Kevin Bronson on July 12th, 2024

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We almost made a Top 40 this week. Ran outta gas at 39, the number of tracks you’ll find on Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 298), which features new tracks from Christian Lee Hutson, Gardens & Villa, Julie, Current Joys, Illuminati Hotties, Claude Fontaine, Magdalena Bay, Maudlin Strangers, Jerry Paper, JOBA, Emma Cole, Sharif Dumani, Alex Lilly and more. We also nod to new albums out today from the likes of Remi Wolf, Dream Phases, Chris Cohen and Love Fiend.

Our delayed ’cause-the-dog-ate-our-homework June 28 playlist is live, too, so check out GHTW Vol. 297 here.

■ Julie, “Clairbourne Practice” — Sounding (still) like they’ve busted loose from the underground circa 1990, Julie (Keyan Pourzand, Dillon Lee and Alex Brady) have announced that their debut album, “My Anti-Aircraft Friend,” will be out Sept. 13 via Atlantic Records. “Clairbourne Practice” is the first single. Live Aug. 9 at House of Blues Anaheim, opening for Alex G.

■ Illuminati Hotties, “Power” — “‘Power’ is a reckoning with mortality,” Sarah Tudzin says of the title track of Illuminati Hotties new album, arriving Aug. 23. “It was the song I avoided writing every time I sat down with a guitar until it finally fell out of me. In it I’m asking over and over, how am I supposed to participate in earthly existence after the passing of my mom, who so selflessly gave me her confidence, who instilled my power? There is no answer, and there is no sign.” Live Sept. 25 at the Constellation Room and Nov. 1 at the Teragram Ballroom.

■ Christian Lee Hutson, “After Hours” — This week’s Song Most Likely to Stop You in Your Tracks is “After Hours,” the new single from Christian Lee Hutson. Here’s the video. Hutson’s new album, “Paradise Pop. 10,” co-produced with Phoebe Bridgers, Marshall Vore and Joseph Lorge, will be out Sept. 27, and, notably, it’s a product of the native Angeleno’s move to New York. “Sometimes when you live somewhere for a really long time, the place starts to feel like a memory graveyard,” Hutson says. “Every corner becomes kind of haunted in a way, kind of dragging you out of the present. That’s what L.A. became like for me. Spending so much time revisiting all these emotional landmarks ended up giving me the feeling that I was missing my life. Like it was passing me while I was looking the other way … It felt really connected to the city. I would spend half my life in the car, just completely on autopilot, re-living my life, from the beginning, on repeat every day.” Live Sept. 26 at the South Pasadena Masonic Lodge.

■ Current Joys, “California Rain” — Current Joys’ 12th album, “East My Love,” will be out Oct. 11 via Secretly Canadian, and because it’s Nick Rattigan, you know he won’t repeat himself. So behold the lush Americana of “California Rain.” “If you look at my last couple of records / my records in general, I’m maybe creating genre movies,” he says of “East My Love,” which was actually written before 2023’s “Love + Pop.” “This would be my American Folk Piece … I was trying to expose truths traumas and tribulations in a whimsical way — there’s a duality to the songs — they’re pretty, joyful, but the lyricism is where the depth of emotion hits.” Live Nov. 22 at the Bellwether.

■ Remi Wolf, “Soup” — Friendly reminder that Remi Wolf’s new album, “Big Ideas,” is out today. It lives up to its title. Really. Live Oct. 16 at the Greek Theatre.

■ Dream Phases, “Wake Up Time” — Friendly reminder that psych-pop aces Dream Phases today released their new album, “Phantom Idol.” For the liquid light show in your mind. Live July 15 at the Wayfarer.

■ Chris Cohen, “Night or Day” — Friendly reminder that Chris Cohen’s new album of pop finery, “Paint a Room,” is out today. Live July 27 at 2220 Arts + Archives.

■ Love Fiend, “Got Bad” — Friendly reminder that “Handle With Care,” the new album from Love Fiend, is out today. Chug along with “Got Bad,” and go saxophones.

