Kevin Bronson on September 12th, 2025

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As we did last Friday, we begin this week’s playlist with a song that is not on the playlist.

Julia, Julia is the solo project of Julia Kugel of the Coathangers (and Soft Palms, the duo with her husband Scott Montoya). Kugel’s solo music is invitingly unvarnished and burns with a quiet intensity — both qualities are on display on Julia, Julia’s new album “Sugaring a Strawberry,” out this week. Check out the videos for “Feeling Lucky” and “Bound,” or stream them below.

Now for our regularly scheduled playlist: Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 355) features new music from Cold War Kids, Jay Som, Together Pangea, Sudan Archives, Gold Anchor, Mehro, Madison Cunningham, Mitch Rowland, BEL, Kid Bloom, Ramonda Hammer, The Active Set, Militarie Gun, Ari Herstand, C.Y.M., Electric Guest, Sweet Nobody and many more.

Catch up with recent playlists here.

Note: Anita Mills contributed to this roundup.

■ Jay Som, “What You Need” — Melina Duterte’s first Jay Som album in six years, “Belong,” arrives Oct. 10, and the new single “What You Need” was crafted with songwriter-producer Joao Gonzalez (Soft Glas). “Joao created and sent me the basic skeleton for ‘What You Need’ a couple hours before the fires in L.A. started,” Duterte says. “I remember feeling immediately drawn to it, but the uncertainty and danger we were about to face crept up, pulling our focus elsewhere. We eventually revisited the demo a month later, after witnessing how the people of L.A. came together in its darkest moments — it felt necessary and only right to create this song with friends.” The song follows the release of “Cards on the Table” (feat. Mini Trees) and “Float” (feat. Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World). Live Nov. 23 at the El Rey Theatre.

■ Mitch Rowland, “One In One Out” — Friendly matter that Mitch Rowland’s sophomore album, “Whistling Pie,” is out today. The Ohio native’s story is pretty wonderful — from slinging pizzas in L.A. to becoming Harry Styles’ guitarist to making the new record in the English countryside (with Rob Schnapf, who produced his 2023 solo debut). The music is even better.

■ Mehro, “Sewers” — This week also brought the release of “Weirdthrob,” the new album from Mehro (Sam Sturges). Besides Mehro’s pristine vocals, the thread in the genre-spanning, dynamic-shifting nine tracks is the songwriter’s vivid, visceral conveyance of despair, love and emotions in between.

■ Madison Cunningham, “Wake” (feat. Fleet Foxes) — Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes guests on “Wake,” the second single (and follow-up to “My Full Name”) from Madison Cunningham’s new album “Ace,” out Oct. 10. “Fleet Foxes’ melodies and songs have inspired me for as long as I can remember,” Cunningham says. “I feel quite lucky to have been able to experience his genius up close.” Live Oct. 9 at Largo at the Coronet and Jan. 28 at the Bellwether.

■ C.Y.M., “Life of Mine” (feat. Day Wave) — C.Y.M. is the collaboration between Scott Baio (the Vampire Weekend bassist who has released three solo albums as Baio) and British producer/DJ Michael Greene (Fort Romeau). The duo’s self-titled album is out Oct. 17, and it features guest appearances from Cherry Glazerr (on “Give Me One Night”) and Day Wave on “Life of Mine.”

■ Kid Bloom, “Feel Like Forever” — What’s a little yacht rock between friends? “Feel Like Forever” is the first single from Kid Bloom (Lennon Kloser) in more than a year, and the first taste of the new Kid Bloom LP planned for next year. That’s Toto’s David Paich on keyboards.

■ BEL, “Holy Grail” — Rising indie-pop songstress BEL (Isabel Whelan) has pulled back the curtain on “Holy Grail,” the title track of the album she’s releasing Oct. 17. Live Oct. 16 at the Moroccan Lounge.

■ Cold War Kids, “Hyperempathy” — “Right now, our leaders say that empathy is useless — a weakness,” songwriter Nathan Willett of Cold War Kids says of the new single “Hyperempathy.” “If we want to live in a world where power is everything, then it’s true. But if we want to live in a world that loves, then we need to feel the pain all around us. This is not for the faint of heart.”

