Kevin Bronson on November 22nd, 2024

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As we race toward the end of 2024, here’s Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 317). Buzz Bands LA’s new mix features music from Father John Misty, Nico Vega, Faux Prix, Scarlet House, The Rose Haze, Mirrorball, (Untitled) Halo, Miami Horror, Fake Dad, Model Child, Low Coast, MacGregor Burns, Raissa, The Tulips and more.

Catch up with past playlists here.

Note: Anita Wills contributed to today’s roundup.

■ Father John Misty, “Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose” — You could host a series of salons simply on Father John Misty’s fifth album, “Mahashmashana,” out today. Here’s the video for “Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose,” which we enjoyed while marveling that a song released in 2024, “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All,” could crack our all-time favorite 100 tunes after six-plus decades of music listing. But it probably has. Who the hell makes those lists anyway? Fools.

■ Nico Vega, “I’ve Got My Soul” — With the release of the bluesy “I’ve Got My Soul” (highly recommended video here), resurgent L.A. quartet Nico Vega (Aja Volkman, Dan Epand, Rich Koehler and Michael Peña) put an exclamation point on their comeback EP, “Make It Out Alive.” They have a full-length planned for next year.

■ Scarlet House, “Blind” — Scarlet House is a one-man band helmed by Charlotte, N.C., native Kameron Odums, a 25-year-old who’s battled lymphona and a childhood of homelessness, become a TikTok sensation and solidified his place in the grunge/shoegaze craze with today’s release of his debut album, “Homecoming.” Singles such as “Slowing Down,” “Ghosts” and “Search” have piled up millions of online streams; he lets it rip on the album track “Blind.” Live Dec. 16 at the Roxy.

■ Mirrorball, “Condo Pond” — The duo of Alexandra Johnstone and Scott Watson, dba Mirrorball, return with an aerial slice of dream-pop. “Condo Pond” is the follow-up to “Take a Shot,” released in March, and “Natural World,” which came out earlier this month.

■ Faux Prix, “Chasing Sunsets” — Ten years since the L.A. quintet NO released their lone album (“El Prado”), frontman Bradley Hanan Carter and gang (Sean Daniel Stentz, Spike Philips and Devon Lee) are back with their fourth anthemic single as Faux Prix. The project’s debut album, “From Metric to Imperial,” will be out next year.

■ Illuminati Hotties, “December” — Illuminati Hotties have released their entry in the covers series “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” which features artists on the stalwart L.A. indie label Hopeless Records covering other artists on the imprint. Sarah Tudzin and gang check in with “December,” which was released by Neck Deep in 2015.

■ Miami Horror & RAC, “Lost Seasons” — Fronted by L.A.-based Australian Benjamin Plant, electronic group Miami Horror is back after a 10-year hiatus with their new single “Lost Seasons,” featuring singer-songwriter RAC. The new LP, “We Always Had Tomorrow,” is set to release Feb. 28 of next year.

■ MacGregor Burns, “Can’t Go Back”— Singer-songwriter Macgregor Burns follows up “Silent Answers” with “Can’t Go Back” (produced by Luke Temple), off of his as-yet-untitled 2025 LP. Vocals lead the way in “Can’t Go Back” and the track ends with a damn good jam session.

■ Fake Dad, “ON/OFF” — The follow-up to September’s “Touch Me,” “ON/OFF” is the latest from the duo of Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford. Blondshell guitarist Jeff Frantom plays on the track.

■ Big Black Delta, “Splash” — Jonathan Bates returns with “Splash,” the second rager (see “Uncertainty Is Delight”) from Big Black Delta’s fifth album, “Adonai” (out Feb. 28). The video kinda captures the moment.

■ Low Coast, “Universal Truths” — Low Coast, the quintet led by Jeff Caudill (Gameface), released their debut album “Existing the Dream” last year. Their foray into indie- and roots-rock continues with “Universal Truths.”

■ Marguerite, “You Are Full of Magic and Love and Visions …” — L.A. trio-turned-quintet Marguerite (Katya Urban, Ben Ross and Ed Graveline, now joined by Sal Huerta and Kiko Torres) find a sweet spot between shoegaze and slowcore on their sophomore EP, “Things We Found,” which came out last week. We’ll call it slowgaze. “You Are Full of Magic …” is exemplary: undulating melody and bass balanced against a heavy dose of fuzz. Their first EP, “Larger Now,” came out last year.

■ Model Child, “Everything Will Change” — Friendly reminder that “Tilt,” the new EP from Danny Parker’s project Model Child, came out this week. The somber ballad “Everything Will Change” hits us in the right place at the right time.

■ The Tulips, “Haven’t Seen Her”— As a follow up to “Stars Dream of You,” indie duo the Tulips’ new single “Haven’t Seen Her” is full of twang guitar and overdrive, paired with a beautiful vocal melody that would give Bonnie Prince Billy a run for his money. You can watch the music video here. Their new LP, “Halcyon Beach,” is set to release in 2025. See them live at Harvard & Stone on Feb. 14.

■ Roger Weeks, “The Kid Who Made It”— Singer-songwriter Roger Weeks’s new single “The Kid Who Made It” is an introspective letter full of self-love, “acknowledging the hard stuff I’ve gone through, and celebrating all that I’ve overcome. Even though life has been hard, I wake up every day and choose defiance. I’m the kid who made it.”

■ The Rose Haze, “The Möbius Oblivion” — Now the solo project of Kate Ramsey, the Rose Haze has released “The Möbius Oblivion,” part dreamy goth-pop and part Cure. The song was co-written with her bandmate Ruben Gonzales, who died in January at age 37 due to complications from lymphoma. This week’s release coincided with Gonzales’ birthday. Jeff Schroeder (ex-Smashing Pumpkins) and Josiah Mazzaschi (Child Seat, Light FM) worked on production.

■ K. Soto, “Stuck” — Friendly reminder that K. Soto’s debut solo album “Your Love Is Conditional “ drops today. “Stuck” is an unhurried groovy tune worthy of a slow dance.

■ (Untitled) Halo, “Emo Is Good” — Dream-pop trio (Untitled) Halo returned today with a new EP, “Headbanger,” which doesn’t bang heads as much as is rather seductively disorient them.

■ Jac Aranda, “Ultraviolet” — Endearingly shambolic, “Ultraviolet” is the title track of the new arriving Feb. 7 from Jac Aranda (of Media Jeweler), via Anxiety Blanket Records.

■ Hudson Thames, “Wrong”— “Wrong” is a self-reflective piano ballad from vocalist Hudson Thames. You can watch his impressive and theatric performance in the music video here. Thames’s debut album is set for 2025.

■ Raissa, “No Genius” (feat. Rahim Redcar) — Born in Spain, reared between between Beijing, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and London and now working out of Los Angeles, Raissa today released a new EP, “Cute Threat,” via pop label Neon Gold. “No Genius” finds the artist collaborating with Rahim Redcar, fka Christine and the Queens. Evan Voytas (Loyal Lobos, et al) was a collaborator on EP.

■ Fitz, “Summer of Us” — “Summer of Us” is the title track of the sophomore solo album from Michael Fitzpatrick, whom you know as Fitz in Fitz and the Tantrums.