Kevin Bronson on October 31st, 2025

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Here’s another loaded playlist: Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 362), featuring new music from Giant Drag, Slothrust, Michelle Núñez, Holy Wars, WARFIELD, Inner Wave, Jessie Payo, Tim Heidecker, Alain Whyte, Witch Cabin, Lucy Clearwater, Boy Deluxe, Hidden Fortress and more. Notably, we’ve included selections from just-released albums by the likes of Sharon Silva, Doe Paoro, Shlohmo, Andrew Stogel, My Violence and more. It’s a lot of a lot. Dig in.

Don’t sleep on our past playlists and their liner notes, which you can find here.

Note: Anita Wills contributed to today’s roundup.

■ Giant Drag, “SBHG (Ava’s Theme)” — Twenty years after the Giant Drag album “Hearts & Unicorns” made Annie Hardy a must-see talent (propelling the band to a Coachella appearance in ’06), she’s back. “SBHG (Ava’s Theme)” is the first single from Giant Drag’s second comeback (Hardy issued the LP “Waking Up Is Hard to Do” in 2013). The new single derives from a batch of songs Hardy recorded with Jamie Reynolds (of Klaxons) producing.

■ Hidden Fortress, “Cancel My Funeral” — Hidden Fortress is the musical vehicle of director/cinematographer Jeremiah Hammerling, whose outer-space synth-pop was introduced in 2024 with the EP “Copilot.” “Hidden Fortress,” the self-titled debut album, arrives Nov. 21 via Lean-To Records, and fans of MGMT will want to lend an ear to “Cancel My Funeral,” co-written and produced by Kyle McCammon (Lean, PLUS).

■ Michelle Núñez, “I’m Fine, I’m Okay” — Michelle Núñez is an Afro-Dominican actor, musician and poet who released the first of three singles earlier this year. She puts on a brave face on “I’m Fine, I’m Okay,” which like previous singles “California, Home” and “Making the Most of It” was co-written and produced by Yoosuf Blake. The charisma and confessional heft are all Núñez’s.

■ Inner Wave, “Child” — Indie-rock quintet Inner Wave (Pablo Sotelo, Jean Pierre Narvaez, Elijah Trujillo, Jose Cruz, Felix Holton) continue their return from a four-year hiatus with “Child,” the third single from their forthcoming album “See You When I Get Back,” dropping Feb. 27. Watch the music video directed by Pablo Sotelo here.

■ Sharon Silva, “People to Please” — Sharon Silva (ex-Wild Reeds) titled her debut album ever-so-self-deprecatingly: “Underachiever.” That’s overly humble, as “Underchiever” not only displays some heart-melting folk-rock but boasts an impressive roster of L.A. collaborators. Ryan Pollie produced most of the album (Marshall Vore is credited on two tracks and Cody Ackors one), and Christian Lee Hutson, Thomas Berg, Harrison Whitford and Nik Freitas are among the players. Smile awhile to director Tommy Garber’s video for “People to Please.” Live Feb. 17 at Gold-Diggers, opening for David Ramirez.

■ Bennett Coast, “Allison” — Friendly reminder Bennett Christensen, aka Bennett Coast, has released his second EP, “Fashion for the Mourning.” Reminds me of Matt Pond PA, which it says here is a very good thing.

■ Doe Paoro, “Forgiveness Is” — “Forgiveness is the path back to the light / Forgiveness is the path back to the divine / Forgive us for our past, when we were blind / Forgiveness gets us to the other side.” So goes Doe Paoro’s single “Forgiveness Is” (Laura Burhenn’s live video), and for that matter much of her new prayerful album, “Living Through Collapse.” It’s an LP you just wanna crawl inside to heal.

■ Alain Whyte, “Social Media” — For the third consecutive week, Alain Whyte has released a new single. The always topical “Social Media” follows last week’s “Run” and “Baby I’m Strange” in Whyte’s batch of singles. An album is on the way.

■ Jessie Payo, “Bird on the Fence” — It’s been a while, and Jessie Payo knows it. “Bird on the Fence” is desert-dwelling singer-songwriter’s first single since 2023, and officially snaps the writer’s block she explains here. Here’s to snapping out of writer’s blocks.

