Small Black made a big splash in the then-underground chillwave movement at the end of the aughts, ultimately releasing three LPs through Jagjaguwar before dropping off the map after 2015. Since that time, the genre has become something of a mainstream phenomenon, while splintering off into increasingly head-scratching and very-online subgenres with vaporwave probably being the easiest to explain to someone over the age of forty. It makes sense, then, that the Brooklyn four-piece would form an alliance with 100% Electronica—the label formed by vape-wave co-chairs George Clanton and Negative Gemini—upon their return.
With their new Tampa 7-inch announced recently, the even-more-online sounds of Electronica sound evident in the first single, “Tampa,” which the band’s Josh Kolenik described as embodying a New Yorker’s fantasy of the Southeastern haven. “Florida has always loomed as some wonky off-brand version of heaven, and Tampa itself the actual location where you go to ride that Sea Doo out through the palm-tree lined pearly gates,” he shared when the song was released, setting the scene for the visual the band is releasing today.
While the clip is noticeably lacking in Sea Doos, the five-minute video fully embodies a Miami Vice aesthetic, blending ’80s coastal looks with grainy, of-the-moment cinematography and post-production. With the visuals proving a little more Chariots of Fire, Small Black give Vangelis a run for his money.
Watch the clip below, and pre-order Tampa here.
