The Identity Tampa Bay’s music editor riffs on three songs from local recording artists worthy of a few spins in your latest playlist. As always, there will be new releases, recollections from standout musicians, and songs specifically tailored to prop up our alliance of gifted artists throughout the bay area. Keep a lookout for these acts to put on awe-inspiring shows at a venue near you.
“24/7” | Jordan Patrick
It feels like with every Jordan Patrick release, the arrangement shimmers a little brighter off the water, the hook takes hold a little tighter, the listener’s smile gets wider. The multi-gifted artist’s latest three-minute head bop through drumline 808s and a wobbly, pitched up R&B sample is as addictive as its title suggests.
“Mirror Image Blue” | Glove
If Max Mayfield is jamming nothing but Kate Bush in the latest season of Stranger Things, Vecna is listening to Glove. The Tampa band is an updated shot of 80s sonic nostalgia whose Boom Nights project caught the ear of Jack White’s camp. They’ll open up for White during three dates of his upcoming summer tour.
“Shake It Off” | K-Ruth
One of the things I’ve had to come to grips with as I get older is the slow, inevitable influx of artists sampling songs that, in my mind, feel like they were released just yesterday. K-Ruth’s “Shake It Off” is a jarring reminder that Mariah Carey’s break-up anthem dropped 17 years ago—and yet it’s not upsetting in the slightest. Ruth puts an infectious, creative spin on a chipmunked-up version of Carey’s original, knifing through bar after bar with an uncanny Tampa feel.