Summer has officially arrived in the Front Range, and with it comes one of our first album release parties of the season — Sour Magic’s celebration of The Hive at Skylark Lounge on June 13. With support from Planet Of The Little Green Men, Stereo Ontario and Moonlight Moon, Denver’s up-and-coming indie-psych-rock four-piece Sour Magic are bringing the summer heat with their sophomore album, which we got a taste of back in April and May with the singles “Chocolate and Shrooms” and “Silver Sands.” While we anticipate the full-length The Hive‘s impending release, it felt like the perfect time to get to know Sour Magic and the players behind the music, Eliseo Salinas, Mauro Hernandez, Drew Morse and Jay Waldrop.
READ: Local Listen — Local Indie Band Barbara Lets Loose with New Album, “SO THIS IS LIVING”
What happens when a bunch of isolated musicians come out of a pandemic-induced lockdown? They inevitably find each other and start making music. Drummer Jay Waldrop posted on social media in search of people to create with and everything came together quite organically from there. With some background in music and a whole lot of passion for it, Sour Magic was formed.
Each player was independently open to exploring and experimenting with the music and its different genres, paving the way for their first album, 2023’s Forbidden Fruit. The Hive, however, is what happened when Salinas, Hernandez, Morse and Waldrop began fine-tuning their craft. Testing the waters, they believe this sophomore album to have found the sound that they were going for.
This concept album sees the band’s four members moving in the “same direction,” with the final result being “more polished and collaborative.” It tells a story throughout, of the hive and the hive mindset of doing what you’re hardwired to do. Of this theme, Waldrop explained that “You can relate that to life. A lot of people expect people to follow a certain path or do things like everybody else is — it’s important to break away from that and not be part of the hive.” In a greater context, this concept became a “metaphor for society and the human condition.” In order to make the theme flow, Sour Magic did their due diligence in researching the condition of the bee, combining that research with their “emotional journeys and the growth that people go through.”
The accompanying music video for the single “Chocolate and Shrooms,” starring Kate Fern — bassist and vocalist of fellow beloved local psych rockers May Be Fern — featuring guest musicians and peers and co-written by Hernandez and Morse, goes further in showcasing Sour Magic’s creative vastness. With Salinas’ collaborative idea of cosplaying the video to depict “endless summer nights and temptation,” the video’s theme became the devil, depicting Fern fighting against the “cycle of temptation.” Thoughtful, sensual and intriguing, the video’s storytelling lures both listeners and watchers, inviting them to follow along on Fern’s journey. Supported by impressive cinematography and glimpses of the live performance experience, the single becomes that much more breathtaking.
While the heady psych-pop “Chocolate and Shrooms” and jammy alt-rock “Silver Sands” came this spring, there’s one more incoming single that Sour Magic has since teased. “Trumpet and percussion, bongos, shakers, wind-chimes, Spanish chants” — all can be heard and experienced on “En Camino (On My Way),” a tune that any listener should have on loud with room to dance.
Needless to say, The Hive gets increasingly more diverse and surprising with each single released, and it’s safe to presume that Friday’s show at the Skylark will keep fans on their toes. “I think you can tell that we’re better on the second album,” reflected Waldrop and with more songs “in the tank,” it sounds like the album release party is just the beginning of the beginning for Sour Magic.
Stream Sour Magic’s latest singles here!