Kevin Bronson on October 3rd, 2025

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It’s a Bandcamp Friday, so in Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 358) we’ve included appropriate links where we could find them. Support, yeah?

Speaking of, there’s a compelling new Mynabirds song that isn’t on Spotify. “Good Medicine” is the second single from Laura Burhenn’s new Mynabirds album, “It’s Okay to Go Back If You Keep Moving Forward,” out Nov. 7. (Live Nov. 2 at Healing Force of the Universe in Pasadena).

Meanwhile, this edition of Greatest Hits features songs from Sweet Nobody, Rocket, Powder Pink & Sweet, Black Polish, Saint Motel, Jonny Fritz, Jordana, Tyler Ballgame, Kit Major, Badsoma, Empress Of, Miya Folick, Moondaddy, Blame My Youth and more … plus a double-dose of cover songs, from Banks and Photo Ops.

Note: Anita Wills contributed to today’s roundup.

■ Sweet Nobody, “I Don’t Know When I’ll See You Again” — Long Beach’s Sweet Nobody will release their third album, “Driving Off To Nowhere,” on Nov. 7. “I Don’t Know When I’ll See You Again” (video here) is the LP’s opening track and second single (following “Revenge”). With synths suggesting the ’80s and a sense of longing reminiscent of MUNA’s ballads, the Wolfy-produced tune gets Sweet Nobody’s new LP off to a swoon-worthy start.

■ Saint Motel, “Wait & See” — In February, L.A. quartet Saint Motel just released their fourth full-length, “Symphony in the Sky.” Then, the band says: “What started as a ‘maybe one or two bonus songs’ for ‘Symphony in the Sky’ spiraled into something far wilder: a whole new album. A second movement. A companion piece. A story that begins where the last left off.” That album, “Afterglow,” will be out Oct. 10, and “Wait & See” is the first single.

■ Rocket, “Number One Fan” — “R Is for Rocket,” the dynamic debut from L.A. quartet Rocket, arrived today in all its explosive glory. With a sound echoing ’90s alternative greats, the quartet (Alithea Tuttle, Desi Scaglione, Baron Rinzler, Cooper Ladomade) have crafted bombastic, bittersweet anthems for the Twenty-Twenties. Contrasting with singles such as “Another Second Chance,” “Act Like Your Title,” “Wide Awake” and “Crossing Fingers,” “Number One Fan” dials it back a bit. Live Oct. 7 at Amoeba Records (5 p.m.), as well as Nov. 22 at the Roxy.

■ Blame My Youth, “Not Alone” — Sean Van Fleet (ex-Empires) launched his solo project five years ago, and two EPs and a slew of singles later, he’s still doing his thing (which he hashtags as #MySpaceRock). Of his latest single, he says: “‘Not Alone’ is for the part of me that’s still petty and has a wounded ego. I haven’t felt that way in a while, but it’s still fun to channel that energy and write from that damaged perspective.”

■ Powder Pink & Sweet, “Raspberry Lime” — Shimmering on the dwindling heat waves of summer, “Raspberry Lime” is the new single from dream-pop outfit Powder Pink & Sweet.

■ Peel Dream Magazine, “Seek and Destroy” — This week brought the release of “Taurus,” the new mini-album from Peel Dream Magazine. Music for breathing. Live Dec. 4 at the new Sid the Cat Auditorium in South Pasadena.

■ Black Polish, “Lush” — Black Polish, the alternative rock project of Jayden Binnix, introduces sophomore album, “Yuna” (out Oct. 29), with heavy-duty single “Lush.” The song follows previously released album tracks “Bondage” and “Be With You.”

■ Thrice, “Distant Suns” — Friendly reminder that Thrice’s 12th album, “Horizons/West,” is out today. Live Nov. 23 and Nov. 25 at the House of Blues Anaheim.

■ Guppy, “Back to the Thing” — “Back to the Thing” is an indie ray of sunshine from the quartet Guppy and their first release since their third album, “Something Is Happening,” came out in mid-2024. Live Oct. 9 at the Moroccan Lounge.

