Florida has contributed some big names to music, from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Tom Petty to Matchbox 20. The smaller music scene is just as vibrant, though. This week’s Songs You Should Hear is keeping it close to home with these Florida bops.
(credit: The Citrus Trees)
“Poltergeist” by The Citrus Trees
Based in Jacksonville, The Citrus Trees is made up partly by siblings Lucas and Chloe Mougeot. Their 2018 album Y No Hai Remedio tackles subjects such as longing for community and struggling with depression. The Citrus Trees came to be when frontman Lucas Mougeot went vacationing in the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 2016 and got the idea to drop an album when he was inspired by his immersion in nature. Standout tracks of theirs are “Little Town” and “Poltergeist.”
(credit: DBMK)
“City” by DBMK
A duo originally from Tampa, DBMK (Denim Blue & Miclain Keith) is made up of Kyle Knudson and Colton Ward. Knudson was a poet before writing music and said in an interview from the One that a lot of his inspiration comes from interesting conversations he has with the various people in his life.
“For instance, in ‘Always On,’ the main textual theme is literally dialogue that a friend from high school and I had. He often told me that my personality was ‘always on’ in full eccentric force, and the rest of the song is me explaining why I feel a need to be the way that I am.”
The speaker in the song “City” hints at struggles with mental health and fighting the urge to run away from something potentially scary.
(credit: Flipturn)
“August” by Flipturn
From Fernandina Beach, indie rock band Flipturn struck gold with their song “August” on their 2018 album Citrona. The song outlines a now ended relationship as the singer reflects on the brighter days in the summer before fall crept in. The lines, “Now you’re a stranger / and I’m still July / but don’t you remember / August, honey, you were mine” are particularly gut-wrenching as the listener gets the sense that the singer is not ready to let go of a lover who has already moved on.
(credit: Katrina Carlin)
“Oh, Honey Baby” by Mustard Service
Hailing from Miami, five-person band Mustard Service has previously performed at the NCF Zine Fest in April 2019. This indie rock band takes a lot of inspiration from classical jazz music and even includes trumpets every once in a while. Now with just over 200,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, they aren’t doing too shabby. Their song “Oh, Honey Baby” from their 2017 album Zest Pop is charmingly witty in the speaker’s efforts to win over a girl he likes. With lines like “I could only die with you / A car crash might be nice / A grave made for two,” the listener has no choice but to laugh along with the absurdity.
As always, this Songs You Should Hear playlist can be found on Spotify.