Kevin Bronson on August 8th, 2025

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New singles from Dear Boy, KennyHoopla, BEL, Mehro, Night Talks, Alexandra John, Niia, Tim Carr, Tamar Berk and more. Songs off fresh album/EP releases from Field Medic, Bad Suns, Lydia Night, Sea Pipes, Thebandfriday, Chalk Talk, David Franklin Courtright and Origami Ghosts. And assorted other delicacies. Here’s Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 350).

If you’re feeling exploratory, explore the many playlists we have to explore.

Note: Anita Wills contributed to today’s roundup.

■ Dear Boy, “After All” (feat. Rocket) — Anthemic. Lush. Swoon-worthy. Shimmering. New Wavey. Britpop revival. Dear Boy’s music has been called a lot of things over their decade-plus lifespan, but muscular has not been one of them. Until now. “After All” (which features an assist from Alithea Tuttle of young quartet Rocket) roars to life with the ripped chord progressions that propelled bands like Catherine Wheel and Bush. Produced with Aron Kobayashi Ritch (Momma, Been Stellar, Snail Mail), the single introduces Dear Boy’s sophomore album, “Celebrator,” arriving Oct. 17 via Last Gang Records. Says frontman Ben Grey: “It is crazy to have been a band for this long without contributing a primal-teenage-bedroom-rock riff. Happy to finally right a wrong.” Live Sept 18 at the Highland Park Ebell.

■ Tamar Berk, “Stay Close By” — SoCal-via-the Midwest rocker Tamar Berk introduces “OCD” — her fifth full-length in five years and releasing Sept. 5 — with “Stay Close By.” It features a heavier sound than the fuzzy power-pop of Berk’s past, and she says of the single: “The song explores the idea of all the things we say we’ll do — things we fantasize about but never quite get around to. Whether it’s taking a road trip, fixing up the house or changing our lives, we’re full of hopeful plans that remain suspended in the future. That sense of yearning and inertia was the spark for this song. As I sing, ‘we always say we should get high / and go for a ride,’ I’m trying to capture that space between dreaming and doing — and the quiet belief that maybe, one day, we actually will.

■ Sea Pipes, “Oak Tree” — Lesss than a year after releasing their debut EP, “The Right Through,” Sea Pipes — the indie-rock trio led by Edward Maxam — today released their debut album, a self-titled affair.

■ BEL, “Amor” — Isabel Whelan’s debut album as BEL is titled “Holy Grail,” and it’s out Oct. 17. “Amor” is the fourth single. Live Oct. 16 at the Moroccan Lounge.

■ Thebandfriday, “What’s It Gonna Take?” — Thebandfriday combines the talents of Agoura Hills childhood pals Adin Eshagpour and Finn Morris. Their second EP, “Homecoming,” came out today, six songs that fairly soar through the indie-pop stratosphere.

■ Field Medic, “Simply Obsessed” — Today brought the release of “Surrender Instead,” the new album from Kevin Patrick Sullivan’s solo project Field Medic. The most recent single, “Simply Obsessed” (the follow-up to “Castle Peaks” and “Melancholy”) is particularly captivating — it’s simply a buoyant love song. Live Nov. 8 at the Fonda.

■ Niia, “Throw My Head Out the Window” — The rapturous “Throw My Head Out the Window” is latest single from Niia’s forthcoming album “V,” out Oct. 10 and co-produced with Spencer Zahn and Lawrence Rothman.

■ Mehro, “Sepia Tones” — Mehro has announced the Sept. 9 arrival of the new album “Weirdthrob.” The ethereal-voiced songwriter has realized his confessionals in multiple genres since he emerged out of Manhattan Beach in 2020, but he hasn’t gone lo-fi very much, and that’s where you find “Sepia Tones,” his new single. “‘Sepia Tones’ was written in the back alley of the Regent Theater about one hour before I stepped on stage for an Elliott Smith tribute concert on Aug. 6th, 2024,” Mehro says. “The song came pouring out, like dirty water from a rusty pipe. There is no doubt in my mind that that night, with more than a thousand people gathered to celebrate the artist’s life, I experienced something necromantic. It resonated so deeply with me, that it felt like a gift. Live Sept. 6 at the Teragram Ballroom.