■ Electric Guest, “The Love on High” — As a follow up to “1 Player Game,” “The Love on High” is an emotionally driven song from Electric Guest’s forthcoming album “10k,” dropping Oct. 10. Watch the music video featuring family and friends here. Live Nov. 6 at the Regent, as well as Dec. 14 at the Constellation Room.

■ Boyish, “Prom” — Preceded by singles such as “Jumbos” and “Big,” Boyish’s new album “Gun” arrived today. “Prom” (see director Ben Turok’s video here) is the release-week single as the duo of India Shore and Claire Altendahl conjure up an album with dramatic mood swings and dynamic shifts. “This album is a love story set in a small town in America,” the duo told Wonderland. “We were trying to think of what to call the town our story takes place in, and asked ourselves, ‘What’s the most American name you can think of?’ The answer was pretty easy. We wanted it to run like a play, where if there’s a gun on the wall at the beginning of a play, by the end of it, it has to go off.”

■ Together Pangea, “Like a Father” — With the release of the taut rocker “Like a Father,” Together Pangea announces the Jan. 16 arrival of a new album, “Eat Myself,” made with Grammy-winning producer Mikey Freedom Hart. Live Jan. 16 at the Teragram Ballroom.

■ Sweet Nobody, “Revenge” — It’s been four years since Long Beach quartet Sweet Nobody (Joy Deyo, Brian Dishon, Casey Snyder and Adam Nolan) released their sophomore album “We’re Trying Our Best.” (A short-n-sweet tribute to Joanna Newsom was released last year.) They’re back this week with the Wolfy-produced single “Revenge,” the kind of winsome winner you’d have heard on college radio when college radio stirred the drink.

■ Sudan Archives, “Come And Find You” — Sudan Archives has released “Come And Find You,” an Afro-pop track featuring some ripping on her signature instrument, the violin. The track is from her upcoming album “The BPM,” out Oct. 17 via Stones Throw. Live Nov. 7 at the Lodge Room for the Lodge Room Festival.

■ Ari Herstand, “Change the Course” — The sound is ’70s soul, the topic is ripped from today’s headlines. “Change the Course,” songwriter/author/podcaster Ari Herstand says, was written “after seeing my immigrant neighbors here in L.A. being disappeared off the streets by masked men and thrown into unmarked vans being sent to god knows where. Having my heart broken watching as a child got ripped away from their mother’s arms while she screamed in agony and got thrown into a van. Frustrated hearing my Lyft driver tell me that he had already been pulled over twice that day by masked men not in any kind of uniform demanding his papers. And broken up watching the violent kidnapping of day laborers looking for work at the Home Depot down the street from where I live. … I was still so torn up, feeling at a loss for what to do to help my community. Whenever I’m feeling paralyzed with angst, pain and fear I turn to the only reliable outlet that has served me consistently throughout my life: songwriting. I got together with my writing partner, Brett Nolan, and we wrote this song.”

■ Niia, “F*cking Happy” — “F*cking Happy” is the newest single from alt-jazz extraordinaire Niia (Niia Bertino), following “Throw My Head Out The Window,” from her fifth album “V,” dropping Oct. 10 via Candid Records. Niia says: “The vocal sits just behind the beat, slightly too calm, while the chord choices flirt with jazz complexity without falling into old habits—like cracking jokes at a funeral in 5/4 time.” Watch the alluring music video here.

■ Alex Bloom, “Across the Country” — “Across the Country” (video) is the title track of Alex Bloom’s third full-length, out today. A volume of evocative, autobiographical indie-folk, the album finds its power in nuance.

■ Gold Anchor, “Summer Rain” — L.A. duo Gold Anchor continue to roll out songs from their forthcoming album, “The Space Within.” “Summer Rain” is the third single this year from Laura Conn and Marcos Beltran, and this one’s for the moment the lightning and thunder have passed yet a steady, cleansing rain continues to fall.

