Kevin Bronson on August 15th, 2025

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Happy Echo Park Rising weekend. See the program here.

And here’s Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 351), featuring music from Chrissy, Militarie Gun, Steve Lacy, Madison Cunningham, Small Forward, Boyish, Betty Who, Grandson, Electric Guest, Shaki Tavi, The Favors, Miya Folick, Inner Wave, Jonny Fritz, Los Retros and more.

Also: Our favorite song title (if not favorite song) of the week is “How Does Anyone Get Anything Done When They’re In Love?,” from Heaven Proper (the solo project of Lexie Papilion, ex-Bloodboy) and find it here because it ain’t on Spotify.

Catch up on our recent playlists here.

Note: Anita Wills contributed to today’s roundup.

■ Boyish, “Big” — The follow-up to “Jumbos” (as in Clown Room), the aptly titled “Big” arrives from the duo Boyish (India Shore and Claire Altendahl) along with the news that their new album, “Gun,” will be out Sept. 12. Produced by Loren Humphrey, it’s the duo’s third LP and first since 2020. Live Oct. 22 at the Troubadour.

■ Shaki Tavi, “Infinity Trim” — Friendly reminder that today brought the release of “Minor Slip,” the new album from Leon Manson’s solo project Shaki Tavi and a tsunami of grandiose guitars and melody. “Infinity Trim” is one of those “wait-for-it” tracks — practice breathing for the first 55 seconds before it detonates. (See also: “Breaker” and “Foam.”) Live Nov. 13 at Zebulon, opening for No Joy.

■ Ronboy, “Disaster” (feat. Matt Berninger) — Ronboy’s gritty, agitated new single “Disaster” balances Julia Laws’ angsty vocals with the unmistakable baritone of Matt Berninger of the National. It’s the most powerful track to emerge from Ronboy, the solo project of Laws (who plays in Berninger’s band and on some tour dates has opens for his band as well). Laws also duetted with Berninger on the track “Silver Jeep” from his most recent album, “Get Sunk.” “Being hard on myself is usually a conversation I have within the privacy of my own mind,” says Laws, currently on a U.K./Europe tour supporting Berninger. “But now Matt is responding to my thoughts… publicly. It’s emotional in itself having him on this song.”

■ Steve Lacy, “Nice Shoes” — “Nice Shoes” is Steve Lacy’s first single since his acclaimed 2022 album, “Gemini Rights.” And yeah, that’s an interesting curveball he throws at the 2:07 mark.

■ Chrissy, “Sore” —  L.A.-based New Yorker Christina Brennan — dba Chrissy — will release a new, four-song EP, “Slight Turn” (here’s the title track, released last month) on Sept. 5. She’s moved the dial this year with the February release of her debut album, “Heaven Is in You,” and now this new collection of emotive confessionals. Of heartbreak-inspired new single “Sore,” she says: “This song is incredibly important to me, because it acknowledges that you can simultaneously be affected by your past and still love with an open heart.” Live Sept. 4 at El Cid.

■ Small Forward, “Hollywood Con” — We’ve been catching up with indie trio Small Forward, who released their debut album in 2020 but not a lot since, until earlier this year. To use a basketball expression since their band name demands we do so, Small Forward has decided to take it to the rack. “Hollywood Con” is their fourth single of 2025, loose and woozy and thoroughly likable. Even better, they have a new album, “Crush,” arriving Sept. 5. Our fave so far: “I Only Feel Love When It’s Missing.” Live Sept. 10 at Zebulon.

■ Madison Cunningham, “My Full Name” — The piano charmer “My Full Name” introduces Grammy winner Madison Cunningham’s third LP, “Ace,” out Oct. 10. “Love’s a kind of sorrow worth saving,” Cunningham sings on the new single, described as both a love letter and a farewell. The cycle of romance permeates “Ace,” falling out of love, having your heart broken and falling in love again. Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes guests on one track, and “Ace” was co-produced with Robbie Lackritz (Feist, Rilo Kiley, Bahamas, Peach Pit).