■ Chris Chu, “Everything Reminds Me of You” — Friendly reminder that Chris Chu’s “Accidental Album” came out this week. It’s music that was crafted after the songwriter (POP ETC, The Morning Benders) was “Moving On” from a devastating bicycling injury that left him with a broken spine, brain trauma and facial injuries. It’s the spirit of prevailing.

■ Badsoma, “Coffee Pot” — Badsoma (Ana Michelle Leon, Armin Farshidfard, Braden Patrick Rosenstengel, Donald James Segien III, Kenzie Lynn Alvarado, Lindsey Elizabeth Hamilton) is a post-pandemic alt-rock sextet. Their self-titled EP drops Nov. 7. “Coffee Pot” is a brooding rock track featuring a howling violin via Big Mo. Watch the music video of found footage here.

■ Tyler Ballgame, “I Believe in Love” — Tyler Ballgame introduces his new album, “For the First Time, Again” (out Jan. 30) with the positively sanguine new single “I Believe in Love,” the follow-up to “Got a New Car.”

■ Real Bad Man & Genevieve Artadi, “Set It in Motion” — “Everything Is Under Control,” the album that sees onetime Pollyn bandmates Genevieve Artadi and Real Bad Man (Adam Jay Weissman) reuniting, is out today. Preceded by singles “Don’t Gotta Think About U” and “Little Claws,” it’s a dose of adrenaline composed of Real Bad Man’s liberating beats and Artadi’s bright vocals.

■ Jonny Fritz, “Hot Chicken Condos” — Musician, turned real estate agent, turned musician again (and probably Altadena’s funniest country-rockin’ dad) Jonny Fritz returns Oct. 24 with his first album in nine years, “Debbie Downers.” The follow-up to the title track, released in August, “Hot Chicken Condos” is a takedown of Nashville’s celebrity culture. “I love Nashville,” he says. “I lived there for a decade, but I think it all just got too L.A. for me … so I moved to Los Angeles. I watched all my favorite places in Nashville get torn down, then rebuilt and rebranded as hot-chicken-themed tourist traps.” Live Oct 25 at Pappy & Harriet’s (opening for Leslie Stevens) and Dec. 13 at Permanent Records Roadhouse (headlining).

■ Rosy Nolan, “Dead on the Vine” — The follow-up to “Get on Me,” “Dead on the Vine” is the latest from country songstress Rosy Nolan’s new album, “Main Attraction” (out Oct. 17).

■ The Westerns, “La Mirada” — Matthew Hart and Kit Pongetti are the Westerns, a country-pop duo originally from Texas. Their new album “Cowtown” drops Oct. 10. Hart says: “”Cowtown” is my emotional and geographical homecoming album — a love letter to Texas roots.” “La Mirada” is a synth-driven track featuring a vocal duet. The Westerns play The Deco on Oct. 10.

■ 84 Days, “Find Your Way Back Home” — 84 Days is the work of some guys who know their way around a punk song: Pennywise bassist Randy Bradbury and producer Cameron Webb, supplemented by No Doubt drummer Adrian Young and Vandals guitarist Warren Fitzgerald. They debuted the project with “Mockingbird Brains” (Eric Cannon’s video) in early September, and “Find Your Way Back Home” is the second single. The self-titled album “84 Days” is out Nov. 7 via Double Helix Records. Live Dec. 20 at House of Blues Anaheim, opening for the Vandals.

■ Kit Major, “Teenage Wannabe” — Pop-punk agitator Kit Major returns with her first single since last fall’s EP (“Love.Sick.Major”). “Teenage Wannabe” arrives with the artist’s typical old-school punk attitude. “It’s both a confession and a critique,” she says, “an observation of how easy it is to lose yourself when everything feels manufactured, and a reminder that identity can’t be pinned down.”

■ Agriculture, “My Garden” — “My Garden” is the shape-shifting ripper that opens “The Spiritual Sound” the sophomore album from dark metal quartet Agriculture. Live Dec. 5 at the Lodge Room.

