Kevin Bronson on May 27th, 2022

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Just gonna leave these here in hopes you have a happy and mellow long weekend: New singles from Mapache, Dawes and Sara Melson …

MAPACHE, “Light My Fire”

The folk duo of Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch have already laid out the framework of their finest Mapache album yet. First, they named the double-LP after their dog (“Roscoe’s Dream”), then they teased with singles such as “Tend Your Garden” and “I Love My Dog.” Now comes “Light My Fire,” a cozy blanket of steel guitar, finger-picked balalaika and harmonies. Pick your California vista and be thankful you have a fire to light. Mapache play at the Wayfarer on June 15 (two sets, tickets), at Pappy & Harriet’s on July 28 (tickets) and at Zebulon on July 29 (tickets).

DAWES, “Comes in Waves”

After introducing their their eighth album earlier this month with the 9 1/2-minute “Someone Else’s Cafe / Doomscroller Tries to Relax,” L.A. quartet Dawes continues to stretch out with the new single “Comes in Waves,” a track that’ll give would-be guitar heroes the tingles. Come for the verse, “A boy that grows up in a beach town / And never learns to surf / Sounds like the perfect distillation / Of my time spent here on earth,” stay for guitar wizardy. Dawes’ album, “Misadventures of a Doomscroller,” is out July 22. The foursome opens for the Head and the Heart on Aug. 20 at the Greek Theatre.

SARA MELSON, “Wound Too Tight”

Speaking of doomscrolling … Sara Melson’s first single since 2020, “Wound Too Tight,” is a pandemic-inspired lullaby for all you owners of a lonely heart. “This song is born of sleepless nights spent staring at a blinding screen, doomscrolling and date-swiping into the wee hours,” the L.A. singer-songwriter says. “It’s a meditation on loneliness, anxiety, insomnia and yearning — and the power of love and connection to take away pain.” She sings and plays guitar and piano on the track, recorded at home with assists from the Foo Fighters’ Rami Jaffee (and his vintage microphones) and FF engineer Samon Rajabnik, who co-produced.