Kevin Bronson on August 1st, 2025

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Here’s Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 349), a playlist that can’t decide whether to be loud or soft, in your face or infiltrating your subconscious. Such are things. Here’s hoping you spend some time with it.

You’ll find new songs from Fime, Black Polish, The Berries, Ali Mills, Magic Wands, Hunny, Mind’s Eye, Avery Tucker, Send Medicine, The Warlocks, Moto Solo, LANY, Rose’s Pawn Shop, Lovers & Poets, The Two Lips, Alex Bloom and more.

So many playlists, so little time. Or maybe not.

Note: Anita Wills contributed to today’s roundup.

■ Fime, “Soft Science” — Ever since Fime unleashed the sensory overload of “Better Half of a Dollar” (and its perfect video) back in February, we’ve wondered what they’d do for an encore. This week brought the news that the quartet (Beto Brakmo, Maxine Garcia, Eric Promani and Scott Leahy) will release their new album, “Just Can’t Win” (produced by Jay Som), on Sept. 5. “I think the record is about reality,” Brakmo says. “This is how it is and the only thing you can do is accept it. We will only ever lose money on music, but we drag that boulder back up the hill anyway. Even a band like ours with virtually zero major success can make a work of art despite the lack of ability to win at this game.” New single “Soft Science” simmers with intensity until Brakmo goes full-on Damian Abraham at 2:21. Here, find us in the back row, far right.

■ Black Polish, “Bondage” — The shoegazey “Bondage” is the latest single from 20-year-old Jayden Binnix’s solo project Black Polish. There’s a full-length on the horizon, but for now there is also a Gus Black-directed video to enjoy.

■ Mind’s Eye, “Pryor” — L.A. rockers Mind’s Eye return Sept. 26 with a new EP, “Run Like Hell,” and the second single “Pryor” will get you in a proper mood for it. Live Oct. 31 at the Fonda, with Hot Flash Heat Wave.

■ Hunny, “Title Track” — “Title Track” is a unique and eclectic pop-punk song featuring an introduction by a cheer squad, and a new wave guitar breakdown. The track follows “Catalina” and introduces Hunny’s new album “Spirit!,” out Sept. 26 via Epitaph Records. Jason Yarger runs down Glendale Boulevard dressed as a high school football player in the fun music video here. Catch Hunny at the Observatory in Santa Ana on Oct. 10.

■ Lovers & Poets, “Foolish” (feat. Rick Torres) — Longtime pop duo Lovers & Poets (Ben Eisen and Shannon Hurley) are back with their first original in a couple of years, “Foolish.” Rick Torres lends his talents on this one, which sounds carved from the Sarah Records era of British indie-pop.

■ LANY, “Know You Naked” — LANY (Paul Klein and Jake Goss) have announced that “Soft,” their first album is two years, will be out Oct. 10. “Know You Naked” introduces the LP, and here’s the video.

■ Magic Wands, “Across the Water” — Post-punk/dream-pop stalwarts Magic Wands (Dexy and Chris Valentine) will release their new album, “Cascades,” on Oct. 24. “Across the Water” is the duo’s latest incursion into the dark. Live Nov. 7 at Day 1 of Substance LA at the Belasco.

■ The Warlocks, “We Are All Lost” — “The Manic Excessive Sounds Of” (out today) is the seventh full-length from psych-rockers the Warlocks, and while they have been more manic and more excessive over their two-plus-decade run, frontman Bobby Hecksher isn’t overselling the release when he says, “This album is a positive one, and it totally rocks in the best way, too. It’s about cherishing the things that matter – the ones around you, the people you love and dealing with those relationships that are oh so frail.” Here’s the video for “We Are All Lost.”

■ Moto Solo, “History Crept on Me” — Speaking of the Warlocks, the band’s onetime drummer, Bobby Tamkin (also notable for helming Xu Xu Fang), has released the third dark-pop single from his solo project, Moto Solo. “History Crept on Me” follows “Celebration Sound” and “There’s Another Way.” And here’s the new video.

■ Dagger Polyester, “We Stand on the Shoulders of Giants” — Dagger Polyester today released “Perversion for Profit,” an album that slashes and burns through punk, glam and new wave while assailing 1) the rise of facism, and 2) the commercialization of queerness.

■ OSEES, “Abomination” — Beloved Osees share punk-rock banger “Abomination,” the second single from their forthcoming album “Abomination Revealed At Last,” out via Deathgod next week and including the previously released single “Fight Simulator”.) Watch the amazingly terrifying and grotesque music video shot in black and white here. Osees play the Teragram Ballroom Aug. 29, Sept. 30, Nov. 29 and Dec. 19.

■ Sunder, “Wallflower” — Sunder, the shoegaze/dream-pop quartet led by Steven Esquibel, kick up a storm on “Wallflower,” their first single of 2025. Live Sept. 26 at the Dum Dum Records 4-Year Anniversary Show at the Midnight Hour, with Taleen Kali and more.

■ Supergloom, “Misfortune 500” — When they flex, they flex: “Misfortune 500” is the latest slab of guitar from L.A. shoegazers Supergloom, whose new EP arrives in September. Live Sept. 27 at the Goldfish, with Double Wish and Famous Friend.

■ Hether, “Falling For The Feeling” — Hether, aka Paul Castelluzzo, is a multi-instrumentalist who has collaborated with artists ranging from Britney Spears to Curtis Taylor. His new single, “Falling For The Feeling,” is a soulful song featuring a gorgeous cello, from his upcoming album via R&R. Watch the retro multimedia music video here.