■ The Favors, “Times Square Jesus” — “Times Square Jesus” is the third single from “The Dream” (out Sept. 19), the first LP from the Finneas-Ashe collaboration they’re calling The Favors. “In Times Square and Hollywood, you have Jesus, the Naked Cowboy, Elmo, or whoever else you walk by and pay your respects to,” Finneas says of the single. “Even if you don’t live a religious life, you’re still confronted by religion. When you are, you can’t help but think about your own life, regrets, desires, or baggage. If the ‘Times Square Jesus’ told you to confess, you might think of the person you’re secretly in love with.” Also check out “The Hudson” and “The Little Mess You Made,” and see the duo perform Sept. 18 on the Fairbanks Lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

■ Los Retros, “Doves” — We have not heard from Mauri Tapia — aka Los Retros — since 2021’s EP “Looking Back.” Having been busy as a father of two, Tapia returns with his new stand-alone single “Doves,” in collaboration with Japanese singer Hikari, out via Stones Throw. Tapia says: “With this track, I aimed to emulate the iconic City Pop sound of the ’80s – a style that gives me great nostalgia and reminds me of my childhood.” Los Retros plays two sold-out shows at The Echoplex on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.

■ Jay Som, “Cards on the Table (feat. Mini Trees) — Mini Trees (Lexi Vega) joins Jay Som (Melina Duterte) on the wobbly but endearing electronic pop song “Cards on the Table,” the latest single from the first Jay Som album in six years, “Belong” (out Oct. 10). Here’s the video. Live Nov. 23 at the El Rey Theatre.

■ Betty Who, Fabulous” — “‘Fabulous’ is, in my opinion, one of my most fun songs to date,” Betty Who says of her new single. “After taking myself annoyingly seriously for over a decade, it feels nice to let loose and be silly. This song came out of me attending a very fancy, upscale Hollywood party where I felt totally out of place. Everyone was air-kissing and telling each other how fabulous they looked and I found myself just sort of … playing pretend. Like Sharpay Evans from ‘High School Musical’ took over my body and was telling famous actors how much I loved their movie (that I never saw). I went to the studio the day after and wrote ‘Fabulous.’ Reminding everybody, including myself, that sometimes all you can really do is fake it till you make it.” Live Aug. 30 at the Ford.

■ Militarie Gun, “B A D I D E A” — Breakout rockers Militarie Gun have announced the Oct. 17 arrival of their new album, “God Save the Gun.” Live Sept. 7 at the Garden Amp and Oct. 16 at the Palladium, on the latter date opening for the Sex Pistols.

■ Grandson, “God Is an Animal” — “It’s certainly a fitting concept for the present moment in time,” Jordan Benjamin, aka Grandson, says of the riff-heavy “God Is an Animal.” “After all, we live in a ruthless world, supposedly ‘civilized,’ where the dominating nations and religions scrapped their way to the top through the savage rule of the animal kingdom. We’re ultimately just apes, too smart (or stupid) for our own good.” It’s the latest taste of Grandson’s new album, “Inertia,” out Sept. 5.

■ Eastern Bleeds, “Hollywood and Highland” — Drawing from influences such as emo, indie-rock, pscyh-rock and post punk, Eastern Bleeds is a band formed by drummer Bob Penn (The Jealous Sound, Racquet Club) and now including guitarist Joe Rivera (Coco B’s, Black Swan Runners), singer Bill Kielty (O Zorn!, Who Rides the Tiger) and bassist Trent Steinbrugge (The Kite Eating Tree). This week brought the release of their debut album, “Lake Huron,” which is deep in stadium-ready soundscapes.

■ The Technicolors, “Alpha Alpha Alpha” — One last rager before the album release: “Alpha Alpha Alpha” pumps up the adrenaline for the release of the Technicolors new LP, “Heavy Pulp” (out Aug. 29). Live Aug. 29 at Zebulon.

■ Ashes and Diamonds, “On a Rocka” — Ashes and Diamonds are the all-star trio of Daniel Ash (Bauhaus, Love And Rockets, Tones on Tail), Bruce Smith (Public Image Ltd., the Pop Group) and Paul Spencer Denman (Sade, Sweetback). Cleopatra Records will release their debut album, “Ashes And Diamonds Are Forever,” on Oct. 31. The gritty “On a Rocka” is their debut single.

■ Girljockey, “Angela” — Following the potent singles “Young Man” and “Manhood,” Gillian Chamberlin dials in back (while remaining no less impactful) on “Angela,” the final single before the release of her Girljockey album on Aug. 30. Live Aug. 30 at SADE.

■ Child Seat, “Green Light” — Child Seat, the duo of Madeleine Mathews and Josiah Mazzaschi, are back wuth the caffeinated new single “Green Light,” the latest from their album “Hyperphantasia,” arriving in the new year.

■ Sophia Center, “Somewhere” — Singer-songwriter Sophia Center is back with her second single “Somewhere,” from her forthcoming debut EP “The Kids’ Table,” out Oct. 10. Following “Signals,” “Somewhere” is a delicate and melancholy guitar track about a failing friendship. Center says: “I wrote this song for the ex-best friends we planned matching tattoos with, and now just make painfully polite small talk instead.”

