Down Time formed in 2015, with no intentions, with no ego—the way groups of friends gravitate towards likeminded people. The jamming, the casual creative sessions, and early live performances eventually became the collection of songs on Down Time’s first EP, Good Luck!, released in 2017. It’s an inviting handful of bedroom indie rock—the type of glass-half-full songwriting that at once delights, consoles, and rewards multiple listens. From there, the band grew its regional fanbase outside of Denver—touring throughout the South West and West Coast and performing with the likes of Snail Mail, Liza Anne, The Shacks, Palehound, and The Reptaliens. What listeners connect with is Down Time’s innate humanity—both in terms of affectionate melodies and lyrical benevolence. This communal atmosphere of creativity soon linked Down Time with Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore of Denver band Tennis. Riley and Moore recorded Down Time’s debut album Hurts Being Alive in June of 2019, marking a leap forward for the band in terms of scope and vision.

“See you on the other side,” Alyssa Maunders sings on “Other Side,” the opening track to Hurts Being Alive. Her voice carries over a lasting, sustained chord, just before the spacious track dives into its second side, where she’s joined, like old friends, by bass, drums, and a bending, hopeful guitar line. There’s comfort in those words. It’s a promise, and Maunders’s trusting vocals ensure that it’ll be okay. Just take this journey with her.

And that journey is like exploring the warmth of a childhood memory—something nostalgic but unique to specifically one time and place. Take “Not a Complicated Person” for example, where Maunders sings about the oft-overlooked simple pleasures of a home cooked meal—creating something from nothing. Giving back. And that’s what Down Time’s music is. It’s an act of kindness. Weaver’s bass and drums are careful, precise, enriching. Camilli’s melodies are fulfilling, friendly, unassuming. Maunders’s vocals are compassionate, understanding, introspective. It’s the sound of creative freedom—a clarity of artistic vision, of collaborative trust, and truth.

Listening to Down Time is like dropping in on a friend—someone who’s there to listen or challenge or provide a new perspective. Down Time brings excitement to familiarity. It’s a conversation between three friends that invites the listener to be part of the family.

[From the band’s website]

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