Lakeland's Spirit and the Cosmic Heart return with new songs after years of silence

With a conspicuously high per-capita output of head-turning acts, the city of Lakeland has a history of punching above its weight in Central Florida’s music landscape. Although it’s been a while since much has been heard from them, dream-pop band Spirit and the Cosmic Heart are certainly among the most noteworthy contemporaries right now.

Despite their last record (2021’s Moments EP) getting a release on esteemed Tampa label New Granada Records, SATCH have been practically MIA. “The plan was to put together a full-length album to follow, which proved to be challenging in many aspects,”says bandleader Joshua Miller. “I’ve actually canned several records over the last several years, because the process did not create the result which was desired — hence the break in releasing music.”

Between these false starts and the added personal responsibility of Miller becoming a caretaker for two ailing family members, the music just wasn’t flowing. But late last year, he helped Copeland’s Aaron Marsh open new recording studio Omnipop. Through it, he found both a space and process that gave him creative traction again to finally yield new singles (“Anosognosia” b/w “Pyramids”), SATCH’s first fresh material in three years.

Although Spirit and the Cosmic Heart are a collaborative band, these two songs were done solely by Miller. The band’s signature — a dance of shimmering reverie and immaculate Ocean Blue-esque melodies — is still radiantly intact. Yet the tenor and lyrics are especially personal, refractions of Miller’s head space as he cares for two loved ones in the grip of Alzheimer’s. The result is quiet revelation that spins melancholy into beauty.

“Anosognosia” and “Pyramids” now stream everywhere and atop TLU's Spotify playlist.


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