■ Claude Fontaine, “Vaqueiro” — The American singer-songwriter (Nicole Rosenfield) with the name of a French chanteuse (Claude Fontaine) is back with another single that makes you wonder whether you’re even cool enough to listen to it. As with her self-titled debut album from 2019, Grammy-winning producer Lester Mendez is back aboard for album No. 2, “La Mer” (out Sept. 6 via Stones Throw).

■ Sharif Dumani, “Tight Lipped” — Seems like songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Sharif Dumani has played in a bazillion bands, and all of them we’d go see again. Currently the frontman in Exploding Flowers and the guitarist for Alice Bag, Dumani is releasing his first solo album, “In Search of Memory,” on Aug. 15. It’s 19 mostly guitar-tastic tracks strong, and guest appearances abound. “Tight Lipped” in the first single.

■ JOBA, “American Fiction” — JOBA is the highly anticipated new solo project of Russell Boring (ex-Brockhampton), and “American Fiction,” with all its 1970s extravagance, is the first single from his solo album.

■ Mayer Hawthorne, “Love Goes” — Mayer Hawthorne returns with his first single since last year’s album, “For All Time.” Fellow soul traveler Aaron Frazer co-wrote this one.

■ Pearl & the Oysters, “Side Quest” — Their first single since last year’s album “Coast 2 Coast,” Pearl & the Oysters are back with a bubbly, infectious pop song. Live on Saturday night as part of the free Levitt LA music series in MacArthur Park, appearing along with St. Panther and Los Eclipses.

■ Emma Cole, “Parallel” — “Parallel,” the follow-up to “Hollow,” is the second single from singer-songwriter Emma Cole this year, her first releases in three years. The aching new song was penned after the death in 2019 of Cole’s friend and former bandmate, Laura Peters (of Psychic Love). (More background here.)

■ Gardens & Villa, “Back to the Garden” — Cue the flute. Indie-poppers Gardens & Villa are back with an exceedingly chill new single, “Back to the Garden,” and the news that their fifth album, “Ultra Terrestrial,” will be out Sept. 13. Live Oct. 13 at Zebulon.

■ Alex Lilly, “No Vacancy” — There will always be room on our playlist for songs like “No Vacancy,” which is representative of Alex Lilly’s left-of-center pop sensibilities, not to mention her beguiling vocals.

■ Jerry Paper, “Scenic Route” — Campy crooner Lucas Nathan returns with a new Jerry Paper single, “Scenic Route,” and a new Jerry Paper album, “Inbetweezer,” out Sept. 27. Smile a while. Live Oct. 11 at the Teragram Ballroom.

■ Sego, “Two Boys” — “Two Boys” is the latest single from art-punk subversives Sego, who are one of the artists announced for this year’s Happy Sundays festival (two days this year, Aug 24-25) in Long Beach.

■ Gliss, “21st Century” — Gliss (L.A.’s Martin Klingman, currently based in Berlin, and Copenhagen’s Victoria Cecilia, currently based mostly in L.A.) have worked in the margins of shoegaze, synth-pop and psych-rock for two decades now. The dreamy “21st Century” is their first release in four years, frosted in the icy cool of artists like Ladytron.

■ Despia, “Clean Streak” — So … this grunge thing … think it’s going anywhere? Despia (Jon Ramirez, Christina Marenco, Damian Melara and Ryan Ohanessian) are a new four-piece who give the genre a little post-hardcore edge. “Clean Streak” is their second single. Live Aug. 8 at Genghis Cohen.

■ Trishes, “We Won’t Lose Count” — Created with refugee musicians from around the world, Trishes’ new single “We Won’t Lose Count” was made for World Refugee Day. Read more about it here.

■ The Armoires, “We Absolutely Mean It” — Led by Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome (founders of Big Stir Records), the Armoires make harmony-rich indie-rock rooted in classic ’60s pop … i.e., the kind of music that sounds so pleasant it oughta be Canadian. This week they released a new single, “Here Comes the Song,” but today we feature their April single (oops, slept on it), “We Absolutely Mean It,” because we need harmonies and smile.

