Denver Duo: 'Spider' Album Premieres at Free Halloween Show

Eryn DeSomer and Keith Hoerig-DeSomer will perform their new album, "Spider," at a free concert at Bar 404 on Saturday, October 31.

The Denver-based husband-and-wife pair, who perform as White Rose Motor Oil, spent the years following the dissolution of their previous bands, the Jekkyls and the Hollyfelds, writing material that reflects on recent personal losses and societal frustrations. The album features the lead single "HIT IN THE FACE!", a track where DeSomer repeatedly wails the title in all capital letters with an exclamation point. The song addresses the frustration of watching current events turn uglier, a theme that led to a complaint from a caller on a Fort Collins radio show who described the track as a message of violence. DeSomer noted that the title was suggested by a six-year-old child, the daughter of her sister, and she included a disclaimer on the video asking viewers not to actually hit anyone in the face.

The couple attributes the darker tone of the record to two major life events: the state of the world and the death of both their fathers in April 2025. DeSomer described their relationships with their parents as complicated, containing both highs and lows. The album closer, "Blue Sky Somewhere," serves as a final farewell to her father, with whom she was estranged. She did not know he was dying until the day before his death, giving her one chance to speak to him. The lyrics include the lines, "I told you I loved you/Don't know if I meant it/Since this is the end/I don't want to regret it." To balance the somber mood, the song is bookended by excerpts of a home recording of three-year-old DeSomer singing to her parents in the 1980s. DeSomer changed the key of the final track to match the pitch of her toddler voice.

Other tracks on the album address specific family dynamics and the challenges of the music industry. "A Happier Man" describes an incident where a family member attempted an "alpine divorce" during a hike, a concept DeSomer learned about recently. The song references the local history of such events, noting the 2012 conviction of Harold Henthorn for pushing his wife off a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park. The track "Nothing's Easy From Denver" originated from Hoerig-DeSomer's struggles with booking a tour out of the city. He was looking at a map and remarked on the difficulty of driving from Denver to tour the East Coast. DeSomer expanded on this idea, noting that while she loves living in Denver, it is not the easiest place to be a musician due to the physical and metaphorical distance from other scenes. She observed that festivals like Blucifer are helping to return a real music scene to the city.

The duo describes their sound as Cowpunk or Garage Country, terms that reflect Denver's history of blending traditional music with a gothic twist. DeSomer currently prefers the term Cowpunk because she finds country to be a polarizing label. The band will share the stage with Black & White Motion Picture and Tensas and the Mourners. The show begins at 7 p.m. at 404 N. Broadway and admission is free.