Photo by Francisca Oyhanarte
Audio By Carbonatix
April showers bring May flowers they say. Alas, Miami is in a fairly serious drought, so it’s a good thing the city’s music scene continues to bloom.
Here, without further ado, are thirteen local artists who deserve their flowers for stepping into the breach with sonic bouquets of their own.
Alexa Lash & the Old Fashioneds — “Smoke”
Written in the aftermath of the passing of a friend, an apartment fire, and other converging life stressors, rising local legend Alexa Lash and Co. return with a poignant, lovely song that hearkens back to the peak alt-rock-adjacent singer-songstress rock of the nineties. “The smoke is, of course, more than just smoke,” Lash says. “The smoke represents all the negative experiences you breathe in. The anxieties, the fear of the unknown. Some of us are more sensitive to this smoke than others, and I wanted you to understand that with me.”
Arya Daze — “Like a Dream”
Through her work as both a creative writer and a singer, Arya Daze is a devotee of the transcendent power of imagination, a believer in the transformative nature of possibility. “Like a Dream” both thematically and compositionally reflects this, channeling torch song pathos through a unique blend of folk-tinged electro indie pop for a mesmerizing, ethereal experience.
Alivia Clark — “Breathless”
This infectious, effervescent EDM pop banger is quite the showcase for the talents and charisma of young Miami transplant Alivia Clark. (It’s also a great advertisement for the MADE (Modern Artist Development & Entrepreneurship) program at the University of Miami from which Clark just graduated with an emphasis in contemporary voice with a minor in music industry.) If this one doesn’t quicken your pulse, you might want to go to urgent care to get the ol’ ticker (or ears) checked. If “Breathless” is any indication, Clark should have a very long career ahead of her.
Bearhugger — “Utopia”
Considering this new single from Bearhugger (aka Jeremy Joseph, formerly of NPR-approved outfit Daddy Lion) is pretty much the platonic ideal of a bedroom pop song — transcendent and gauzy yet grounded, vulnerable, and affecting — the title is much more apropos than one might anticipate. In an email, Joseph described himself as a conscientious objector to social media. But that’s okay — when the music is this solid, you can let it speak for itself.
Clover Dolls — “Alone Again”
Clover Dolls have made a name for themselves over the last few years, lighting up the Calle Ocho strip with electric performances, but the band is set to conquer new territory with its hip, slinky grunge-y folk-pop hitting the airwaves. The latest single, “Alone Again,” may be about infidelity, but it will have you committing to this remarkable band, heart, soul, and ears.
Cracc Cobain — “The Road (Lord Knows)”
Following up last fall’s timely and fun Coffee Break EP (with fellow Miami rapper Nyxon), Cracc Cobain is back with this powerful, anthemic epic of a single featuring lyrics as poignant as they are smart, delivered in a rhythmic, mesmerizing cadence that hammers each line home like a sonic hammer knocking in socially conscious and personal nails in a single hit, one after another after another.
El Igor — “Mi Momento”
“‘Mi Momento’ is a manifestation song,” Cuban alt hip-hop master El Igor tells New Times — and we’re 1,000 percent here for that when it actualizes as a deft flow over a multidimensional sonic canvas designed to inspire both physical and mental movement. It’s a big swing for action and belief in a moment when too many of us are hesitating in the face of a chaotic reality. El Igor has the antidote!
Felium — “Una Canción”
Barcelona-born, Miami-based DJ Felium is a consistently positive and enlivening presence not only in clubs throughout our fair city but across the globe. This new driving, gleaming, sexy single is a perfect encapsulation of why that is.
Flor Ana — “Tristful (A Lament)”
Flor Ana is on what can only be described as an epic roll. Her incredible through-the-looking-glass romantic fantasy debut novel Amanita dropped last year, her latest poetry collection A Dissection of Heart & Rewiring of Mind dropped this month, and the alt-rock juggernaut she fronts Leather & Lace still gigs behind its stellar 2022 release Butterfly-Winged Spider. And then there is this EP Vocabulary Lessons in which all of the brilliance — storytelling, poetry, music, lithe, evocative singing — all are refracted into one beam of creative light.
Jim Camacho — “Soar So High”
In the storied place where southern rock and Americana meet, and the croons n’ chords of modern singer-songwriters ring out, it is there, friend, that you will find Jim Camacho. “Soar So High” lives up to its title — a warm, uplifting old school rock n’ roll jam befitting the legacy of a man who cut his teeth in Miami legends the Goods. Camacho is going to “try to make it shine”? Mission accomplished. He’s in his burnishing time.
Luzia — “En Esta Ciudad”
Among her long and eclectic list of influences Argentinian chanteuse Luzia cites Sade, the paintings of mystical abstract artist de Hilma af Klint, existential questions, “glimpses of the future,” and art history — an unorthodoxy which actually proves quite apropos when you immerse yourself in her beguiling mélange of neo-soul, classical, jazz, and cinematic pop, which feels, in turn, elegant, multifarious, fashion forward, and, yes, timeless. “[M]y songs transform vulnerability into clarity and self-understanding,” Luzia writes. Descend into “En Esta Ciudad,” and it’s clear that it’s a deep well, indeed.
Malóne Morez — “Rushin”
This new single from Club Space terrace mainstay Malóne Morez — formerly simply Malóne — definitely feels like the kind of diverse, smart, massive jam that can only come from putting in those ten thousand hours. Like all great evolutions, it elevates the form to which it simultaneously pays homage.
Natalís — “VIVA”
Salsa fusion singer Natalís stuns with this bright-bright-bright, soul-stirring debut that is a gorgeous mélange of salsa, trap, reggaeton, pop, R&B, and more — all, as accompanying press materials note, “rooted in Afro-Caribbean sound and storytelling.” Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised how assured and solid VIVA is, coming as it does from an artist who has been tapped to serve as a background vocalist for heavyweights ranging from Kanye West to J. Cole to Mariah Carey, but Natalís’ musical journey to the fore is still an extremely welcome development.
Oleksa — “I Am Not Yours”
Ukrainian singer Oleksa shot the above video in Kyiv last winter, braving the grinding depravations of war to support local creatives in her home country when they need it most. “Despite daily uncertainty, filming and life in Kyiv continue,” the press release reads. “The project reflects resilience, presence, and the decision to keep creating even in difficult circumstances.” Which is noteworthy and important. But just as importantly the sleek, modern R&B jam the video serves is also excellent. Oleksa has a voice that is versatile and (The refrain “I am not yours” is clearly a personal statement but on a meta level could be seen as a geopolitical one as well.)
Richie Hell and Balam – Alien Cumbia
This psychedelic cumbia track was born from the minds of local producer, DJ, and music curator Richie Hell and Argentine counterpart Balam, and is out now via Montreal label Multi Culti. The hypnotic song is part of a two-track EP released last week and is sure to summon some extraterrestrial energy onto dance floors.