■ Magdalena Bay, “Image” — The follow-up to “Death & Romance,” “Image” introduces “Imaginal Disk” (out Aug. 23), the new album from electro-pop duo Magdalena Bay. Live Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 at the Fonda Theatre.

■ Billy Uomo, “This Could Be Heaven” — Billy Uomo introduced his debut album, “Nosotrosferatu,” back in October. He’s steadily released singles, two at a time, ever since. The album will finally be out July 26 via Lepel Records, shining with Uomo’s deft pop touch.

■ Cherry Angel, “White Lake (I Like You)” — L.A. native Alycia Lancey invites listeners to imagine that very special time at the lake referenced in her new single as Cherry Angel, “White Lake (I Like You).”

■ Ivan Cornejo, “Intercambio Injusto” — Breakout sensation Ivan Cornejo will release his third album, “Mirada,” on July 18. The 20-year-old Riverside native, whose sound blends Mexican music with alt-rock and pop, has an arena tour kicking off in August. Live Oct. 12 at the Honda Center.

■ Peyton Shay, “Lonely Chapstick” — La Cañada native Peyton Shayler (just Peyton Shay when she’s releasing pop songs) is on a roll this year. Her pulse-quickener “Savior Complex” came out in April, and, working again with writer-producer Adam Castilla, she returned last week with “Lonely Chapstick.”

■ Maudlin Strangers, “End of Beginning” — Jake Hays and Maudlin Strangers are back with a high-octane ballad. Live tonight at Harvard & Stone.

■ Natalie Del Carmen, “Good Morning From Magnolia” — Americana siren Natalie Del Carmen is back with a pretty-as-a-postcard single, “Good Morning From Magnolia.”

■ Presence, “You Don’t Know Me Anymore!” — The solo project of Camarillo native Jonathon Martinez, Presence will release his debut album “Tears in the Moshpit!” on Oct. 4. For fans of songs whose titles all end in exclamation points.

■ Virgo Verse, “Comfort You” — Virgo Verse, the musical vehicle for Massachusetts native Mary Hamilton, deal in airy, affecting pop-rock, and “Comfort You” is one of four singles released this year.

■ Braden Lawrence, “Gary” — Braden Lawrence, ensconced in L.A. while the band for which he drums, The Districts, are on hiatus, released his debut album, “When You Lose the Light,” last year. For his next act, he’s release a concept EP, “Gary,” and he tells some of the titular character’s story in the first single.

■ OSEES, “Earthling” — “Earthling” is the latest single from OSEES’ synth-driven new album, “SORCS 80,” out Aug. 9. Live Aug. 30 at the Bellwether.

■ Dive Time, “Number One Priority” (feat. Yungatita) — Dive Time is the new project featuring members of King Shelter, Death Lens, the High Curbs and Chico. Yungatita guests on their debut single, “Number One Priority.”

■ Ty Segall, “The Dance” — His double-album “Three Bells” is only six months old, yet Ty Segall has something new cooking. His new album “Love Rudiments,” an instrumental album of percussive music, is out Aug. 30. And here we have an edited version of “The Dance.”

■ Jr. Juggernaut, “Everything I Touch” — Veteran power trio Jr. Juggernaut — singer-guitarist Mike Williamson and drummer Wal Rashidi, with new addition on bass Noah Green (Pretty Flowers, ex-Henry Clay People) — will release their new album, “Another Big Explosion,” on Aug. 9. For fans of Buffalo Tom, Dinosaur Jr. and Hüsker Dü. Live Aug. 30 at the Redwood Bar.

■ Sumeau, “Pass Through” — The latest slice of dreamy pop from the collective headed by Kat Primeau and Christopher Sousa, “Pass Through” is the third single this year from Sumeau.

■ Sherayah, “Where the Flowers Don’t Grow” — The second single from folk-pop artist Sherayah Batstone, who debuted in April with “Blue Moon.”

■ Buckets, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” — We wrap this week’s playlist as we often do, with a cover. A wink and a smile to all you lovers out there. Live Aug. 2 at Permanent Records Roadhouse and Aug. 7 at Gold-Diggers.