■ Militarie Gun, “Throw Me Away” — “Throw Me Away” follows “B A D I D E A” as the latest single from “God Save the Gun,” the new album from rock quintet Militarie Gun, out Oct. 17. Live Sept. 7 at the Garden Amp and Oct. 16 at the Palladium (opening for the Sex Pistols).

■ Ramonda Hammer, “Hush Money” — Ramonda Hammer has an EP titled “Wake Up, Place Nice” on the way, and, seat belts fastened and ear plugs handy, here’s “Hush Money.” It’s a typically thunderous track from the band that hasn’t released an album since 2019 but has rekindled the flame with three new singles this year.

■ Cil, “Something Like This” — Cil (Cecilia Webber) is a 23-year-old who grew up in a big family in Fort Collins, Colo., and moved to L.A. when she was 18. After some ups and downs common to those trying to get a foot in industry’s door, she signed to Warner Records and found success with the 2023 singles “Bloodsucker” and “One More Shot.” Earlier this year she released the EP, “Don’t Hold Me Accountable,” and now follows it up with “Something Like This,” a song co-written by Mike Sabath and Tayla Parx that is gospel-pop on steroids. Live, supporting Dua Lipa, on Oct. 4, 5, 7 and 8 at the Kia Forum.

■ Zack King, “Rom-Com” — The title of pop-punk artist Zack King’s new album is “Songs I Wrote Instead of Texting You,” and the LP’s most biting moments come when he tackles personal communication and mental health in today’s world. Also, see the first installment of “Emo Explanations.”

■ The Active Set, “Bullets” — “Please don’t blame it on my gun / When my protest song is sung,” Matthew Stolarz sings on the new Active Set single released today, “Bullets.” (“Uncomfortably appropriate timing on this one,” he said on social media.)

■ Sophia Center, “Decade” — The follow-up to “Somewhere,” “Decade” is the final single from Sophia Center’s forthcoming debut EP “The Kids’ Table,” out Oct. 10. Center says: “It felt like the perfect goodbye to my time at the kids’ table.” Watch Center say a fiery goodbye to the kids’ table (literally) in the music video here.

■ Dream Bodies, “Limerence” — “Limerence” is the latest post-punk offering from Steven Fleet’s solo project Dream Bodies.

■ LUCKYANDLOVE, “Lonely at Night” — On Oct. 31, synth duo LUCKYANDLOVE (Loren Luck and April Love) will release their new album, “Humaura.” Their penchant for dark, cinematic pop shines on the LP’s first two singles, “Lonely at Night” and “I Am Human.” Live Oct. 11 at the Slipperclutch in DTLA.

■ Your Favorite Color, “Heaven Knows” — A year since the release of their debut album, “For You,” Huntington Beach quintet Your Favorite Color continue to churn out the singles. “Heaven Knows” is their latest dark-pop missive.

■ Caroline Kingsbury, “Pain + Pleasure” — Following “Chocolate,” ultra-extra pop artist Caroline Kingsbury returns with “Pain + Pleasure,” a raw piano ballad from her upcoming EP “Shock Treatment,” due Sept. 26. Live Oct. 15 at the Echoplex.

■ Rose’s Pawn Shop, “Darken My Door” — Roots-rockers Rose’s Pawn Shop have announced that their new album, “American Seams,” will be out in early 2026, and true to their spirit they’ve released a new four minutes of fiddle fury, “Darken My Door.”

■ Natalie Del Carmen, “El Cortez” — Americana siren Natalie Del Carmen’s first single in a year, “El Cortez,” introduces the Valley native’s forthcoming sophomore album, “Pastures.” Live Sept. 19 at Mixed Musicians.

■ New Balance, “Lemon Slice” — “Lemon Slice,” an eccentrically moody guitar track, is the first single from the album “To Live And Die In LA,” by alt-rockers New Balance (Jeremy Leasure, Jacob Maag, Emily Monnig, Dawson Timpany and Andy Campbell,) slated for release spring 2026.

■ Sullvn, “The Impression That I Get” — We’ll wrap this playlist with a cover … Who misses the Mighty Mighty Bosstones? Here’s San Diego 10-piece Sullvn doing their 1997 hit.