Kevin Bronson on November 1st, 2024

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Somebody said they’re throwing a parade for Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 314)? Oh, it’s for something else? Rats.

We’ll celebrate the locals with yet another playlist of Los Angeles artists, including SLUGS, Jessy Fury, Jesse Jo Stark, Sun Colony, Maudlin Strangers, The Little Wars, Wetwood Smokes, The Two Tens, Willow Stephens, Bandie, Sam Blasucci, Urika’s Bedroom, Devon Again, Nitefire, Famous Friend, Being There, MyVeronica, Kit Major and more.

Don’t forget to vote Tuesday, if you haven’t already.

Catch up with past playlists here.

■ SLUGS, “Windows” — This week brings the release of “In Btwn,” the Sean Donnelly-produced debut album from Marissa Longstreet-led SLUGS. Lead track “Window” was preceded by standout singles “Origami” and “91,” both of which foreshadowed SLUGS’ remarkable growth. Live Nov. 11 at Zebulon, along with Vinyl Williams and more.

■ The Little Wars, “Gravity” — Guitarist Frank Tobias and bassist Juan Pablo Grado (both of whom played in Animal Games) have hooked up with vocalist Kevin Martin in the Little Wars. Their first single “Gravity” fits somewhere in the post-punk universe with Interpol, She Wants Revenge and Vacations.

■ Being There, “Oh Well” (feat. Mick Jenkins) — Chloe Angelides has songwriting credits for artists such as Ciara, Jason Derulo, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande; she’s been a featured vocalist on a host of other tracks; and in 2021 she released a solo album under her own name. Now, as the siren fronting Being There (nice of somebody to name their project after our favorite movie ever), she’s made an album of alluring pop. Being There’s debut album “Where Does the Time Go?” came out in late September, co-written and -produced with Tim Anderson, aka Timmy the Terror. Live Nov. 11 at It’s a School Night at Bardot.

■ Jessy Fury, “Runaway” — Jessy Fury (born Jesse Robitaille) has honed his songwriting craft since he was a teenager, first releasing music under the name Jessarae. Now he’s working with the songwriting/production duo of Wally Gagel and Xandy Barry (Wax Ltd.), and “Runaway” and the spring-released single “Heaven” dial into the New Wave-inspired pop-rock of the 1980s.

■ Red Ribbon, “Gang Star” — Friendly reminder that Red Ribbon’s self-titled new album is out today. Red Ribbon uses the lyrics in “Gang Star” as a vehicle to practice being unafraid when it comes to expressing her true nature via songwriting. “I’ve always had fun being deviant,” Emma Danner says, “and I’m tired of censoring my art because of my shame, or guilt, or whatever this feeling is.”

■ Sun Colony, “Deserted Place” — The first EP from atmospheric rock outfit Sun Colony came out in 2017, but they haven’t been exactly prolific since. After teasing an album announcement a year ago, the quartet — Tommy Graf, Derek Mabra, Brandon Sciarra and Sam Ribejro — emerged today with “Deserted Place,” a beautifully sprawling and spacey track that reminds you why, a few years back, Sun Colony were on everybody’s “fave local shoegazers” lists. Live Nov. 3 at Permanent Records Roadhouse.

■ Jesse Jo Stark, “I’m Yours” — “I’m Yours” is a pop love song with a throwback ’80s beat from singer-songwriter Jesse Jo Stark. The highly stylized music video for the single features Stark’s dramatic encounters with a skeleton love interest, just in time for Dia De Los Muertos this weekend.

■ Maudlin Strangers, “Under My Skin” — Jake Hays and Maudlin Strangers are back with a dark new rocker “Under My Skin” in advance of a show tonight at the Whisky opening for his mother, Cherie Currie (The Runaways), who will be performing her final show before retiring.

