Local Spotlight | Three New Tracks by Jax Artists Out Now

New year. New local tunes.

As we unearth new music from artists around the globe, we love to shine the high beams of our Local Spotlight series on the beautiful noise emerging from Northeast Florida. This week, we’ve got three great new tracks by Jacksonville artists.

A reminder: You can hear the best new local tunes at 20 minutes after the hour, every hour on The Independent 89.9 HD4.

“Sneaky One” by Dust Fuss

The latest from Dust Fuss — St. Augustine’s finest purveyors of garage-style pummel — is a two-and-a-half-minute stomper that takes the Gun Club recipe (a proven and tasty form) and adds a few rounds in the chamber; in particular armed with a Morse-code-like guitar lick that is intoxicating and aggravating. No small feat! Frontperson Taylor Olin doubles down on twin-vocal delivery and brings enough casual menace to never collapse into coyness. Even better is Dust Fuss’s inexplicable decision to downshift into a 1970 Dutch acid-rock riff on the outro. If “Sneaky One” is any indication, here’s to 2023 being a raucous and spotlight year for Dust Fuss.–Daniel A. Brown 

• Stream “Sneaky One”

“Holidaze” by Erica Reese

Jacksonville’s indie dream queen, Erica Reese, released a special holiday single, “Holidaze,” for everyone battling their version of Seasonal Affective Disorder. The track opens with twinkling chimes followed by a lullaby of soothing acoustic strings. “The song is about going back to your hometown for the holidays, dredging up old emotions and confronting a version of yourself you tried to leave behind,” Reese told us. With nostalgia-soaked vocals, reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, and a slightly psychedelic twist, Reese’s “Holidaze” also incorporates an overall instrumental feel that’s sure to endear her to fans of Khruangbin. A true year-end treat.–Carissa Marques

• Stream “Holidaze”

“Emergency” by Ashton Chase

The latest offering from Duval-to-NYC ex-pat Ashton Chase is a deceptively smooth R&B jam that is weirdly wrapped in a spluttering drum-beat, woozy synth stabs and Chase’s voice filtered through Autotune and production vibes that are as much evoking Ween as they are Tierra Whack. While this number’s particular lyrical-trope has been well-dialed in the history of pop music — in this case, the phone-operator-motif called on by artists ranging from the Kinks, Stevie Wonder and the Nerves to Blondie, New Edition, Drake, and Lady Gaga — Chase’s unique approach to composition and production, and his decision to release “Emergency” and his other forthcoming tunes with accompanying 8mm films, makes his latest an interesting connection between old-school soul and new-aeon sonic swagger.–Ashton Chase

• Stream “Emergency”

Dig in to the best new music from local, national and international artists on The Independent 89.9 HD4 and follow our Fresh Squeeze playlist on Spotify to discover something to love. We update it every month.