Local Spotlight | 4 Great New Tracks by Jax Artists Out Now

We’re always keeping our ear to the ground in order to shine the high beams of our Local Spotlight series on Jacksonville regional artists. This week, Jacksonville Music Experience contributors share four new songs by local artists that we think you’ll dig.

Let’s dive in.

“The Seven” by The Jax

What does one do when a Jacksonville super-group forms a new, international super-group? You dive right in. Featuring locals Lena Simon (La Luz) and Glenn Michael Van Dyke (Boytoy) of Kairos Creature Club, Swiss musician Robin Arthur Girod, Argentinian musician Manu Duca, the song “The Seven,” from the band’s 10-song debut I’ve Found God in Madonna! is a stunner that blends ‘70s prog-space rock with syncopated grooves held firmly in cohesion with wholly contemporary synth stabs and production vibes, all in support of haunting melodic vocal lines. At midpoint, the band breaks it down into a veritable cathedral of minimal playing, reverb swells, and the refrain: “All hail the seven seas.” –Daniel A. Brown

• Stream “The Seven“

“Cascade” by Ebonique

Seductive chords, a simple kick (or bass, depending on your feeling) and an emotive, less-than-two-minute think-piece are among the defining characteristics of “Cascade,” a beautifully sparse new single from Jax independent R&B singer-songwriter Ebonique. “How could I be so selfish and so selfish at the same time?” Ebonique sings on the track’s opening salvo, setting the tone for a transparently heart-rending one-verse track.–Al Pete 

• Stream “Cascade”

“who.” by Wes Harris and Sarah Nathalié

Dropping just in time for the fall season, solar emcee Wes Harris and singer Sarah Nathalié present “who.,” a single from the duo’s collaborative full-length, the ten-song polaroids. (out on Dream Lab MSC). A light bop, the song’s easy production is a vehicle for Harris and Nathalié’s liturgical message. “who.” is light on braggadaccio, but a heavy track nonetheless.–Al Pete 

• Stream “who.”

“Hard Feelings” by Howdy

Jax Gulf-and-Western balladeer Landon Gay, AKA Howdy (not to be confused with indie-pop duo Hovvdy), is back with yet another pining slow-burn. “I’ll take you down south for the season, so I’m not keeping hard feelings,” he sings on “Hard Feelings,” a spare and intimately lo-fi number that channels the saltwater-caked cowboys tunes of ‘70s Jimmy Buffett and the whispery early 2000’s basement recordings of Iron & Wine with equal aplomb.–Matthew Shaw

  All the songs reviewed in our Local Spotlight series are added to the rotation on The Independent 89.9 HD4. Listen to the best new music from emerging and established artists all day long, including a song by Jacksonville regional artists at 20-minutes after the hour, every hour.