Kevin Bronson on April 4th, 2025

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Lots of familiar names in today’s Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 332) — The Marías, Fitz and the Tantrums, Blondshell, Cuco, Lucius, Haim and Dawes are among them. Press play to also hear Lydia Night (of the Regrettes), Wavves, Trousdale, The Black Watch, L.A. Witch, Darker Lighter, Alisa Xayalith, CAPYAC, Datamaps, Heaven Proper and more.

Note: Anita Wills contributed to today’s roundup.

■ Lydia Night, “Pity Party” — When Lydia Night retired her music vehicle the Regrettes in November 2023 after a three-album run, you knew it was only a matter of time before she debuted a true solo project. And here it is. “Pity Party,” co-written with and produced by Alexis Kesselman (aka Idarose), is a likable, au couture pop song about, Night says, “my occasional need for attention and validation, rather than trusting my own perspective, which can leave me feeling all over the place emotionally.”

■ Darker Lighter, “Open Up, Sunshine” — “Open Up, Sunshine,” the follow-up to singles sunch as “Nice to Meet You” and “Hanging On,” offers the final pre-release taste of Salar Rajabnik’s debut album as Darker Lighter, a self-titled collection. It’s out May 2, and the latest single has open-road feel of ’90s FM radio. Take it for a drive.

■ The Marías, “Back to Me” — Typically languid and lovely, “Back to Me” is the first single from the Marías (María Zardoya, Josh Conway, Jesse Perlman and Edward James) since the quartet released their sophomore album, “Submarine,” last May. “‘Back to Me’ was written a couple months after ‘Submarine’ was complete,” Zardoya says. “We were jamming in the studio as a band, and the guys were experimenting with some new synth sounds and ominous chords. I immediately went into the vocal booth, and the melody and lyrics came to me faster than any other song.” “Back to Me” arrived with a B-side, “Nobody New,” co-written with Benny Blanco.

■ Cuco, “Phases” — Cuco continues to deliver his “modern Chicano Soul” genre with “Phases,” a follow-up to the previous single, “My 45,”  off the new album “Ridin’,”  out May 9 via Interscope Records.

■ Lucius, “Do It All for You” — Indie-pop quartet Lucius will release their fourth album, a self-titled affair, on May 2. “Do It All for You” is the fifth single to be revealed, another swoon-worthy moment from a band quite good at crafting them. Live May 1 at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever.

■ Blondshell, “23’s a Baby” — The follow-up to “Two Times,” “T&A” and “What’s Fair,” “23’s a Baby” is the latest single from Blondshell’s sophomore album, “If You Asked for a Picture” (out May 2). There’s an album-release show that night at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever.

■ Haim, “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out” — “I started writing this after a panic attack I had the night I got home from tour,” Danielle Haim says of “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out,” the new Haim single that was penned with Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Rostam. “I was very confused because I was SO SO SO happy about our incredible tour, but something about being alone with myself scared the shit out of me. After a lot of reflecting I realized I’ve let a lot of people try and tell me how I should live my life, but I realized in making everyone else happy, I lost myself. I wrote this as a way to believe in myself again and quit being scared to do what I want.”

■ Famous Friend, “Care” — In case you need a little pop sunshine, “Blue,” the new EP from songwriter-producer Zachariah Carlson (dba Famous Friend) came out this week.

■ Alisa Xayalith, “Alone With You” — “Slow Crush,” out today, is the solo debut album from New Zealand-bred, L.A.-based Alisa Xayalith (The Naked and Famous), who crafts dream-pop so intimate and inviting you just wanna curl up on the couch and self-hug for an hour or so. Live June 5 at the Troubadour, opening for Sunday (1994).

■ Valley Boy, “Happy All The Time” — James Alan Ghaleb Amaradio is a professional songwriter from the San Fernando Valley who writes music under the very appropriate moniker Valley Boy. Valley Boy’s powerful vocals shine on the guitar-driven lead single “Happy All The Time,” off his upcoming album “Children Of Divorce.”

■ L.A. Witch, “Icicle” — Friendly reminder that beloved rock trio L.A. Witch’s new LP “DOGGOD” drops today via Suicide Squeeze Records. “Icicle” is a new wave track with grim lyrics, “Won’t you cleanse my soul / You’re sharp and cold / Purity, come make me bleed.” Check out the silent horror film-themed music video here.

