Kevin Bronson on March 14th, 2025

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Wrapping a rainy week by dropping Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 329), the new playlist from Buzz Bands LA that features new singles from Ty Segall, Cuco,Bouquet, HAIM, Sextile, Clipping, Magic Wands, Jade Bird, Scarlet House, Trousdale, Jessy Fury, Silas Short, Alexandra Savior, Staircase Wit, Sonja Midtune and a bunch more. Stay for the finish, which features Iress covering Billie Eilish.

Anita Wills contributed to this roundup.

■ Bouquet, “Hold On” — It’s been a tick short of 10 years since interdisciplinary artist Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs and songwriter-producer-college professor Max Foreman released any music as Bouquet, and the duo’s well-timed and aptly titled single “Hold On” does its damnedest to be worth the wait. Reminiscent of Stephen Merritt (“69”-era Magnetic Fields and his collaborations as The 6ths) and sundry all-stars of the twee universe, it’s a gorgeous re-introduction to the duo. Even better, there’s a full-length, “Spellbreaker,” on the way.

■ Cuco, “My 45” (with Jean Carter) — “Modern Chicano soul” is what Hawthorne native Omar Banos is calling his new batch of Cuco music, and on the new single “My 45,” it sounds just as sweet as the retro variants that still thrive all over Southern California and beyond. The song, which features SoCal’s Jean Carter (they collaborated on “Bossa No Sé,” from Cuco’s 2019 debut album), introduces Cuco’s new album, “Ridin’,” out May 9.

■ Alexandra Savior, “Unforgivable” — Portland native Alexandra Savior’s mercurial career is on the upswing again: She has signed to RCA and released a typoically enchanting single, “Unforgivable,” produced by Drew Erickson (Lana Del Rey, Father John Misty). Savior’s previous album, “The Archer,” came out in 2024. Prepare to swoon.

■ Staircase Wit, “Benefit of New Jersey” — Michael Fiore, once frontman of the hell-raising indie-rock outfit Criminal Hygiene, today released the first full-length from his solo project, Staircase Wit. “For the Benefit of New Jersey” nods to Fiore’s home state and answers the question, “What would the Replacements have sounded like if they were from the Garden State?”

■ Sextile, “S Is For” — Dripping with antipathy, or at least menace, “S Is For” is the second single from L.A. duo Sextile’s forthcoming album “Yes, Please” (out May 2). Mel Scaduto of Sextile says: “It’s not super relevant to Sextile, but with my other project ‘S. Product’ I was always asked what the S is for — it’s always really been a Scaduto product to me. But this song is sassy way to explain how many things the S could be.”

■ Clipping, “Dominator” — Who needs caffeine when you have Clipping? The techno-prog-rap trio today released their new album “Dead Channel Sky,” full of vocal and production pyrotechnics. Their hometown show tonight at the Echoplex is sold out.

■ Frankie and the Witch Fingers, “Economy” — “Economy” is the single by Frankie and the Witch Fingers for their upcoming album “Trash Classic,” due June 6 via The Reverberation Appreciation Society / Greenway Records. “Economy” is a electro-punk banger, complete with vocals reminiscent of Devo and instrumentals similar to those found in retro Nintendo games.  Catch Frankie and the Witch Fingers Aug 2 at the Teragram Ballroom. 

■ Supergloom, “SideFX” — After a slew of singles and 2023’s EP “Immaterial,” Supergloom (Shane Graham, Drew Aron, Ian Stahl) have announced that their debut album will be out later this year. “SideFX” is cinematic shoegaze at its finest: The guitar and drums are bold and dramatic, while the vocals remain steady and melancholy, “I’m so high / In my black balloon / Looking down / On all of you.”

■ Magic Wands, “Moonshadow” — Dream-pop/post-punk duo Magic Wands (Chris and Dexy Valentine), who last October returned with the single “Armour,” have announced that their new album, “Moonshadow,” will be out in June. As if a dark shroud were being lifted, here’s the title track. Live April 11 at the Echoplex, opening for the Birthday Massacre.

■ Reindeer Flotilla, “Andromeda” — Reindeer Flotilla, the duo of Neal Harris and Josh Brown, today released their third full-length, “Radio Silence.” Its lush, synth-laden soundscapes were co-produced with Nic Johns.

■ Powder Pink & Sweet, “Shadow Self” — “Shadow Self” is a haunting single with introspective lyrics and post-punk guitar written by Carl Urbinati and Cris Verso, dba Powder Pink & Sweet. Verso says: “This is a personal song about self-doubt turning into realization and acceptance of one’s inner ‘shadow self.’”

■ Ty Segall, “Fantastic Tomb” — The multifarious Ty Segall stretches out into narrative classic rock on “Fantastic Tomb,” the single that introduces his 16th album, “Possession,” out May 30. Dig out your bell bottoms for Segall’s show at Aviator Nation Dreamland in Malibu on March 28.

■ Haim, “Relationships” — Well, well, well. (That’s one for each sister.) Haim’s “Relationships” is the trio’s first release since 2023’s “Barbie”-fueled “Home,” not to mention the band’s personal high for number of F-bombs dropped in one song. Camille Summer directed the video.

■ Jessy Fury, “Hollywood Forever” — We suppose its not a big leap from Jessy Fury’s New Wave-leaning single “Runaway” (released in November), to the orchestrated gloss of “Hollywood Forever.” Anyway, this month’s release it the title track of Fury’s debut EP, arriving in April.