■ Devon Again, “Cherry Cola” — “Cherry Cola” is edgy guitar-driven song with an intergalactic undertone off of singer-songwriter Devon Again’s new three track EP “Never Goes Away.” The EP flows like one long song, meaning that Devon has mastered the lost and underrated art of album song transitions. Live at the Echo on Dec. 9 and on Dec. 11.

■ Ben Lee & Johanna Samuels, “Sunset Marquis” — Ben Lee (who released his new album “This One’s for the Old Headz” in September) teams up with Johanna Samuels (who released her latest EP in May and has another collaborative project in the works) team up for an ode to the storied “Sunset Marquis.”

■ Famous Friend, “Tanlines” — File under things we missed earlier this year: Famous Friend is the cheekily named solo project of songwriter-producer Zachariah Carlson. A crisp jolt of retro indie-pop, “Tanlines” is the title track of the Famous Friend’s debut EP, released in April. Live Nov. 11 at It’s a School Night at Bardot and Dec. 28 at Genghis Cohen, supporting Paper Idol.

■ Kit Major, “Potion Seller” — Friendly reminder that glitzy punk-rocker Kit Major’s new EP “Love.Sick.Major” is out now. “Potion Seller” is a fun punk track with surprisingly quirky vocals that work quite well.

■ Wetwood Smokes, “Black Hole” — Back after a five-year hiatus, Wetwood Smokes have released “Black Hole,” the first single from a self-titled EP arriving Nov. 22. Live Nov. 22 at the Wayfarer.

■ Bleu & Carly Paige, “Where the Colors Bleed” — Bleu McAuley teams up with 23-year-old Carly Paige on a bright pop tune.

■ Halo Kitsch,”Between Your Teeth” — Halo Kitsch’s singles were well-received in 2023, but unfortunately some on social media were not so kind. The new stand-alone track “Between Your Teeth” was born from the pain felt created by this unexpected online criticism, the song starts as a graceful ballad then suddenly turns into an aggressive banger.

■ MyVeronica, “Calf” — MyVeronica, the solo project of singer-guitarist Mia Lin that’s now blossomed into a full band including Tristin Souvannarath, Hovhannes Tamrazyan and Charlie Havenick, know to dial it up. Their emo- and post-hardcore-tinted rocker “Calf” is their first single in over a year. Live tonight at the Echo, opening for Lime Garden.

■ The Two Tens, “We Believe You” — A typically urgent blast of proto-punk, “We Believe You” is the first single in four years from the Two Tens, the duo of singer-guitarist Adam Bones (who’s been filling in as Go Betty Go’s guitarist the past two years while Betty Cisneros has battled cancer) and drummer-vocalist Rikki Styxx. The duo’s new 7-inch, “TMac,” is out Nov. 19. Live Dec. 6 at Permanent Records Roadhouse.

■ Nitefire, “Love Won’t Tear Me Away” — With “Love Won’t Tear Me Away,” we welcome “Ameripop!,” the new EP from Nitefire. Live Nov. 8 at the Echo, opening for Bay Faction.

■ Agender, “I Need a Break From the U.S.A.” — The fourth single from Agender’s album “Berserk” (out in February), “I Need a Break From the U.S.A.” arrives impeccably timed.

■ Bandie, “Figured Out” — The follow-up to the first Bandie single in four years, “Minute,” “Figured Out” finds main man Brian Hill doing loud/soft indie rock like it’s 19-ninetysomething. It was co-written with and produced by Kristin Riley. Bang your head if you must.

■ Willow Stephens,”Don’t Stop” — “Don’t Stop” is a modern take on disco-funk from singer-songwiter Willow Stephens. Catch Stephens at the Venice West on Nov. 12.

■ Urika’s Bedroom, “Junkie” — Urika’s Bedroom is the solo vehicle of songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Tchad Cousins, who has played with the likes of Youth Lagoon and St. Panther and today stepped out with the release of UB’s debut album, “Big Smile, Black Mire.” The mire part is to be taken literally; Cousins, who released an EP in 2020 under the name In Kind, utilizes a palette of guitars, keys, reverb and mumbly vocals, warped with left-field production. Slowcore shoegaze, if you will … with its own murky charm. Live Feb. 28 at the Echo.

