This is an excerpt from our bi-monthly newsletter. For more, make sure to check us out on Substack!

MARSELA ~ Dark Days

Over a silky & soulful instrumental, British-Albanian songstress, MARSELA, released a smooth ballad titled “Dark Days” on Feb. 26. Her bassy delivery romanticizes the climbing out of phases of emotional and spiritual pain. MARSELA is a newcomer in the world of soul and R&B, but that is no indication of her musical quality. A mature voice and strong instrumentals tell us we can anticipate a soon-to-be heavyweight. Look out for what she has in store:

Joyce Wrice ~ Overgrown

As a new contender for album of the year, Overgrown by Joyce Wrice is evocative, beautiful, and pop-inspired without feeling derivative. With an array of ultra-talented feature artists like KAYTRANADA, Freddie Gibbs, Lucky Daye, and UMI, among others, the album is easy to listen to on repeat without becoming stale. Get to know Wrice’s name because if she can create this as a debut, there’s no telling how expansive her potential is.

Best songs: “On One,” “So So Sick,” “That’s On You”

BROCKHAMPTON ~ ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE

The boy band’s seventh album is a refreshing effort, bringing many of the group’s beloved members back into the limelight after an extended drought. High-profile features like Danny Brown, JPEGMAFIA, and A$AP Rocky are compelling, but don’t add much to BROCKHAMPTON’s portfolio. It feels like they serve more as a crutch than an addition. 

Best songs: “COUNT ON ME,” “I’LL TAKE YOU ON,” “WHAT’S THE OCCASION”

Your Friend Ben ~ Sneakers

“Sneakers” is a spacious and gentle track from Your Friend Ben, with a guitar-driven instrumental and an ethereal production style. Give it a listen if you feel like laying back and giving your sneakers a rest for a little while.

Ric Wilson — Woo Woo Woo & Everybody Red in the Face

Disco Ric resurfaces for a pair of hip-shakers. Combining to last fewer than three minutes, these songs are a bite-sized taste of what our favorite Chicago boogie-rapper has been up to.

flora

Having trouble leaving the hibernation of the pandemic? Get ready to face the anxieties of an open world with this playlist, which will hold your hand as we get back to a new kind of normal.

The Salt Lick, Denver

Founded with the goal to more effectively market Denver and Colorado music to the nation and world, The Salt Lick was recently established as a music collective and studio.

The Salt Lick’s concert series, Songs from the Pond, aims to highlight the amazing and diverse talent found within the Denver music scene. These intimate studio sessions, inspired by KEXP and NPR’s Tiny Desk, premiere the 1st of every month at 7:00PM.

The team behind the collective includes Edelstein (audiovisual-production), Chris Voss (audio engineer), Andrea Hoang (marketing/set designer), Maya Bennett (talent-discovery person) and John Baldwin (audiovisual-production assistant). 

The Salt lick hosted local band, Mlady, for the month of April. Band members Hannah (Vocals/Piano), Karina (Bass), Syd (Drummer), Austin (Vocals/Guitar), and Ian (Guitar) delivered a captivating performance with songs that will be playing on repeat in your heads long after you’ve finished watching the session.  Self described as “emotionally indulgent, dreamy pop”, Hannah’s songwriting is vulnerable, authentic, and emotionally raw; it’ll make you feel all sorts of feelings and keep you coming back for more. Mlady released their latest album, Maladaptive Daydreaming, on March 31st.

Click here to subscribe to The Salt Lick’s Youtube Channel for more content and to stay up to date or check out www.thesaltlickdenver.com.