Big Sad, which plays Microgroove in Tampa, Florida on Sept. 21, 2024. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

Big Sad’s debut album dropped in 2020 on the same day America confirmed its first case of COVID-19. Life’s not gotten any easier since then, and Black Umbrellas adds another layer of reflection. The lyrics from the new album by the Tampa rock band are a companion for listeners who feel like they’ve lost hope in the day-to-day struggle of inequality and fighting to be more than somebody that just gets through the day.

Over seven tracks, Big Sad channels its influences—the warmth of Jets To Brazil’s Orange Rhyming Dictionary, the frantic guitars of J. Mascis, and unbridled joy of Superchunk and Archers of Loaf—into a record that showcases the growth of Dave Decker and Richie Lawler’s songwriting partnership which dates back to 1992.

Black Umbrellas is a reflection on life’s bruises, and it’s a chance for listeners to hear the band—Decker and Lawler together with fellow Tampa punk scene lifers Shawn Watkins and Mario Framingheddu—tell them they’re not alone in feeling beat up.

Tickets to see Big Sad play Microgroove in Tampa on Saturday, Sept. 21 are still available and start at $10.

(Full disclosure: Decker is a Creative Loafing Tampa Bay photographer, and Ray Roa wrote the band’s bio.)

Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.