■ Lydia Night, “The Bomb” — Tic, tic, tic … The clock has run out for those waiting for Lydia Night’s debut solo album, “Parody of Pleasure.” It’s out today, featuring singles “Gutter,” “Pity Party” and “The Hearse.” Here’s the video for “The Bomb,” and here’s the L.A. live date: Aug. 13 at the Echo. Also: Dec. 6 at the Bellwether, supporting the Aces.

■ KennyHoopla, “Orphan//” — Indie-rocker and lover of slashes KennyHoopla has announced the Sept. 19 arrival of a new EP, “Conditions of an Orphan//,” and the first single, “Orphan//” will appeal to anybody who liked the propulsive indie of the Aughts. The EP features production from Paramore’s Zac Farro and Mike Elizondo (Turnstile, 50 Cent).

■ Chalk Talk, “What Do You Want” — Produced with Austin Burns, “Sun Lies Heavy” is the new album from Chalk Talk, released last month via Graveface Records as a follow-up to the group’s 2022 LP, “Sometimes I Call You.”

■ Steel Wool, “Pressed Flat” — L.A. shoegaze quartet Steel Wool (Sean Lissner, Jaden Amjadi, Evan Landi and Sam Schlesinger) released their self-titled EP in April, and now they return, all of sound as daunting as ever, with “Pressed Flat.” The single arrived with the B-side “I Should Forget” (feat. Irene).

■ Baba Jenkins, “Captivating” — Baba Jenkins’ bluesy, riffy classic rock is the work on Rone Warthen Jr., Guy Keefer, Joshua Young and Ekko Gaha. The aptly titled “Captivating” is their latest single. Live Aug. 13 at Hotel Ziggy, along with Jim Camacho, Mallory Warman, Tanja and Raniya Noiseux.

■ Tim Carr, “Alone Playing Piano” — Tim Carr has made a name for himself as both a drummer (Perfume Genius, Hand Habits, Fell Runner) and producer, and his solo releases have been sporadic since he released his debut album, “The Last Day of Fighting,” in 2016. On Aug. 29, he’ll release a new full-length, “Pleasure Drives,” which from three singles so far promises to be nuanced, textured and captivating. “‘Alone Playing Piano’ is a song on creativity, intimacy and the passage of time,” Carr says of the latest release. “It’s a song about what we reveal, what we hold back, and evokes a sense of timeless searching.”

■ Bad Suns, “Back to Zero” — Friendly reminder that “Accelerator,” Bad Suns’ fifth full-length, is out today. It’s unapologetically upbeat dance-pop. Says frontman Christo Bowman: “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.” Live Oct. 17 at the Belasco.

■ CAPYAC, “I Won’t Ever Leave You Behind” — Need a shot of mood-altering synths straight to the vein? Try CAPYAC’s latest single, “I Won’t Ever Leave You Behind,” the follow-up to “Keep Me Close, Pt. II.”

■ Alexandra John, “Fancy” — Following “Me & You,” indie-pop duo Alexandra John release, “Fancy,” a throwback R&B single that will get you on the dance floor like it’s 1999. The band says: “I think people will have a great time with the song while being able to sing it with their special someone.”

■ The Undercover Dream Lovers, “Cookin’ in the Sun” — We pause this playlist for a weather report: Matt Koenig, aka the Undercover Dream Lovers, is “Cookin’ in the Sun.” As the video shows, you could fry an egg on … what?

■ Beauty School Dropout, “Two Of Us” — “Two Of Us” is the fourth single from Beauty School Dropout’s debut LP “Where Did All The Butterflies Go?,” out Sept. 5. The band says: “”Two Of Us” is a love song (or lack thereof) that’s meant to be equally as heavy-hearted as it is a journey of banging synths, whaling guitars and pulsing dynamics.” The band performs for a group of dancing girls in the rain in the music video here. Live Oct. 24 at the Wiltern.