■ Sam Blasucci, “Howl at the Moon” — Friendly reminder that Sam Blassuci’s sophomore album “Real Life Thing” is out today, featuring singles such as “No Magic,” “Flower” and “Witching Hour” and overall a thoroughly engaging romp through various shades of pop. Live Dec. 7 at Zebulon.

■ Emily Rose & the Rounders, “Too Much Too” — “Too Much Too” (watch Christopher Slater’s video) is a little slice of country gold from Emily Rose & the Rounders, whose self-titled album came out back in 2022. “The new song is actually a kind of old song that we’ve been playing for a while now; it’s about expectations not being met, wondering if you’re as good as someone thought you would be,” Rose says. “Chris Slater, who also did our video for ‘Wildfire’ a few years ago, took the song and ran with it, taking the themes into the world of Paris, Texas, and putting us right smack in the middle of the forlorn landscape of the classic film.” Live Nov. 3 at Permanent Records Roadhouse.

■ Spooky Mansion, “Long Time Ago” — Seventies-channeling rock band Spooky Mansion return today with their third album, “What About You?” “Long Time Ago” has the rollicking, upbeat spirit of country-rockers down through the ages (think the Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man”), and that has served the L.A.-via-Bay Area quartet (Greyson Converse, Rob Mills, Marty Reising and Braden Lyle) well on the road. Live Jan. 25 at Permanent Records Roadhouse.

■ Elle Belle, “Selene” — Four albums in, you never know what to expect from Christopher Pappas’ solo project Elle Belle. “Selene” is the second Elle Belle single this year, and one named for a ghost. Pappas explains: “‘Selene’ is a song about grifters and the people they prey on. Told through a series of vignettes, ‘Selene’ looks at the nature of belief, and how our hope can be weaponized against us. … My wife, Mary Beth, thinks I have a ghost that has followed me around my whole life named Selene. I don’t believe in ghosts. Selene isn’t really real, yet — when something goes missing in our apartment, Mary Beth will say: ‘Oh! There’s Selene, trying to get your attention!’ She thinks Selene pushed me to write this song. A friend once told me that her dead grandmother leaves dimes around her apartment as a way to communicate. Like Morse code from beyond the grave. I will admit I’ve had strange experiences growing up, but I think they can be explained rationally. I don’t believe that I have a ghost following me. What would she want? What’s the afterlife? Following some idiot around, hiding his car keys every now and then? Closing a door late at night with juuust enough plausible deniability that it could be blamed on the wind? That’s forever?”

■ Klypi, “Goodbye” — Alabama-bred musician and visual artist AC Carter releases music under the name Klypi. The full-length “Icon Enterprises” came out today via Lolipop Records.

■ Rob Dobson, “Endeavor On” — This week brought the arrival of “Be Easy,” the third full-length from singer-songwriter Rob Dobson (ex-Big Air). For fans of blue-collar raconteurs who make things interesting, whether with synth or steel guitars.

■ Venus, “Odds and Ends” — Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Venus finds success in new retro-soul on “Odds and Ends,” arguably the strongest song off her new five track EP, “Things Changed.” Watch the music video here.

■ Tombstones In Their Eyes, “I Like to Feel Good” — “I Like to Feel Good” is the third single from “Asylum Harbor” (out Nov. 19), the new album from seven-piece psych-rock outfit Tombstones In Their Eyes. Get your eyes on their new video W\here.

■ The Buttertones, “Awesome Monster” — “Face to Face With Fantasy,” the Buttertones’ first album in four years, came out this week.

■ Mimi Pretend, “Dead Flowers” — We’ll bring this playlist in for a soft landing with a cover song. Early this year, Colorado native Mimi Nissan released her second EP under the name Mimi Pretend. “Colorado 1996” tinkled with Mazzy Star-like dream-pop, and so it goes with her version of the Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers.”