Local Spotlight | 3 fresh tracks from Jacksonville artists

We’re always keeping our ear to the ground in order to put the spotlight on the beautiful noise emerging from Northeast Florida. This week, Jacksonville Music Experience contributors share three new songs by local artists that we think you’ll really dig.

Let’s dive in.

“Tomorrowland” by Left On High

Duval punk overlords Left On High have wasted no time in establishing strong footing in the local music scene and their latest eight-song full-length, The Green Album, bears out the strong results of their vigilance at playing a slew of well-received live gigs since their inception. “Tomorrowland” is a worthy earshot of the five-piece band’s abilities. The tune boasts a hardcore wallop with certain hooks, akin to prime-era Poison Idea and similar punk that isn’t afraid to add straight-up rock riffs and metallic tints to the sometimes-sacrosanct hardcore punk blueprint, with band vocalist Rob Society keeping the energy at an unrelenting, aggro level. Quality stuff all around.–Daniel A. Brown

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“Stir Stick” by Ducats

Former Chicagoan Trent Holton invades Jacksonville’s airspace with Glob, a new seven-song collection of DIY post-punk racket from his one-man garage ensemble Ducats. The record’s lead single “Stir Stick” throbs over a primal beat, with ad-hoc melodic riffs plunked out on relatively-tuned guitars, laying the groundwork for Holton’s droning, minimalist sloganeering. Ducats’ primitive wash is a welcome, Back-From-The Grave-harkening addition to a Jacksonville music scene that seems to be attracting an increasing number of talented and innovative transplants.–Matthew Shaw  

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“I Can’t Get Over You” by Leo Sun

Singer-songwriter Mathilda Phan, AKA Leo Sun, is certainly one of Jax’s most-celebrated recent exports. After making a splash with two expertly crafted indie-inclined singles –– the breezy, downtempo “When You Wake Up” and the uptempo ditty “All Good” (the first of which earned them traction with NPR Music) –– Phan relocated to Los Angeles, a seemingly ideal place for both the young artist’s temperate sonic palette and their musical ambitions. Phan’s first single since their westward transfer, “I Can’t Get Over You,” represents a continuation of the inertia that propelled their move in the first place. Over a delightful Bossa foundation of subtle rim shots and syncopated guitar chords, Phan explores the emotionally inert period after the dissolution of a romantic relationship. Two-and-a-half minutes in, the snare comes alive as the woozy ambience of the pedal steel is replaced by a wash of resolute dissonance, with Phan pining “I’ll see you when it’s not that hard.” After three quality singles, we can’t wait to see Leo Sun again.–Matthew Shaw  

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Dig in deeper on the best new music from local, regional, national and international artists with our Fresh Squeeze playlist. We update it every month.