Kevin Bronson on July 11th, 2025

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Is it warm in here or is this Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 346)?

Well, both. Press play to hear new songs from Rocket, Jay Som, Austin Manuel, Goon, Natalie Bergman, Sun Room, Grandson, Hand Habits, Holly Blair, Ruby Sparks, Syd, The Favors, Petey USA, Crane Like the Bird, Field Medic, Yvon Rene, Maddie Zahm and more. Plus, a cover song from the Silverlake Conservatory of Music All-Stars as the cherry on top.

Oh, did you miss last week’s mix because of the holiday? Here it is. In fact, you can catch up on our recent playlists here.

Note: Anita Wills contributed to today’s roundup.

■ Rocket, “Wide Awake” — With the release of yet another banger, “Wide Awake,” L.A. quartet Rocket have announced that Oct. 3 will bring the liftoff of their debut album, “R Is for Rocket.” The band — Alithea Tuttle, Baron Rinzler, Cooper Ladomade and Desi Scaglione — says: “‘R is for Rocket’ is about relationships, the most important part of life; relationships with your friends, your parents, your girlfriend or boyfriend, and most importantly your relationship with yourself. ‘Wide Awake’ is the perfect balance of all the elements of this record; after years in the making and countless versions, we’re excited to finally share it.” Here’s the video. Live Nov. 22 at the Roxy.

■ Jay Som, “Float” (feat. Jim Adkins) — Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Melina Duterte has been busy as a collaborator in recent years, but she hasn’t released an album from her solo project Jay Som since “Anak Ko” in 2019. That changes on Oct. 10, which brings the arrival of “Belong.” The LP boasts a couple of notable guests, too — Hayley Williams of Paramore on “Past Lives” and Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World on the new single “Float.” Here’s the video, directed by filmmaker Nina Ljeti (who in her other life fronts the band Kills Birds). Live Nov. 23 at the El Rey Theatre.

■ Crane Like the Bird, “She Was the Lake” (feat. Sam Bird and Andrew Bird) — Kyle Crane has a pretty heavy-hitting contacts list, owing to his work as a session and touring drummer. Via his solo project Crane Like the Bird, he’s released an album and a movie soundtrack. Plus, he’s released four singles this year, featuring, respectively, Sam Beam/Andrew Bird, Ben Bridwell, Bahamas/M. Ward and Chris Staples. And inspired by a trip to Japan (where CDs come in handy as a merch item), he’s compiled “Gobuzaki,” a 21-track disc of new material and catalog highlights. The physical release will be available at a release party in DTLA on Saturday night, where Madison Cunningham will also join the fun.

■ Holly Blair, “While I Have You Here” — Singer-songwriter Holly Blair caught our ear with her 2023 EP “One Step Away Is Too Far” (especially the single “Friday the 13th”). She followed last year with another EP, “Then Comes the Lightning,” and now she’s back with more understated, alluring indie-rock. “While I Have You Here” is another of her cinematic confessionals and a preview of her debut full-length. “These new songs are road-trip songs — meant to be played driving through canyons, past rivers, and small towns,” she says. “I wanted something intimate and expansive, to create something between romanticized memory and but still grounded in truth. It holds space for both the beauty and contradictions of growing up in America — especially in a time when national identity is being contested.”

■ Austin Manuel, “American Dream” — Austin Manuel is the Nashville-reared songwriter who owns the record store Healing Force of the Universe in Pasadena. Over the past two-plus years he has rolled out singles from his album “Conception,” which finally came out this week. It’s a musical autobiography focusing on his upbringing, including his relationship with his father, who died eight years ago this week. Manuel itemizes its source material thusly: “grief, anger, frustration, identity/existential crises, forgiveness and rebirth.” To call it poignant is to sell it short; “Conception” is a true long-player. See him live tonight at Healing Force of the Universe.

■ The Favors, “The Hudson” — The second single from the new collaboration between Finneas and Ashe, “The Hudson” is another ’70s-styled duet from the duo’s debut album, “The Dream” (out Sept. 19). Did we mention there’s a guitar solo? (See also: “The Little Mess You Made.”) Live Sept. 18 on the Fairbanks Lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

■ Yvon Rene, “The Old Country” — Young L.A. trio Yvon Rene (Eli Begonia, Anthony Caizzi and Mia Szabo) announce their presence audaciously with “The Old Country,” a debut single that sounds like the unlikely hybrid of Americana and post-hardcore. The song was made with producer Andrew Murdock, aka Mudrock, who besides working with artists such Godsmack has lent his talents to up-and-coming artists before.