■ Night Talks, “Targets” (feat. Cory Wong) — Night Talks fold their bold energy into the bouncy new single “Targets,” accented by the guitar work of Cory Wong of Vulpeck. Live Dec. 10 at the Fonda, supporting Couch.

■ Origami Ghosts, “Washboard Mind” — Friendly reminder that Origami Ghosts today released their new album, “A Fine Time to Talk About Nothing,” a record that turns weighty existential moments into jangling, folky, twee garage-pop fun. Check out “Heaven’s Gate” and “Virtual Reality Boy,” and catch Origami Ghosts on Aug. 23 at the Harmony Room in Eagle Rock.

■ Lindsey Rose Black, “Cunt Honey” — File under choruses we wish we’d written: “You can’t take the cunt honey / out of country.” It’s a winner as the punchline of Lindsey Rose Black’s new single, co-produced with John Velasquez and Ella Vos and featuring Local Natives’ Matthew Frazier on drums. Says the songwriter: “I wrote this song on my period and about my period! You’re welcome.” Live Saturday at the Lyric Hyperion Theater.

■ Jeremy Toback, “Rocket” — Songwriter Jeremy Toback’s career dates back to college bands in the ’80s and a mid-’90s gig playing bass in the Stone Gossard-led Seattle band Brad. Last week he released a solo EP, “Rocket,” the title track of which features guitarist Joel Graves (Everest and Toback’s old bandmate in Chop Love Carry Fire), drummer Dan Bailey (Father John Misty) and keyboardist Greg Cortez.

■ Ety, Sun Soaked” — “Sun Soaked” is from “Sea Legs,” the debut album from Atlanta native Etyana Leigh, aka Ety. File under: dreamy R&B.

■ Sean Fleming, “Summer People” — Featuring tasty pedal steel from Nashville’s Dakota Holden, “Summer People” is the third slice of feel-good Americana this year from Seam Fleming.

■ Eve Adams, “Get Your Hopes Up” — Hailing from Joshua Tree, singer-songwriter Eve Adams releases “Get Your Hopes Up,” an old-fashioned love song from her new album “American Dust,” out Aug. 22 via Basin Rock. Adams says: “It’s a gentle dare to feel something again.”

■ David Franklin Courtright, “Your Kiss Is Something” — Friendly reminder that L.A.-based, Atlanta-reared David Franklin Courtright today released his debut album, aptly titled “Brutal Tenderness.” Angel Olsen sings on the album closer, “In a Tangerine Light.”

■ Almost Monday, “Enjoy The Ride” — Indie-pop trio Almost Monday drops “Enjoy The Ride,” their first single of 2025, via Hollywood Records. “Enjoy The Ride” is a groovy track with a funky bass line and retro radio vocal effects. Vocalist Dawson Daugherty says: “”Enjoy The Ride” is a song about anxiety and trying to confront the things you fear.” Check out the very colorful music video here.

■ Collapsing Scenery, “Magic Button” — “Magic Button” is a genre-blending jam from experimental synthwave duo Collapsing Scenery and the lead single from their new album “Stand Up Tragedy,” out Sept. 5 on Metropolitan Indian. The band says: “Pressing the magic button’ is old CIA slang for assassination. This is a song about unintended consequences, blowback and imperial hubris.” Watch the shocking vaudeville inspired music video featuring cartoon characters à la “Cool World” here.

■ Dan Sindel, “Freedom” — Dan Sindel is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who spent some time in L.A.’s ’80s hair metal scene. “Freedom” is an explosive hard-rock stand-alone single that flaunts a gnarly guitar solo.

■ Swimming Bell, “The Golden Age” — As is our habit, we’ll wrap this week’s playlist with a cover: Katie Schottland in May released her latest Swimming Bell EP, “Somnia,” and now she’s back with her version of “The Golden Age,” the lead track on Beck’s 2002 album “Sea Change.” “‘Sea Change’ has always been one of my favorite albums,” she says. “I love the production so much. I’ve wanted to cover ‘The Golden Age’ for a long time, and when my pedal steel and keyboard players lit up at the idea too, it felt right. Rob Schnapf produced this version, and we kept it minimal and open, letting the song unfold naturally.”