■ Jade Bird, “Who Wants” — “Who Wants” is the first release from L.A.-based Englishwoman Jade Bird since last year’s acclaimed “Burn the Hard Drive” EP. The tune dates to when the folk singer was a teenager, grappling with her parents’ divorce. “It’s about the symptoms of a broken relationship that you don’t advertise or want to talk about,” the songwriter says. “Staying inside the shell or ghost of what once was, while mourning what could have been.”

■ Maddie Zahm, “Heaven” — Maddie Zahm’s new EP, “The Angry Part,” arrives March 28, and after introducing it in January with “Sheets,” she follows with the slow-burning “Heaven.” Live April 26 at the Fonda Theatre.

■ Provoker, “Another Boy” — Bay Area-bred trio Provoker (Christian Crow Petty, Jonathon Lopez and Wil Palacios) will release their third full-length, “Mausoleum,” out May 9. Andrea Riba directs the video for “Another Boy.”

■ Sonja Midtune, “Falling Up” — Minnesota native Sonja Midtune’s first release since November, is one of those killing-you-softly gems. Courtney Therond’s video ponders the question: What do you do when someone mistreats your friend?

■ Trousdale, “Over and Over” — The follow-up to singles “Want Me Back” and the title track, “Over and Over” is the latest from L.A. trio Trousdale’s sophomore album, “Growing Pains,” out April 11. Meanwhile, the video nods to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” Live June 21 at the El Rey Theatre.

■ Frank Meyer, “Piece of Me” (feat. Cherie Currie) — L.A. punk torchbearer Frank Meyer (Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs, et al) will release his solo debut album, “Living Between the Lines,” on March 25. For the latest single, he tapped a friend of 30 or so years, Cherie Currie of the Runaways, as a vocalist and co-writer. “People tell me they like my music. People tell Cherie she changed their lives,” Meyer says. “I get it. She certainly changed mine.” Together, they’ve crafted a sweet “closing time” anthem.

■ Whitney Tai, “Rhea” (feat. Tommy Hatz) — New York native Whitney Tai Vlasaty — just Whitney Tai when she releases music — introduces her new album, “American Wasteland,” with the dreamy single “Rhea,” a collaboration with songwriter-producer-guitarist Tommy Hatz.

■ Emily Haber, “Nostalgia” — “Nostalgia” is the title track from Emily Haber’s debut EP, produced by Daniel Dávila. This acoustic guitar-driven pop song is a brief yet endearing listen. Notably, Haber, who was born with severe hearing loss, has built a successful career as a professional songwriter. She will donate a portion of the proceeds from her debut track to the Starkey Hearing Foundation.

■ Silas Short, “Guy” — Midwest-bred Silas Short has titled his debut album, “Lushland,” as a nod to his new home, Los Angeles. The LP is out April 25 via Stones Throw, and turn the lights down low for the single “Guy” (video). Live May 21 at the Moroccan Lounge.

■ Maris, “Give Me A Sign”— Indie-pop singer Maris’ new single “Give Me A Sign” is a fun ’80s-influenced pop song featuring Caroline Kingsbury. Her EP “Gravity (Stripped)” is worth an honorable mention; Maris displays her natural R&B style vocals paired with only a guitar, and it is quite impressive. Catch Maris on April 2 at the Regent. 

■ Crisis Actor, “Nervous Laughter” — The blistering “Nervous Laughter” is the first single in a year and half from L.A. punk trio Crisis Actor (Tony Knox, Zach Crawford and Jonathan Ihejeto).

■ Megg, “The End” — Powerhouse vocalist and rocker Megg (whose band will rock the Van Warped Tour on July 26-27 in Long Beach) has unveiled the pop-punk ripper “The End.” “This song is about the battle between two versions of myself in my head: the fun, happy, stops and smells the flowers kind of girl and this other crazy bitch who tries to tear everything apart,” says the artist, born Meghan Mahowald. You can watch Megg survive the end of the world in the  music video here. 

■ Scarlet House, “Petals” — North Carolina native Cameron Odums released “Homecoming,” his debut album as Scarlet House, in November. Now he’s back with the single “Petals” to launch a big tour that visits the Constellation Room on April 20.

■ Sophia Kaloustian, “Used To Breathe” — “Used To Breathe” is a song about heartbreak by pop artist Sophia Kaloustian. Despite the upbeat instrumentals, the lyrics are full of woe. Kaloustian says: “What separates this song from the norm is that I’m missing the space these relationships used to take up in my life and how I’m trying to cope with the absence of such a significant presence … suddenly being gone.”

■ Tawny Ellis,”Bottom Line” — As a follow-up to “Elephant,” Tawny Ellis’ “Bottom Line” is not a love song, but a song about love. The track is co-written by Laura Cole for Ellis’s new album “Edge of the World,” set to release June 20. Ellis says: “This song is pushing for the answers to save the heartache of the guessing game.”

■ Iress, “What Was I Made For” — Doomgazers Iress, who last summer released their third album, “Sleep Now, In Reverse,” take on Billie Eilish’s Academy Award-winning song “What Was I Made For,” with fantastic results. “Everything came together seamlessly,” frontwoman Michelle Malley says. “We kept the song’s delicate essence while adding our own take with a more atmospheric and intense version. After performing it live at our album release show, the response was incredible, and we knew we had to record it.” Live May 14 at the Echo.