible things to see, and it's a privilege getting to travel around with your best mates playing music.

Any festival spots planned for the summer?

We're hitting the UK and Europe, and then hopefully getting out to some in the US. It's always a lot of fun as festival crowds can really transform a set. The songs can take on their own energy. We've never played a US festival, but any festival where the weather is good is fine by us! [The weather] is not usually like that in the UK. (laughs)

Listen to ZILLA:

What does the rest of 2017 look like for you guys?

Well we're going to release a cover EP in a few weeks, which we're looking forward to. We've covered all the people you shouldn't really cover, like Prince, Bowie, and Janet Jackson, so it will either be a positive or a career ender. We like them though, so I reckon people will dig them. Then after that just more touring. Hopefully [we’ll be] back in America very soon after this tour.   

Make sure to catch Fenech-Soler at their Colorado stops- tickets here.

-Hannah

Follow Hannah on Instagram and Twitter.

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.