■ The Two Lips, “Clue” — Following “Talk,” “Clue” is new single from duo The Two Lips (Andrea Flores and Julia Gurule). The band says: “Clue” is a song about the feeling when you have exhausted all options trying to save a relationship and you feel like you’ve reached a dead end.”

■ Send Medicine, “Devour” — It’s been three years since Send Medicine’s latest, trippiest album, “Mata Hari Honey.” The psych-folk quintet trips on, though: Their second single of this year is “Devour,” which will chew up your mental landscape.

■ Kristiane, “Idaho” — The follow-up to “Beacon” and “Good & Ready,” “Idaho” is the third single this year from Kristiane.

■ The Berries, “Angelus” — Since he released the album “High Flying Man” (see: “Down That Road Again”) in 2022, Matthew Berry has spent time touring and recording with other artists. Now he’s back to his solo project, the Berries, and the new single “Angelus” introduces his third full-length, simply titled “The Berries.”

■ Pink Skies, “Weekends” — “Weekends” is the latest single from Pink Skies’ forthcoming self-titled album, out Sept. 10

■ Myah, “Glitter” — Prominent music video producer Mariah Morgenstern introduces herself as pop artist Myah with her debut album “I Don’t Know What I’m Feeling,” out Aug. 29, featuring the love song “Glitter.” Morgenstern says: “It was inspired by someone telling me they found my glitter in their apartment and thought of me. That really stuck with me, the idea of glitter as my calling card.” Watch the artist swim in a bed full of money, and run away from bad guys Scooby Doo-style in the music video here.

■ Avery Tucker, “Like I’m Young” — Two months after teasing fans with the single “Big Drops,” Avery Tucker (ex-Girlpool) has announced the Oct. 11 arrival of his debut album “Paw.” With the news comes the LP’s opening track, the aching “Like I’m Young,” which (like almost all the album) is co-produced with Alaska Reid.

■ Ali Mills, “White Wing” — Ali Mills (“Canyon,” “Mercury Rising”) returns with a rapturous slow-burner, “White Wing,” a torchy song that, she says, “[expresses] the ‘too taboo to talk about’ themes of lust, desire and regret when it comes to love and relationships. It hits hard at the idea that at some point we all want someone we can’t have.”

■ Whitmer Thomas,”Bronco Buster” — Whitmer Thomas takes a break from comedy, bringing to the table “Bronco Buster,” off his upcoming EP “Tilt,” due Sept. 5 via Saddle Creek  produced by Jay Som. “Bronco Buster” is a fun and crunchy cowboy-rock song with catchy harmonies, and a bizarre guitar solo that works quite well. Check out the adorable music video featuring little kids dressed as rodeo acts here.

■ Between Friends, “Chevron” — Friendly reminder that siblings Savannah and Brandon Hudson — dba Between Friends — today released their sophomore album, “Wow!,” which features production-heavy singles such as “XD” and “1234567.” Here’s their new video for the Luka Kloser co-write, “Chevron.” Live Oct. 30 at the Novo.

■ The Active Set, “Death of a Friend” — Long-running L.A. indie-rockers the Active Set don’t couch anything on “Death of a Friend,” their first single in almost a year: People are dying and “I just need it all to stop.”

■ Gina Zo, “I Need To Cry” — “I Need To Cry” is the third single from Gina Zo, produced by Tim Sonnefeld and Justin Miller, following “Only Bad Men Feel This Way.” Zo continues to challenge the opposite sex with her defiant lyrics: “And if one more man / Says it’s in God’s plan / I’ll just have to send myself off to space / Where no one talks / and no one dreams.”

■ MacGregor Burns, “What I’ve Been Looking For” — L.A.’s favorite Hollywood tour guide-turned-balladeer, MacGregor Burns, rolls out another soulful number from his Luke Temple-produced album “My Corner,” due later this year. It’s the follow-up to “Can’t Go Back” and “Put It All on Me.”

■ Rose’s Pawn Shop, “Fare Thee Well” — Americana stalwarts Rose’s Pawn Shop will return with a new album, “American Seams,” early next year. The first single is “Fare Thee Well,” a song, frontman Paul Givant says, “about long-lost friends and how fate can drive two people who were once young and close down wildly different life paths — one to love and glory and another to a dark demise.” Live Aug. 6 at Summer Concerts in Glendale (free) and Aug. 24 at Grand Ole Echo at the Echo.

■ Alex Bloom, “Morning” — “‘Morning’ is about an all consuming new love,” Alex Bloom says of the latest single from his new album, “Across the Country” (out Sept. 12). “When you can’t stop thinking about someone, and every interaction with them feels exciting and full of wonder. If a relationship is a day, ‘Morning’ represents the morning of that day.” A damn pretty sunrise it is. Live Sept. 11 at the Skylight Theatre.

■ Carly and the Universe, “When the Summer Ends” — Vibe check: “When the Summer Ends” is the new single from Carly and the Universe.

■ Nathan Jacques, “Lonesome Town” (feat. Jessie Payo) — We’ll bring this playlist in for a soft landing with Nathan Jacques’s version of “Lonesome Town,” the Baker Knight-penned song that Ricky Nelson made a hit way back when. Jessie Payo (Pom Poms) backs Jacques on this cover, which appears on the EP, “Borrowed Tales,” out later this month. Live Aug. 10 at Grand Ole Echo at the Echo.