Ten New Songs From Miami Artists to Listen to This Week

"Music," Plato wrote, "gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything."

Here in Miami, we are extraordinarily blessed in this respect — so much so, in fact, that the challenge in writing this biweekly column is never finding enough great talent in the city but ensuring that we cover the full scope and diversity of what is happening here.

So, as you check out the ten amazing songs below — spanning everything from rap, punk, drone, house, folk, and more— and believe there's something deserving of love and embeds, please do not hesitate to reach out. We want to nurture great artists in every nook, cranny, genre, and subgenre of the Miami music scene.

Now, without further ado…

1. Champolaa and Fat Jesu$ — "Muy Bien"

"I just want to be the embodiment," Champolaa told the crowd before an incandescent and inspiring Labor Day festival appearance, "to show people you can do whatever you put your mind to…Where there's a will, there's a way." The fast-rising Miami rapper's incredible output is undoubtedly a testament to this self-actualization and manifestation — especially in the high-octane flow and wordplay on crackling next-level track "Muy Bien," one of a series of recent fruitful collaborations with DJ/producer/Magic City scene-builder extraordinaire Fat Jesu$ that also includes the equally excellent Racks EP and video visualizer for "MoneyLove." It's a run that’ll make you believe — in Champolaa and Fat Jesu$, sure, but also the vitality and originality of the current Miami hip-hop scene.

2. Death By Holiday — "Nanogators"

Piranha blood and cobra piss couldn't stop the Nanogators…

…or, apparently, Hialeah punk rockers Death By Holiday, who sound very much fueled by those very same fluids on their upcoming self-titled debut full-length (out October 11), which finds the sweetest of sweet spots between the Dead Kennedys and Dead Milkmen with some Johnny Cash and early Propagandhi thrown in for good measure. And if the self-produced sampler above sounds like lightning in a bottle, that is, as a matter of both concept and execution, by design.

"The songs came together very quickly because they’re about social injustice and inequity," Death By Holiday guitarist/vocalist Omar Garcia says. "When you're disgusted by the state of things, you just start screaming and yelling, and the thing is born violently and fully formed." Catch the band live at the Poorhouse on Saturday, October 11, and/or Sweat Records on Saturday, November 1.

3. Devin Mollegard — "Back Home"

Devin Mollegard made an appearance in the inaugural edition of this column with the elegiac and affecting "Poseidon." Still, it's nevertheless worth spotlighting his latest single, which showcases the depth, scope, and diversity of Mollegard’s talent: "Back Home" has a swinging cadence and atmospherics that wed a modern take on Americana to the best indie pop of the aughts. It’s pretty easy to see why his following is growing so quickly at venues like Vice City Kava and Tea & Poets. Check him out for yourself on Tuesday, September 23, hosting at Savage Labs Wynwood.

4. Jeff Stones — "Life of Sin"

"I've dealt with life situations that almost made me fold everything," Jeff "Hitman" Stones wrote of the long journey to his latest full-length. "Being an artist is one thing, but we are human first. And the stuff I've been through, I would not have made it through without God." Well, praise be, Stones persevered because the result of that struggle, Rather Be Distant 3, is nothing short of a work of harrowingly honest genius. Seriously, I dare you to listen to this stirring, inspiring, immersive, expansive collection of R&B and ambient-tinged hip-hop tracks without being affected or changed in some way. Boasting a dynamic voice and flow that calls to mind both legends (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony; Notorious B.I.G.) and new school leaders (Travis Scott, Future), Stones imbues his art with humanity — and should be much more widely known and acknowledged for it.

5. Kolin Zein — "Feedback Symphony N1 for 20 Electric Guitars"

Finally, some truth in advertising! On Feedback Symphony, Miami-based composer/guitarist Kolin Zein masterfully channels drone, ambient, and classical influences into his self-described "sonic expressionism," knitting together a listener experience that is cinematic, transportive, and meditative. (Read Zein’s manifesto on how the conventional perfection of the AI era is the enemy of true art here.) Highly recommend you turn off all the lights and listen to this through the best set of headphones you can get your hands on.

6. Las Heridas — "The Boogie, The Beat"

Apologies to the Book of Ecclesiastes, but there’s nothing new under the sun? Like, absolutely nothing? Miami-based experimental indie/doo wop/cumbia/noise duo Las Heridas begs to differ (in song). The just-released Pray for Las Heridas on Miami's Schematic Music Company is a conceptually dissonant experience yet full of melodies and hooks that set the 'ol soul a-singin'. If we want to move on from (allegedly) King Solomon to Whitman, Las Heridas contains multitudes. Beautiful and strange, this exists in real "buy the ticket, take the ride" territory. Highly recommended for the sonically adventurous and those who like more than a little avant in their garde.

7. Miami House Moguls — "I Can't Stop"

Remember the pulsating 2024 Miami House Moguls single "We Can Do Whatever You Want?" If you were worried the beats and dancefloor exhortations would end there, the South Florida collective is back with the appropriately titled
"I Can't Stop" to set your mind at ease and your body moving. Click play if you're ready to surrender.

8. Midnight Coup — "Necklace"

Damn. Midnight Coup may have only been playing together a little over a year, but you wouldn’t know it from how seasoned, self-assured, and sophisticated the indie-leaning alt-rock quartet from Broward and Miami-Dade's new EP Dither sounds. The vibe here is very reminiscent of the smart, nuanced, guitar-driven songwriting pioneered by Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon, Built to Spill, and others: a really impressive debut and a great, unique addition to the bustling Magic City indie rock scene.

9. Miranda del Sol — "Keep it to Yourself"

Is Miami-born Cuban-Argentinian singer/songwriter/producer Miranda del Sol the future of alt-R&B-infused electronic indie? Well, if her debut EP When You Were Asleep (vol. 1) is any indication, then — spoiler alert — yes. Yes, she is. These four tracks fairly smolder throughout…a beguiling series of siren calls that lilt above the fray before plunging into it; that flare and flow in equal measure. The first single, "Keep it to Yourself," described in accompanying press materials as "one of Miranda's most unguarded confessions, exploring how lust can make you feel powerful and yet exposed," along with its Miami-shot official video featuring a brightly lit del Sol singing among darkened, churning waves, serves as a perfect gateway to del Sol’s new what's next.

10. Nick Rod & Miami Beat Wave — "Nothing Left"

So reads Nick Rod's caption announcing this collaboration with Miami Beat Wave and, indeed, you can feel the heavy emotions throughout this deftly wrought "story of toxic love made into an R&B anthem to drive to late night" that could be described as a dream pop reinterpretation of the Mac Miller songbook. It also serves as an interesting counterpoint to a summer of top-shelf singles from Rod, including August's "Missing" ("Are you searching for paradise? Is the comedown ever worth the high?") and June's "Let This Go" (I'm wishing you well because you've still got my sweater/So I'm still with you no matter the weather"). You'll find yourself hoping Rod finds what he's looking for, even as you're thankful he is so brilliant at interpreting what it's like when something you hoped would work out all falls apart.