Forget what the algorithm told you — we’ve got tracks from twelve amazing artists active right here, right now, right in your own backyard. Got a bead on something new we should be listening to? Hit this button right here.
Alexa & the Old Fashioneds — “Witch in Disguise”
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New Times 2024 Best Songwriter honoree Alexa Lash dropped a debut EP with the Old Fashioneds last month entitled Witches, Wolves & Murder, but don’t worry, this trio of songs is beguiling enough to make you crave spooky season all year long. The “Witch in Disguise” video above – kind of like Genesis’ “Land of Confusion” reimagined by whoever did Tool’s “Sober” clip — follows the mini-movie for Miami-real-estate-is-true-true-crime jam “Murder in the Basement (Eat You Alive),” but the music is a burbling melting pot of rock and alternative spices, calling to mind everything from Stevie Nicks, Blondie, and Tina Turner to The Breeders, Lucious Jackson, and Elastica. Yep. It’ll put a spell on you.
Awktober (fka Vix) — “Didn’t Know”
If you’re desperately seeking something real to counter the generative AI-driven artifice of our current moment, it’s difficult to think of a stronger antidote than Vicious Cycles by old school/old soul torch singer Awktober. Recorded with all live instrumentation and no looping, the music here is an indie spin on the type of smooth jazz you might hear in the coolest lounge in town, infused with a pop sensibility and Afro-Caribbean swing. As for Awktober she brings a restless creativity to her vocals — and the range, bravery, and vulnerability to pull it off. Some decent touchstones might include Sade, Cat Power, and Lady Lamb the Beekeeper. “I’m here to be the voice for those who put a ton of walls up that we think are made of steel and cement, but it’s merely made of the most breakable material because really we just wanna be loved but are too afraid to say it,” she writes. Well on her way.
Better Strangers – “Grifter (Live at Gramps)”
New Times was in the house for this scorching live set back in July at Gramps, and can say without reservation it is a real gift that it was captured for posterity. Okay, yes, the Better Strangers lineup includes Phil Collins’ son Nic on drums. And, yes, Phil Collins rules, and the beats on “Sussudio” and “Don’t Lose My Number” are some of the hardest things ever. (Please make my dream of a Godflesh X Phil Collins collaboration come true, Nic.)
But let’s move past that as quickly as possible to the incredible prog-adjacent instrumental alt-rock of this trio — rounded out by guitarist Joe Rodriguez and bassist Yannick Waingarten — which has perfected a sound that exists somewhere between early Tool and latter-day Mastodon with some of the more driving, rock-centered parts of MUSE thrown in for good measure, equal parts aggressive and enlivening.
Blood Orchid — “King of the Damned”
“Glowing a crimson red and oozing a warm viscous pus; the Blood Orchid grows through the decomposed remains of the previous life forms of Niko Javan.” That’s quite an opening line for a press release, but it’s nothing compared to the unhinged and expansive Blood Orchid full-length from which the title track above is drawn. Imagine a tag-team cage match with goth and Skinny Puppy-esque industrial facing off against pre-MTV nu-metal and dark hip-hop, and you’ll be in the sonic neighborhood. (And keep in mind this is a one-man band!)
The battle goes back and forth — sometimes one subgenre element gets the upper hand and then the other — but what’s cool about Blood Orchid is that no advantage is permanent and, though the project has a definite defining sound, you never quite know what’s coming at you next.
Bushy B — “Meet Me in the 305”
When it comes to independent hip-hop, Miami is most definitely in its Bushy B era: The rapper has more than 300,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and his track “Scared” has racked up over 15 million streams. Now he’s back with the cinematic, R&B-infused epic “Meet Me in the 305,” a song that, in three short minutes, not only demonstrates Bushy B’s range but also tells a full, vulnerable, and relatable love story. It all flows so naturally and with such an authentic vibe — this is the sound of an assured artist ready to plant his flag at the top of the mountain.
Carlo Vieux — “Retounen”
Carlo Vieux may have started his musical journey as co-founder of the New York City konpa collective CaRiMi — which enjoyed global success before disbanding in 2016 — but the now Miami-based Haitian musician is far from done as he proves beyond a shadow of a doubt with his epic debut solo album CARLŌ. Balancing traditional and contemporary influences throughout, we really could’ve picked any one of its thirteen tracks to spotlight and given you “whoa” vibes, so we took the easy way out and picked the album opener. Enjoy!
Dave Daniels — “Some Light”
Dave Daniels brings major Tom Petty vibes — with welcome shades of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Springsteen, and his own damn self as well — to his latest single “Some Light,” a lovely bit of Americana from his forthcoming “semi-conceptual, semi-autobiographical” EP The Cost of Living. (The music video for the first single, “Willy,” can be seen here.) The EP, Daniels tells New Times, was “inspired by personal and topical situations I’ve experienced as a native Miamian, a third-generation Floridian, and someone who left the city for a long time only to return and appreciate its many beauties and flaws. And dogs.”
Kanis — “Conga”
Haitian-American rapper and singer Kanis is no stranger to vibrant, diverse palettes — she also creates incredible fine art under the moniker Niska — but the way she blends traditional Haitian music, afrobeat, R&B, hip-hop, and world music on her new LP, Ego, is next level. “Conga” is a great appetizer, but don’t sleep on the other sixteen tracks because, as with everything Kanis does, synergy and context are key.
Loui Daniels — “Hide & Seek”
Yes. If this infectious synth rock anthem is any indication of what awaits us on Loui Daniels’ debut full-length debut Genesis, we are in for a serious treat. (We’ll know soon enough — the album release party is tonight, November 28, at Bar Nancy.) The video is pretty wild, too. “This is my beginning,” Daniels says — long may he reign and rock.
Miss Michigan — “Let’s Dance”
To paraphrase the infamous Phantasm tagline, if this one doesn’t move you, you’re already dead. Landing at the exuberant nexus of glam, new wave, and industrial pop, Miss Michigan describes themselves as “early White Stripes partying with the Stooges at one of Prince’s legendary gatherings” — and, as “Let’s Dance” ably demonstrates, the trio of former NYC rocker Gus Saenz, guitarist Edward Farhat, and drummer JP Espiritusanto ain’t wrong. Add triple Grammy-winning producer Warren Riker behind the boards for this one, and you’ve got the makings of the perfect (sonic) storm.
Phoric — “Fool”
“How can you say you have it all if you have no one to share it with?” It’s a question Phoric — “short for euphoric,” according to his Instagram — seeks to answer on this lilting, ethereal track: The Miami-based indie folk artist tells New Times that he’s “realizing that without company, the life I build may feel hollow.” His music, which he intends to “reflect universal themes of personal growth and finding beauty in the struggle,” however, is anything but hollow — it’s full of authenticity, substance, and vulnerability that you’ll want to share with others.
Valerie — “1945”
Whether we’re talking about her stunning 42-minute collaboration with the amazing Miami-based Colombian-American director Nicolas Casanova, Within the Confines of You: The Visual Odyssey or the edifying and gorgeously rendered Instagram series on her search for the best song in every U.S. state, it’s crystal clear Miami-born singer-songwriter Valerie is composing and performing to the beat of her own captivating, spirited, soul-stirring drum. Nowhere is that more apparent, perhaps, than on “1945,” a slice of indie dance pop perfection that falls somewhere between Grimes, Weyes Blood, and Taylor Swift. But unlike the romance the song portrays, the track feels more like the beginning of something amazing and enduring, not the beginning of the end.