■ Spaceface, “Everything Is Money” — Spacface’s kaleidoscopic psych-pop came on our radar in 2021 in the run-up to their album “Anemoia.” Now the band — founders Jake Ingalls and Eric Martin, along with Marina Aguerre and Garet Powell — is prepping the release of their next LP, “Lunar Manor,” out Aug. 22. “Everything Is Money” is the second single, after the affecting “Be Here Forever,” released in May. Live Aug. 22 at the Goldfish.

■ Goon, “This Morning Six Rabbits Were Born” — Friendly reminder that “Dream 3,” the third album from Kenny Becker’s psych-pop project Goon, is out today. Should the world require that you bliss out to some pastoral, levitating reverb, you could do no better than “Dream 3.” Live Sept. 10 at the Echo, supported by Draag and Marguerite.

■ Natalie Bergman, “Lonely Road” — The follow-up to “Dance” and “Gunslinger,” “Lonely World” is another shining example of the elegant, throwback pop on “My Home Is Not in This World,” the new album from Natalie Bergman, out next week. Live July 25 at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever.

■ The Holy Knives, “Spinning Out” — Back in December, brothers Kody and Kyle Valentine — dba the Holy Knives — released the EP “Don’t Wanna Win,” produced with Jamie Hince of the Kills. “Spinning Out” is their second single since, a gritty, distorted rocker that the duo describes as “a future Western dystopian story of escape for escape’s sake and the cathartic freedom of losing it.”

■ Syd, “Die for This” — Ahead of tours opening for Billie Eilish in the U.K. and Reneé Rapp in the U.S. (including Oct. 17 at the Kia Forum), Syd has returned with her first single in three years, “Die for This.”

■ Grandson, “Self Immolation” — Grandson (the solo project of Jordan Benjamin) will release his new album, “Inertia,” on Sept. 5. While his May single “Brainrot” put digital-age zombiefication in the crosshairs, new release “Self Immolation” is a scorcher “inspired by the Palestinian liberation movement across college campuses, inspired by the late Aaron Bushnell who gave his life in protest of the actions of the very military he served, inspired by the dead students of Kent State 1970, and written about what it means to have a cause to live for, to die for,” Benjamin says. The album was made with producer Mike Crossey (The Killers, The 1975, 21 Pilots, YUNGBLUD). Live Nov. 19 at the Bellwether.

■ Sun Room, “Don’t Cause a Riot” — Boasting singles such as “Jackknife,” “She’ll Move to London” and “Oslo, Paris, LA,” garage-rock revivalists Sun Room today released their new EP, “Ritual of Chaos.” “Don’t Cause a Riot,” indeed. Live at the Fox Theater Pomona on Aug. 16.

■ Maddie Zahm, “Babygirl” — Following “Mothers & Daughters,” “Babygirl,” is an unapologetically quirky track dedicated to Pedro Pascal by solo artist Maddie Zahm. Zahm plays the Fonda Theatre on Nov. 19.

■ Yellowcard, “Take What You Want” — What this summer needs is … a little Warped tour vibe? Yellowcard, who broke up in 2017 and re-formed in 2022, will release their new, Travis Barker-produced album, “Better Days,” on Oct. 10. Their big tour with A Day to Remember hits Toyota Arena on Oct. 22.

■ Goldfinger, “Freaking Out a Bit” (feat. Mark Hoppus) — Speaking of the Warped Tour, Goldfinger released a new single this week. And they are playing the two-day festival, July 26-27 in Long Beach.

■ Beauty School Dropout, “Sex Appeal” — Following “Fever,” “Sex Appeal” is the newest single off Beauty School Dropout’s debut LP, “Where Did All The Butterflies Go?.” The band says: “Really we just wanted to make something that sounds sexy and romantic, but has a deeper read as you dissect the lyrics.” BSD plays Warped Tour on July 26 in Long Beach. Watch the band count a bunch of money with a bunch of models in the music video here.

■ Petey USA, “The Yips” — Welcome to the world, “The Yips,” the new album from Michigan-bred, L.A.-based Petey USA, whose glib, danceable pop/indie-rock has a way of delivering some truths, with a smile and/or smirk. His show July 15 at the Troubadour is sold out, but maybe you know somebody.

