“Mountain goth.”
That’s how Volores describes their music.
“People say, ‘What kind of music do you play?’ Simply, we play rock ‘n’ roll. Guitars, bass and drums,” Nathen Maxwell said.
The Colorado Springs trio — Shelby Maxwell on vocals and guitar, Nathen Maxwell of Flogging Molly on bass and Art Brown on drums — navigates an ambient, moody, lyrical landscape driven by a rock-forward pulse in their latest album “Shores of Scorpio.”
Exploring grief in ‘Shores of Scorpio’
The Colorado Springs rock trio does not shy away from the deep and uncomfortable, writing about grief, identity, marriage and the parts of life that many people might prefer to keep private.
While social media often encourages people to present polished versions of themselves, Shelby said the band’s music aims for something different. “We do the opposite and just really bare our souls,” she said. “It’s very raw and real.”
That honesty runs through Volores’ second album, “Shores of Scorpio,” released earlier this year.
The album follows Shelby’s emotional journey after learning through a 23andMe DNA test that the man who raised her wasn’t her biological father. The songs unfold largely in chronological order, tracing the months that followed as she worked through grief, anger and, eventually, acceptance.
The cover of Volores’ sophomore album “Shores of Scorpio” features Shelby (right) and Nathen Maxwell (left). (Courtesy of Volores)
“I was obviously shocked, a little taken aback, to say the least,” Shelby said. “What do you do when you’re processing news like that as a musician? You’re writing about it … It was a heavy emotional process, but at the end of it all, we’re very proud of the record.”
Their influences range from Leonard Cohen and The Cure to the Ramones, Sharon Van Etten and Amyl and the Sniffers, reflected in the band’s emotionally charged rock sound.
Entering the scene with a unique name
The band’s name is equally eclectic.
Both Maxwells are fans of The Cranberries. Shelby especially resonates with the late Dolores O’Riordan’s emotional delivery — something she hopes listeners hear in Volores’ music.
“That emotion being brought into every song, you don’t see that a lot with artists,” she said. “That’s what I would want for us.”
Nathen also found inspiration in author and hypnotist Dolores Cannon, whose work relates to “a lot of what (the Maxwells) believe in higher thinking and synchronicity and conscious self.”
The couple originally planned to call the band “Dolores” before discovering another group already used the name. Rather than abandon it entirely, they worked through the alphabet until they landed on “Volores.”
A meeting of minds
Nathen Maxwell is perhaps best known as the longtime bassist for Celtic punk band Flogging Molly, a role he has held for nearly three decades. That career has taken him around the world and led him to Shelby, whom he met on Flogging Molly’s 2016 Salty Dog Cruise, where they began talking about synchronicity and lyrics.
It was, as Nathen calls it, “love at first sight.”
Shelby’s creative journey began in middle school, writing poetry. Later, while at home with her son as a young mother, she picked up an acoustic guitar.
Though both Nathen and Shelby Maxwell built musical careers long before Volores existed, the project itself is relatively young.
The husband-and-wife duo began writing together during the COVID-19 pandemic, grounded in Colorado Springs with an abundance of extra time on their hands. “We looked at each other and realized, ‘Why aren’t we doing music together?’” Nathen said. “Volores is kind of our COVID baby.”
The Maxwells soon brought drummer Art Brown into the fold, and he’s been “the heartbeat of the band” ever since, as Shelby describes.
The Colorado Springs trio Volores — Shelby Maxwell on vocals and guitar (right), Nathen Maxwell of Flogging Molly on bass (left) and Art Brown on drums (center) — released their second album “Shores of Scorpio” in early 2026. (Courtesy of Volores)
Settling in Colorado Springs
Nathen grew up in Los Angeles, started playing his first bass guitar at 15 and joined Flogging Molly for his first show in 1996. Around 20 years ago, he settled in Colorado; Shelby joined him a decade later.
Today, Volores calls Colorado Springs home. That local identity matters to them.
“We’re a Colorado band,” Shelby said. “This was all created here … This is our chosen home.”
The couple believes Colorado’s music scene doesn’t always receive the recognition it deserves.
“I would say Colorado is a slept-on state for our music scene … You can find anything you’re looking for here and more,” Shelby said.
“Colorado seems to just appreciate good music,” Nathen agrees.
Though “Shores of Scorpio” follows a painful sonic journey, Volores hopes listeners will feel connectedness rather than pain. “I hope they feel some sort of genuine connection to the music,” Nathen said.
Volores is scheduled to perform at Denver’s Punk Rock Saves Lives festival, Saturday, July 11 at Ratio Beerworks Overland. You can also catch a performance at Frank Turner’s Lost Evenings IX festival in Dallas, Texas, Sept. 24-27.
The band’s music is available on all major streaming platforms, with more information at volores.com and on Instagram at @volores.