Stream: Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 297)
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New album and EP releases are everywhere today, and Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 297) samples from a bunch of them, including Storefront Church, Courtney Farren, Redd Kross, Towa Bird, Channel Tres, Milly, Double Wish, Chatrooms and more. Also check out new songs from X, Geneva Jacuzzi, Dummy, Robert DeLong, Maddy Davis, Peel Dream Magazine and more.
■ X, “Big Black X” — L.A. legends X have announced the Aug. 2 release of their final album, “Smoke & Fiction.” It’s their ninth full-length, arriving 4 1/2 years after “Alphabetland” materialized as their first album in 35 years. Farewell concerts? Yes, indeed, including July 25 and July 26 at the Regent Theater, and July 28 at the Pacific Amphitheatre.
■ Geneva Jacuzzi, “Art Is Dangerous” — How many artists can you identify making cameos in the video for Geneva Jacuzzi’s “Art Is Dangerous?” (We didn’t do as well as we thought we might, but have fun.) Speaking of danger, Jacuzzi’s new album “Triple Fire” is out Aug. 23. Live Aug. 31 at the Lodge Room.
■ Dummy, “Nullspace” — For our money, Dummy (Alex Ewell, Emma Maatman, Nathan O’Dell and Joe Trainor) is the most interesting band on the L.A. landscape. Dyed-in-the-wool DIYers with influences that run deep, Dummy introduced their sophomore full-length, “Free Energy” (out Sept. 6) with the song “Nullspace.” Live Sept. 7 at the Lodge Room.
■ Peel Dream Magazine, “Lie in the Gutter” — Speaking of … Peel Dream Magazine’s new album, “Rose Main Reading Room,” is out Sept. 4. Live Sept. 7 at Zebulon, with Goon opening.
■ The Yorks, “Nothing and Everything” — The solo project of George Azanza, the Yorks have been silent since releasing a handful of neo-psych gems in 2020 — until this week. “Nothing and Everything” is the new single, out via Lolipop Records.
■ Faraway Beaches, “Lord O’lord” — Fans of Mercury Rev, Sparklehorse, et al, should lend an ear to the trio of songs on the “Story and Songs” EP, a new project from James Weir (Kissing Tigers, Wyld Rivers, Harms.
■ Storefront Church, “Faith in Oil” — Friendly reminder that “Ink & Oil,” the first full-length from Lukas Frank’s solo project Storefront Church, is out today. File under ATOY front-runners. Other highlights include “Tapping the Glass,” “The High Room,” “Coal” and “Melting Mirror” … but you should really set aside a chunk of time and listen to the whole thing.
■ Courtney Farren, “Internet Age” — Friendly reminder that songwriter-producer Courtney Farren today released her debut album, “Punchlines,” a wellspring of sharp confessionals and storytelling. Live July 25 at Bar Lubitsch.
■ Aaron Frazer, “Into the Blue” — Friendly reminder that Aaron Frazer’s new album, “Into the Blue,” is out today.
■ Redd Kross, “The Main Attraction” — Friendly reminder that Redd Kross’ self-titled double-LP came out today. REad the book. Watch the documentary. High-five your neighbor kid who just started a band in his garage. What fun. Live Aug. 13 at the Lodge Room.
■ Towa Bird, “Deep Cut” — Friendly reminder that Towa Bird’s tour de force, “American Hero,” is out today. Be shredded.
■ Milly, “Running the Madness” — Friendly reminder that ’90s acolytes (and we say that lovingly) Milly today released their sophomore album, “Your Own Becoming.” Live Aug. 10 at the Troubadour.
■ Model Child, “Tough Guys” — Friendly reminder that “Get There!,” the sophomore full-length from Model Child, arrived today.
■ Channel Tres, “Holy Moly” (feat Ty Dolla $ign) — Friendly reminder that “Head Rush,” the new, guest-packed album from Channel Tres, is out today. Live Aug. 3 at HARD Summer.
■ Double Wish, “Floating” — “Floating” is the final single from art-pop duyo Double Wish’s new EP, “Universe Sometimes.” It’s an engagingly complex place, their universe.
■ Robert DeLong, “Soft Boy” — Pop songwriter and one-man tornado Robert DeLong has announced the Sept. 13 arrival of a new album, “Playlist of Doom,” his sixth. Delong and the Aussie duo Atlas Genius will be doing a co-headlining tour this year, including: Oct. 19 at the Constellation Room and Oct. 21 at the Echoplex.
■ Chatrooms, “404 Not Found” — Valley post-punk agitators Chatrooms today released a new EP, “Something Went Wrong …” (see the song titles for their litany of apparent computer troubles). Theirs is no-holds-barred physical music; work up a sweat at their EP release party July 7 at the Moroccan Lounge.
■ Maddy Davis, “Stop to Watch the Paint Dry” — Maddy Davis will release a new EP, “Rage” (see the title track for a dose of her visceral music) on July 31. Live July 24 at the Silverlake Lounge, opening for Bensbeendead.
■ Jordan Jones, “No Matter Where” — L.A. native and power-pop ace Jordan Jones released a new EP, “And I, You,” in January, and he’s back with another dose of infectiousness via Lolipop Records.
■ Wax Owls, “Freckle” — Wax Owls, the folk outfit led by Gerry Hirschfield, are back with the meditative new ballad, “Freckle.” “Throughout the song, there’s a sense of introspection and a willingness to confront truths, even when they’re uncomfortable,” Hirschfield says. “Musically, this song has been through many incarnations before we settled on this version. I was heavily inspired by Elliot Smith in how I wanted to treat the vocal production.”
■ HVNTED, “I Miss You” — Sharp pop-punk from the quintet of Will Swanson, Abe Flores, Jack Cotter, Seamus Neal and Jimmy Winnick, who released their debut album in 2022. They’ve kept the energy high with recent singles, including this week’s “I Miss You.” Live July 21 at Lucky Strike Hollywood.
■ Senses, “Maybe” — Pop-rock duo Senses (Madison Taylor and Nick Sampson) make outsized pop-punk anthems, and “Maybe” is their third single of 2024 and the follow-up to “No Fun.”
■ Billy Changer, “Pictures of You” — We wrap this week’s playlist with a cover from “mutant pop” artist Billy Changer. It’s not a cure-all, but it ain’t bad.
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