■ Hand Habits, “Jasmine Blossoms” — This week brought two new songs from “Blue Reminder,” the new Hand Habits album arriving Aug. 22. Songwriter Meg Duffy says of “Jasmine Blossoms”: “This song really conjures for me the room and the time that I wrote it in — I was living in Mount Washington in L.A., which is just such a beautiful, lush neighborhood. And there were (and are) these sort of unthinkable contradictions, between the beauty of the flowers and the trees and the birds around me, and then just being blasted with so much horrifying information and footage of war, death, and greed on the news and social media.” The song arrived with a second single, “Dead Rat,” as a follow-up to “Wheel of Change.” Live Aug 21 at Pappy & Harriet’s (supporting Japanese Breakfast) and Aug. 23 at 2220 Arts + Archive.

■ Field Medic, “Castle Peaks” — Singer/songwriter Field Music (Kevin Patrick Sullivan) shares “Castle Peaks,” a guitar-driven track with folk styled vocals that follows “Melancholy,” off his new album “Surrender Instead.” Sullivan says: “The verses are comprised of the poems describing what I observed literally, but the chorus speaks to the constant search for our place in the world, and how changing locations doesn’t always take us away from ourselves.” Live Nov. 8 at the Fonda.

■ Dennis Hauck, “Girl From Cedar City” — Filmmaker Dennis Hauck pivoted back to his first pursuit, music, after the death of his friend, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, on the set of the movie “Rust” in 2021. (He memorialized her in song in 2022.) “After I wrote the song for Halyna, the old gears started turning again and more songs kept coming,” Hauck says. “Made me wonder why I hadn’t been doing this all along. But I couldn’t have written these songs back then.” His powers as a country-noir raconteur are on display on the new single “Girl From Cedar City.” Live July 15 at the Hotel Café.

■ Grace Kay, “What You Wanted” — Pop artist Grace Korkunis — aka Grace Kay — shares “What You Wanted,” a new single that, she says, “explores the ways I’ve tried to mold myself into what I thought others wanted — only to realize that version of me wasn’t serving anyone.”

■ Pat Hatt, “I’m Gonna Ride” — Singer-songwriter Pat Hatt releases his self-titled debut EP today. “I’m Gonna Ride” is fun country-rock song with a catchy chorus. Watch the gorgeous music video shot in Joshua Tree here.

■ Sara Melson, “This Must Be the Place” — Songwriter Sara Melson has released four full-lengths but none since 2016. She’s prepping a new LP, though, “Elixir” (release date TBA), and her latest single “This Must Be the Place” shows that her dreamy pop-folk remains a potent elixir.

■ Ruby Sparks, “Dreams” — “Dreams” is the second single from Ruby Sparks’ debut album, “Iris,” out Nov. 5 and produced by Collin Desha (of Low Hum). Songwriter Jake Sternberg says of the new single: “I moved to L.A. almost eight years ago to chase my dreams. I can say with all honesty that they have brought me almost equal parts euphoric joy and to my knees in pain. Someday your dreams will come true. But if they don’t, and as hard as it might be, please find patience and grace for yourself.”

■ Mal Blum, “The Villain” — Friendly reminder that Mal Blum’s new album “The Villain” drops today. The title-track is a mellow, guitar-driven song that poses a profound question: “I was so willing / does it make me the villain?” Live on Aug. 28 at the Echo.

■ Ana Luna, “Daddy’s Empire” — The follow-up to “Dance in a Trance,” “Daddy’s Empire” is the new single from Ukraine-born, Paris-reared, L.A.-based songwriter Ana Luna.

■ Sunking, “Tapwater” — Experimental jazz-tronica group Sunking’s (Antoine Martel, Bobby Granfelt) new album “I Don’t Like My Telephone” drops today via ANTI- Records. “Tapwater” would fit perfectly on the “Blade Runner” soundtrack with it’s ethereal electronic new-wave sound and marching band drums. Sunking will be performing at the monthly Highland Park DIY show Rare Candy on July 26.

■ Silverlake Conservatory of Music All-Stars, “After the Gold Rush” — We’ll bring this playlist in for a gentle landing with a selection from the second tribute EP released this year by the Silverlake Conservatory of Music All-Stars. After saluting the Pretenders in May, the young musicians are back with the three-song “Our Loving Tribute to Neil Young.” Georgia Springer takes lead vocals and Charles Butts plays trombone on “After the Gold Rush,” the title track of Young’s third album, released in 1970. As Conservatory co-founder Flea says: “Neil Young is the truth. A music education strips away everything false about music. The kids rock.” Proceeds from the EPs benefit the school.