Denver-based indie rock band Churchill is, in my opinion, at the forefront of quality for local music.  In the wake of their much deserved win at KTCL’s Hometown for the Holidays in December, they are getting ready to release The Change EP this Friday at the Bluebird Theater in Denver.

I have been friends with lone-lady of the group, Bethany Kelly, for 8+ years.  I vividly remember the day she told me front-man Tim Bruns and mandolin player Mike Morter asked her to lay down some vocal tracks on a few of their songs and she was unsure if she wanted to do the whole “band thing”.  I’m pretty sure she made the right choice.

Tim is a born lyricist and the perfectly executed harmonies by him and Bethany are seemingly sounds from the vein of one being.  They fall into that small group of people that were destined to sing together and they have some of the smoothest harmonies I’ve ever heard.  While their sound has definitely evolved from when they first started in 2009, it has remained clear that their sometimes folksy/sometimes indie rock style is just plain good music.  So when, a few weeks ago, Bethany asked me if I’d like a pre-release listen to the new EP, I immediately said, “Yes, please!”

Although “I Still Remember” from their self-titled EP and “Burn It Down” from their full length Happy/Sad remain near the top of my Churchill favorites list, The Change EP is by far their best work to date – which puts them right on track to continue their creative momentum as a band.  I have had this sucker on repeat for days now and every time I listen, I love something new about it.

The single from the album, entitled “Change”, is an amazing piece of musical genius.  I’ve never heard Bethany sound better than she does on this track.  The video, created by Tim Twinem of Velare Imaginarium, is simply wonderful and I dare you to not dance even just a little while listening to this song.

{Album design by Amy Moyer – Photos by Steve Stanton}

I want to plan a road-trip around this EP so I can drive fast with the windows down while blasting it through my speakers.  It’s one of those.

Lucky for you, the EP is available through Twist and Shout in Denver as of yesterday and there are still tickets available to the release show on Friday, March 9.  I’ll be there, will you?