■ Electric Guest, “1 Player Game” — “1 Player Game” is a hiphop track with a hint of Souldies from indie-pop duo Electric Guest, off their upcoming album “10k,” dropping Oct. 10. Vocalist Asa Taccone says of the track that follows “Stand Back For You”: “This song probably should have been called 3 Player Game but it was from my perspective. There’s only so many lives you can live in one lifetime. It’s hard when you find love but you’re already in love.” Watch Taccone sing to a vintage mirror in the music video here.

■ Ana Luna, “Can We Pretend We Just Met at a Bar?” — As a follow-up to “Daddy’s Empire,” singer-songwriter Ana Luna shares “Can We Pretend We Just Met at a Bar,” a dark pop track. Luna says: “It’s about blurring the past and present in order to get to the truth and begin letting go.”

■ Ruby Sparks, “Pleasure” — As a follow-up to “Dreams,” “Pleasure” is the third single from Ruby Sparks’ debut album “Iris,” out Nov. 5, produced by Collin Desha (of Low Hum). Sternberg says: “Because of the way I was raised, joy was never an internal reward, but rather something that had to be earned. For that reason, I needed to go above and beyond and seek external validation to feel satisfaction or self-worth. It took years to unlearn these habits and redefine my relationship to ‘Pleasure’ which continues to be a work in progress.”

■ Miya Folick, “Elton John” — A deluxe edition of Miya Folick’s album “Erotica Veronica” will be released next Jan. 2, and “Elton John” is the first bonus track to be revealed from it. It’s dedicated to her late father, as she explains here.

■ Inner Wave, “Madre” — It’s been four years since indie-rock quintet Inner Wave (Pablo Sotelo, Eli Trujillo, Jean Pierre Narvaez, Jose Cruz, and Felix Holton) dropped their album “Apoptosis”. Now after a healthy time on the road touring, they return with a new single, “Madre,” a playful track with delicate vocal melodies.

■ Sabrina Sterling, “BYOB” — Friendly reminder that Sabrina Sterling’s debut EP “Ramona” is now out via Columbia Records. Sterling is a singer-songwriter originally from San Diego. “BYOB” is a guitar-driven track with a dark western feel and a woeful narrative. Watch Sabrina wear fake mustaches as she pretends to be several different people in a poker game in the music video here.

■ Angelsaur, “The Girls Are Stressed” — Friendly reminder that alt-rockers Angelsaur (Logan McQuade and Jonah Feingold) released their new album “The Girls Are Stressed” today. The band says: “It’s an album about growing through pain—and how honesty, even at its messiest, can lead to something unexpectedly beautiful.” For fans of the Flaming Lips, the title track is an unusual rock song with short but sweet punk breakdowns.

■ Gatlin,”Happy” — Following “Jesus Christ & Country Clubs,” singer-songwriter Gatlin releases “Happy,” a guitar-driven country song about navigating depression, from her debut album “The Eldest Daughter,” out Oct. 3 via Dualtone Records. Gatlin will play her new album in its entirety with a full band at In The Meantime on Sept. 17.

■ Jonny Fritz, “Debbie Downers” — Country music free spirit Jonny Fritz made a name for himself with the albums “Dad Country” (2013) and “Sweet Creep” (’16), as well as collaborating with other artists. Then, a few years ago, the songwriter with an outsized sense of humor pressed pause. “I think I kinda overdid it,” he says. “I worried that if I kept making music not only as my passion, but also as my paycheck, it was going to ruin it for me. I needed music to be kept pure and free from the burdens of economics.” He settled in Altadena and worked in real estate before the Muse revisited him. Now he has a new album, “Debbie Downers,” releasing Oct. 24. Actually, it’s “Debbie Downers” Part One, as Fritz intends to release four wildly different versions of the same record over the next year. So here’s the title track, a poke in the ribs (or stronger) at his MAGA relatives. Live Dec. 13 at Permanent Records Roadhouse.

■ Osmunda Music, “Spread the Love Around” — Osmunda Music is the solo project of Rebecca Trujillo Vest (who is also the lead singer of psych-folk outfit Space Babies and co-founder of the Earthstar Creation Center srudio in Venice). Today brings the release of Osmunda Music’s new EP, “Spread the Love Around,” a singularly sanguine collection of classic folk-rock/folk-pop. The songs were penned after she and her husband Michael lost their Pacific Palisades home in the January wildfires.