■ Oh Darling, “Growing Up” — Portland/L.A. indie-pop quartet Oh Darling are back with their first single in five years, “Growing Up,” a tune that lives in the space between “California stars” and “CAlifornia scars.”

■ The Two Lips, “If You Said” — the follow-up to “Play” and “Clue,” the airy “If You Said” is the latest from Coachella 2026-bound, Cerritos-bred indie-pop duo the Two Lips. With the release came the news that the duo will release a new EP, “Girl, C’mon,” on Nov. 7. Live Nov. 22 at the Glass House on Day 1 of Viva! Pomona (two-day passes here).

■ Slothrust, “Midnight Slay” — Friendly reminder that Slothrust (Leah Wellbaum and Will Gorin) have released their new EP, “Wildcard.” “Midnight Slay” is eccentric rock song with an electric guitar-driven chorus. Watch Slothrust haunt themselves in the music video here.

■ Andrew Stogel, “Miserable” — It’s easy to survey the daily calamity in America and see decay. Profilic songwriter Andrew Stogel has, and titled his second album of 2025 “American Miserable.” Following June’s “Diabolica,” it’s the second LP he has issued under his own name and, counting his work as War Strings, the his fifth full-length in the past 2 1/2 years. A little bit Lou Reed, a little bit Nick Cave, a little bit dark post-punk, “American Miserable” is an uneven yet enthralling listen that at every turn seems to say, “what a mess we’ve made.”

■ Boy Deluxe, “I Found God” — The duo of Hope S and True Murra, leading you across dark dancefloors as Boy Deluxe, return with the new single “I Found God,” the their second release since this summer’s EP, “From Black Sheep to Icon.”

■ Shlohmo, “Fistful of Dirt” — Also out today: “Repulsor,” the first album from Shlohmo (Henry Laufer) since 2019. He introduced the album in September with “Chore Boy,” which previewed the gripping soundscapes that permate “Repulsor.” Live Dec. 11 and Dec. 12 at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever.

■ Holy Wars, “Metamorphosis” — L.A. duo Holy Wars (Kat Leon and Nicolas Perez) continue to refine their industrial/nu-metal dispatches, each arriving like a roundhouse punch. “Metamorphosis” (here’s the video) is their third single of 2025. Live Nov. 21 at Pico Union Project.

■ WARFIELD, “Only Shadows” — After issuing the standalone single “Black Halloween” earlier this month, Justin Warfield (She Wants Revenge) has resuming rolling out tunes for his series of EPs. The dark, pulsing post-punk jam “Only Shadows” will appear on “Deathrock Devotionals, Vol. II,” arriving Nov. 14.

■ PIAO, “Just a Girl” — Shanghai-born, L.A.-based multi-instrumentalist PIAO (Piao Piao Huang) is Berklee grad who recently got a visibility boost by being selected for the Gibson Artist Spotlight program. On the heels of her forward-thinking 2024 EP “IMYSM,” PIAO this week released “Just a Girl,” a collaboration with 88rising and Stephanie Poetri.

■ Witch Cabin, “Lifelike” — Witch Cabin is the new solo vehicle for songwriter Tracy Marcellino, the project having been named for the the hideaway where she wrote the songs. “Lifelike” is the introductory single, but Marcellino’s roots in left-field synth-pop go way back: She was the lead singer in the Bay Area-bred band Twilight Sleep and later teamed up with the band’s bassist and all-around sound wizard Hanford Pittman in a project called Oh Boy Les Mecs.

■ Niia, “Pianos and Great Danes” — Friendly reminder that Niia’s fifth album, “V,” is now available. “Pianos and Great Danes” is a fast-paced experimental piano-driven song, following “F*cking Happy.” Watch Niia explore empty rooms while looking ghoulishly glamorous in the music video here.

■ Crash Richard, “Fool Moon (Cruised)” (feat. PWNT) — Chris Richard, aka Crash Richard (The Deadly Syndrome, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros), will release a new solo album, “Sensitive Devil,” on Nov. 28. This month he released two beguiling new singles from the full-length; “Fool Moon” features Kosta Galanopoulos, aka PWNT (Play What’s Not There).