■ The Black Watch, “Achilles Past” — One wants to quip, “What’s one more album between friends?” — except in this case, “For All the World” (out June 20) is not just the 24th full-length over the 38-year lifespan of the Black Watch, but it’s a double-LP. In the fuzzy propulsiveness of first single “Achilles Past,” songwriter John Andrew Fredrick throws down this gem: “Everyone it seems / is two or more people in their dreams / and their not-dreams.”

■ Heaven Proper, “Cowboy-Industrial Complex” — “Cowboy-Industrial Complex” is the third single from the solo project of songwriter Lexie Papilion (fka Bloodboy). This one’s got teeth.

■ Levi Robin, “Healing Is Coming” — Well, we’d like to think so. O.C. native Levi Robin strikes an optimism note on his moving new single, “Hearing Is Coming.”

■ Trousdale, “Secondhand Smoke” — A week away from the release of their sophomore album “Growing Pains,” L.A. trio Trousdale have unveiled “Secondhand Smoke” (and its video), a song whose magic is in the metaphor. “‘Secondhand Smoke’ is a song that dives into the emotional weight of being in an abusive relationship and the devastating push-and-pull it creates,” Quinn D’Andrea says. “For us, this song is about loving someone who is battling their own destructive traits—traits that are slowly harming not just them, but also you.” Live June 21 at the El Rey Theatre.

■ Goodtree, “I Am Scared” — “Otter Ave.,” the debut album from folk outfit Goodtree, was conceived both in the relative seclusion of the California coast (where Nick LaDue and Mason Robinson holed up during Covid) and in the apartments the roomies shared in South Central L.A, and Inglewood. You can almost smell the woodsmoke and hear the crackle of the fire in their fiddle- and banjo-accented tunes.

■ Wavves, “Goner” — Nathan Williams has a new cannabis brad. He has a new Wavves album, “Spun,” coming June 6. He has a new Wavves single, the Travis Barker-produced “Goner.” And he has a new Wavves tour, hitting the Fonda Theatre on July 25. And there is this week’s Wavves news.

■ CAPYAC, “U Know Y” — L.A.-via-Austin dance music trio CAPYAC keep the party going with the new single, “U Know Y,” their first release since “Songs From a Celestial City,” their collaborative EP with musician-comedian Reggie Watts.

■ Saphir Levi, “Forget It”— “Forget It” is a powerful alt-rock song from solo artist Saphir Levi that is pleasantly reminiscent of forgotten ’90s acts like Bif Naked.

■ Datamaps, “I Suggest” — If you’ve been around the block a few times, the new single from Datamaps — the quartet headed by indie vet Paul Larson (Strictly Ballroom, The Minor Canon, et al) — might hit hard. Right from the opening couple: “I was great at some things / until I was not.”

■ Fitz and the Tantrums, “Ruin the Night” — Ahead of a big tour announcement (includes July 25 at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa), pop hitmakers Fitz and the Tantrums have released a new single, “Ruin the Night.”

■ Sophie Powers, “Move With Me” — Toronto-born Sophie Powers is a hyper-punk solo artist whose recent “American Idol” audition was a clever publicity stunt that successfully went viral. Her new stand-alone single “Move With Me” is a dark electro pop song with a fun dance beat. Watch Sophie Powers dominate mannequins while listening to her iPod in the new music video here.

■ Your Favorite Color, “Forever”— “Forever” is a rock anthem with dreamy lyrics from O.C. indie-rockers Your Favorite Color: “We’re gonna live tonight / Never a kiss goodbye / We’re gonna live forever.”

■ Dawes, “Time Spent in Los Angeles (for Altadena)” — In the wake of the devastating wildfires (in which Griffin Goldsmith lost his house and Taylor Goldsmith lost the band’s recording studio), Dawes performed a stripped back version of 2011’s “Time Spent in Los Angeles” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The reception induced the Goldsmiths to “hit up our fellow Angelenos Andrew Bird and Alan Hampton and [record it] live in one take at our old friend Mike Viola’s house studio in Echo Park.” Gorgeous. And proceeds benefit MusiCares’ relief efforts.

■ TV Girl & George Clanton, “Monday Monday” (feat. Neggy Gemmy) — We’ll land this playlist with a cover from San Diego’s TV Girl, who just released a Japanese edition of his collaborative album wioth george Clanton, “Fauxllenium.” Neggy Gemmy is featured on the Mamas & the Papas’ 59-year-old gem, “Monday, Monday.”