■ Las Cruxes, “El Gran Rey Nada” — Las Cruxes is the East L.A. noise-rock project of Yaya Trujillo. Their new EP, “Este Vacio” (The Emptiness), will come out Oct. 31 via Conor Obert’s new label, Million Stars Records. The guitars “El Gran Rey Nada” sound like a thousand razor blades. As for the EP, Trujillo says it was “created in my living room after many nights of self-loathing and weird B-horror movies. Like all the recordings we’ve done there is always something unusual going on … witnessing an ICE raid the same night we recorded with a new drummer in Los Angeles comes to mind.”

■ Empress Of,”Blasting Through The Speakers” — Empress Of (Lorely Rodriguez) releases “Blasting Through The Speakers,” a tour kickoff single supporting her stretch with Lorde. Empress Of says: “After the fires in Altadena, I couldn’t make music for some time. I was afraid to go there. When I made this song, it felt like music was a friend I hadn’t talked to in a while, but was always there to pick up the phone.” The single artwork showcases Rodriguez sitting peacefully in the remains of her mother’s Altadena lot. Live Oct. 10 at the Kia Forum.

■ Almost Monday, “Lost” — Almost Monday drops “Lost,” a fun dance single following “Enjoy The Ride.” The band says: “It’s a song about escapism and finding yourself by leaving what you know behind and opening yourself to the possibilities of the future.” Watch the retro spy themed music video here. Almost Monday plays October 23 at the Palladium.

■ Jordana, “Like That” — “Like That” is a quirky pop song with a catchy chorus by Jordana (aka Jordana Nye), following “Still Do.” Her new EP “Jordanaland” drops November 7 via Grand Jury. Jordana says: “It’s a song about being totally encapsulated in someone, but at the same time, feeling as though they want you only for superficial reasons.” Watch Jordana dance around in a mansion in the music video here.

■ Mykel, “How Do You Know” — Mykel, aka Britney Mykel Pay, follows “Brace For Impact” with the dance track, “How Do You Know,” from her upcoming debut EP “Hometown Runaway,” due Nov. 7. Mykel says: “I wrote this tune in two hours with one of my best friends and longtime collaborator, Todd Tran.”

■ Maris, “Super F*cking Mega Star” — Maris releases the stand-alone single “Super F*cking Mega Star,” following “Give Me A Sign.” Maris says: “I’m admitting how much envy I feel toward people born into nepotism in Hollywood, the ones in designer clothes, Yankees hats, eating caviar, living in that crazy world. It’s my frustration with nepo babies who inherit the industry I’ve been fighting to break into, but it’s also me manifesting my own rise into a super f*cking mega star.” Live Oct. 15 at the Echo, with Caroline Kingsbury.

■ Hello Valkyrie, “Miles In The Dark” — Friendly reminder that pop-rock duo Hello Valkyrie’s new album “Manifesto” is now available for streaming. “Miles In The Dark” is a haunting rock ballad with bewitching vocals.

■ Miya Folick, “Mid July” — Miya Folick will release a deluxe version of her third album, “Erotica Veronica,” on Jan. 2. The follow-up to “Elton John,” “Mid July” is the next reveal from the release.

■ Worthitpurchase, “Something New” — The duo of Omar Akrouche and Nicole Rowe, dba Worthitpurchase, today released their self-titled album. It’s a truly fascinating listen while you contemplate the line: “LA love is a dodecahedron.”

■ Moondaddy, “Great Expansion” — San Diego dream-pop quartet Moondaddy will release their sophomore album, “Dove Tapes,” on Oct. 31.

■ MacGregor Burns, “Kids These Days” — “It’s about drifting, both away from the past and toward something unknown,” songwriter MacGregor Burns says of his new charmingly left-field new single, “Kids These Days.” Burns’ album, “My Corner,” will be out in early 2026.

■ Banks, “Teardrop” — As is our habit, we’ll wrap this week’s playlist with a cover song … although there have been so many nice covers in recent weeks, we’re going to double the pleasure. First: Banks has re-imagined Massive Attack’s “Teardrop.”

■ Photo Ops, “Valerie” — Last month, Photo Ops (Terry Price) release an entire album of covers, “Opening Up to Strangers,” which marries Price’s interesting song choices with the distinctive dream-folk production of Photo Ops (and Patrick Damphier). Tom Petty, Morrissey, Madonna, Beethoven (!), Billy Joel … and, here, Steve Winwood.