■ Lucy Clearwater, “Hold On Me” (With Hayden Everett) — Folk singer-songwriter Lucy Clearwater is rolling out singles that will appear on her debut album, which is produced by Grammy winner Tyler Chester and features appearances from the likes of Sean Watkins and Sara Watkins, Madison Cunningham and Harrison Whitford (guitarist for Phoebe Bridgers, Boygenius), among others. Hayden Everett teams up with Clearwater on the lilting duet “Hold On Me.” Stay tuned for more. Live Feb. 19 at Pappy & Harriet’s and Feb. 20 at the Peppermint Club, both opening for Joe Pug.

■ Harmless, “Swing Lynn” — Harmless is the solo project of Mexican-American songwriter Nacho Cano, who previously released music under the name Twin Cabins. Harmless’s album “By Them, By You, By Me,” released earlier this fall, features limber, likable dream-pop (see “What’s Another Year?”) that recalls any number of DIY from the ’90s ascent of kiindie-pop. Live Dec. 6 at Makeout Music.

■ Adriana McCassim, “Rust” — A little bit homesick, a little bit heartbroken: North Carolina native Adriana McCassim is back with her first single since last year, the Spencer Hoffman-produced “Rust.”

■ Tim Heidecker, “Alone Until I’m Home” — Tim Heidecker’s “Alone Until I’m Home” will appear on the charity compilation “Passages: Artists in Solidarity with Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers,” out Dec. 5. The album boasts originals from Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never), Dirty Projectors, Benjamin Booker, Alan Sparhawk, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Y La Bamba, William Tyler, Lambchop, Lonnie Holley, St. Panther and more.

■ Moondaddy, “Bystander” — Today also brought the release of “Dove Tapes,” the new album from San Diego dream-pop outfit Moondaddy (Cara Potiker, Gabriel Poissant, Patrick Heaney and Rob Wren.

■ The Active Set, “The I in Infidelity” — “The I in Infidelity” is the third single of 2025 from long-running indie-rockers the Active Set, and as confessionals go, it’s about as blunt as it gets.

■ Flames Of Durga, “Spirit Guide” — Rock trio Flame’s Of Durga (Béah and Cecilia Romero, Nate Million) unleash their first single since fall 2024, “Spirit Guide,” produced by Alex Newport. Guitarist/vocalist Béah Romero says: “It’s a song about moving through darkness and calling on something greater to guide you through.” The music video features artwork by Cecilia Romero, animated by Michael Wielock.

■ LUCKYANDLOVE, “The Secret Is Out” — “The Secret Is Out” is the third single from gothic synthpop duo LUCKYANDLOVE, following “Lonely At Night.” The track plays like is a dark psychedelic trip, and it appears on their new album “Humaura,” out this week. Watch the macabre couple rock out in the music video here.

■ My Violence, “Isabella Rossellini” — Friendly reminder that “Monday’s Girl,” the sophomore album from My Violence, is out today. Produced by Marlon Rabenreither (Gold Star), Vienna native Silvia Ryder engages in some hazy and distinctly Euro indie-pop. Watch the video for “Isabella Rossellini.”

■ Ryan Rainey, “Turn to Gold” — Ryan Rainey is a SoCal native who last year released his debut album, “30 Years Gone,” and whose work ranges from full-throated rockers to tender, acoustic-driven tunes. In the latter category, here’s “Turn to Gold” along with its heart-rending video.

■ Ella Collier, “I Don’t Do Drugs” — “I Don’t Do Drugs” is the newest single by pop artist Ella Collier from the upcoming debut album “Dangerous.” Collier says: “Even though I don’t do drugs anymore, I will use anything else to numb myself from this realization that he’s really gone and that no high will ever feel the same as the person this song is about.” Live Dec. 16 at the Mint.

■ Brad Byrd, “California Stars” — As is our habit, we’ll wrap today’s playlist with a cover song — SoCal country singer Brad Byrd’s version of “California Stars.” Byrd recorded the song, released in 1998 by Wilco and Billy Bragg (who put Woody Guthrie lyrics to music), in Chicago with Mike Hagler, who produced the original. Live Nov. 6 at the Hotel Café and Dec. 3 at Venice West.