Denver Indigenous Indie-Pop Group Cherokee Social to Drop Debut Music Video

Alien girls, bounty hunters, space outlaws and a strange musical virus called “Cinnamon Sugar” — it could be a kids’ make-believe game or perhaps a cyberpunk sci-fi graphic novel or even the latest cinematic spin-off from the Star Wars franchise. But it’s actually the debut music video from Denver’s innovative Indigenous indie-pop band Cherokee Social. The official release date for the video is Saturday, July 13, but you can preview the song now on YouTube and streaming platforms.

Evolving from Julian Navarro’s previous project Faceless Ones, the duo Cherokee Social, comprising percussionist and vocalist Navarro and guitarist Alex Creighton, is finding its niche in the Denver indie scene. “We have an ongoing joke that I’m Cherokee and Alex is Social," Navarro says. "Obviously, I’m the Native American in the band.” But Navarro emphasizes inclusivity in teaming with Creighton, even encouraging him to embrace Indigenous attire, such as the beaded guitar strap given to the band by the Mother Sierra organization. In Navarro’s cultural experience, “If you hunt with us and stay with us and eat with us, you’re part of the tribe. Well, Alex and I live together, so we check those boxes.”

Talking with the band is as wacky and fun as the video for “Cinnamon Sugar,” with Alex and Julian often finishing each other’s sentences or elaborating on an idea. It’s easy to see how their creative process leads to collaboration and the writing of hundreds of songs. In fact, the band is set to release its first full-length album of twelve new songs with Pretty Boy Modeling School, though the single “Cinnamon Sugar” isn’t even on the LP because, according to Navarro, “'Cinnamon Sugar'’s era has not happened yet in Cherokee Social.” The song is its own style and will likely form the foundation for a second album.

Songs come from all sorts of strange inspirations, and this one just happens to originate with the 1999 Disney Channel movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. “It’s actually super goofy,” Navarro laughs, “because Alex and I are real nerds, and the lyric ‘Zenon super stellar motive’ came from this movie, which I don’t even entirely remember the plot.” With that narrative hook, the duo was listening to a demo beat, and the song began as a joke trying to hammer out the sound. Navarro recalls Creighton playing some incredibly complex chords, and he just blurted out: “Why you always gotta be serious? We got cinnamon and sugar all over us.”

As the root song of a concept album to come, “Cinnamon Sugar” plays off Zenon, the intergalactic girl who’s into her music idol Proto Zoa and his band Microbe’s superstellar song. The film is a lighthearted thriller with the authoritarian Commander Plank restricting access to music, and Navarro weaves similar whimsical drama into the song and video. “Everything I write is a story,” he explains. “[In the video], Alex and I are a band of space outlaws spreading the music virus to the people. Bounty hunters are after us because it’s like Footloose, with a repressive society where people are being told they can’t listen to this new music that’s not accepted by anybody yet.”

Filmed at Fresh Tape Media and directed by close friend Tony Lichtenwalter, the video for “Cinnamon Sugar” is as infectious as the song’s beat and inevitably makes you want to dance. “We just wanted to have fun with the video,” Navarro explains, “like we’re all just kids on a playground playing make-believe.” Everyone in the video is a local musician or artist, and Navarro adds that "they’re all part of our community,” emphasizing the "social" in the band’s name and identity.

Musically, the sound is rooted in Navarro’s interest in ’70s disco-pop sounds of the BeeGees and Sly and the Family Stone. “We are indie pop, to be sure,” Navarro says, and “‘Cinnamon Sugar’ is a little tease of what’s to come” from the band. Cherokee Social’s songwriting often begins on pow-wow-esque drums and kick beats, with Creighton adding in jangly guitar that evokes ’80s Smiths or REM. “I know a lot of music theory,” says Creighton, noting his jazz background and commercial pop writing experience, and “Julian is one of the most unique percussionists I’ve ever heard.” When they collaborate, the synthesis of Creighton’s classical training and Navarro’s natural instincts creates “a cool musical learning experience.”

While the songs aren't specifically issue-focused, the duo is committed to social issues and connecting socially and emotionally at live shows. “When I play live,” Navarro says, “I tell everyone, let’s all be one community, listening to music. It’s safe and culturally diverse. And the number of people that come to our shows who find a new community is special.” While the duo is not pushing an agenda, he adds, “what more likely happens is after the show we hear from fans that ‘I was having a hard time’ and this show was just a good time. We’re all just trying to help each other.”

The band revels in live music and the act of purposefully bringing people together to celebrate and dance. “We love it here in Denver,” Navarro says, “and we want to be the band that can bring people together, especially [with] cool Indigenous music.”