Kevin Bronson on January 30th, 2026

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Welcome to Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 372), featuring songs from new albums released by Joyce Manor, Tyler Ballgame, GUV, Skylar Funk and Natalie Del Carmen — plus new sounds from Thundercat, Maria Taylor, Sean Solomon, Valley Queen, Cannons, Sego, Dutch Interior, The Black Watch, El Ten Eleven, Rock Berg and more. And a cover song by Brightmoon as the cherry on top.

For more of our playlists by check in here every week.

Note: Anita Wills contributed to today’s roundup.

■ Maria Taylor, “Story’s End” — Maria Taylor is known for making sublime dream-pop as one-half of the duo, for her equally dreamy solo albums dating back two decades and for various work in Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records universe (including, recently, as Bright Eyes’ touring drummer). This week she announced the April 3 arrival of her first LP in seven years, “Story’s End.” Produced with Ben Brodin, the title track features strings arranged by Nate Walcott. Conor Oberst guests elsewhere on the album, which is being released via his Million Stars Records.

■ GUV, “Blue Jade” — The latest single from Ben Cook’s solo project, GUV, bridges the gap between the noisier edges of the Sarah Records catalog and the Stone Roses’ “She Bangs the Drums.” “Blue Jade” offers yet another reason to recommend GUV’s new album, “Warmer Than Gold,” out today. Anglophiles and overall fans of British indie from the late ’80s through the mid-’90s will delight. See also: The title track and “Chasin’ Luv.” Live Feb. 13 at the Constellation Room.

■ Joyce Manor, “I Used to Go to This Bar” — Having rolled out the singles “Well, Whatever It Was,” “All My Friends Are So Depressed” and “I Know Where Mark Chen Lives,” Joyce Manor today released their seventh album “I Used to Go to This Bar.” Here’s the title track, so rock accordingly. See them April 10 and 17 at Coachella (though one of those Coachella-adjacent local shows seems inevitable.)

■ Tyler Ballgame, “For the First Time, Again” — The title track of Tyler Ballgame’s debut album, “For the First Time, Again” (out today), seems the emotional core of the LP, which could loosely be described as songs in the key of charisma. “‘For The First Time, Again’ is a song about the perennial nature of love,” says the Rhode Island-bred songwriter, born Tyler D. Perry. “Not only romantic love, but the love of friends and family that wraps us and forms us and sets us loose on the world.” The album was made with L.A. luminaries Jonathan Rado and Ryan Pollie. Live April 3 at the Belasco, opening for St. Paul & the Broken Bones.

■ Natalie Del Carmen, “Los Angeles” — Friendly reminder that 24-year-old Natalie Del Carmen today released her sophomore album, “Pastures,” a collection that sees the L.A. native refining her crisp Americana and recording with the Nashville collective Brunjo. The album boasts singles such as “June, You’re on My Mind,” “El Cortez” and “What Should’ve Been (By Now)”; on the album track “Los Angeles,” she’s a true-blue Angeleno.

■ Skylar Funk, “Cover It Up” — Songwriter. Saxophonist. Touring musician. Co-frontman of Trapdoor Social. “Climate ninja.” Festival promoter. Music teacher. Skylar Funk has worn a lot of hats. With today release of “Letters From California,” he’s now a solo artist with a full-length album. Produced by Ethan Kaufmann, it’s a collection of glossy, sophisticated tunes that color outside pop music’s lines.

■ Valley Queen, “Open Hand” — Valley Queen (Natalie Carol, Neil Wogensen and Mike DeLuccia) return with the outsized single “Open Hand,” with Carol’s vocals making a typically sublime statement and stinging guitar (courtesy of studio player Dylan Rodrigue) driving it home. The trio self-produced the song, which was co-written with Emily Gold (Cosmo Gold). Live Feb. 1 at Permanent Records Roadhouse, joined by Rett Madison and Jean-Luc Eldenwood.

■ Sego, “Sad” — Last year, art-punk quartet Sego released the CD-only album “Direct to DVD,” sold at shows and via Bandcamp. Now the album — in all its manic, riffy, voluble glory — is getting a wider release on Feb. 9. “Sad” joined “Never Enuf” and “Buy It Break It” as singles that have made it into the digital realm.

■ Cannons, “Starlight” — Pop trio Cannons’s new album “Everything Glows” drops March 27 via Columbia Records. “Starlight” showcases Cannons’ signature retro-pop sound. Watch the glowing music video here.

■ El Ten Eleven, “Uncanny Valley Girl” — El Ten Eleven, the long-running post-rock innovators Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty, return with “Uncanny Valley Girl,” a sampling of the album “Nowhere Faster” (out April 10). The instrumental duo weave some fresh twists into this track; suffice to say there aren’t many bands like them. Live April 23 at the Echo.

■ Violet Grohl, “Thum” — Violet Grohl is a singer-songwriter with a famous last name and a new deal with Republic Records. “Thum” is a dynamic rocker first released to Bandcamp in early December (the 7-inch is sold out).

■ Thundercat, “I Did This to Myself” (feat. Lil Yachty) — “I Did This to Myself” introduces “Distracted,” Thundercat’s first album in six years, arriving April 3 via Brainfeeder. Lil Yachty guest on the alluring new single, joining a cast of collaborators on the LP that includes A$AP Rocky, WILLOW, Tame Impala (the 2023 single “No More Lies”) and Channel Tres. Plus, there’s a previously unheard collab with the late Mac Miller. Greg Kurstin, Flying Lotus, Kenny Beats (Kenneth Blume) and the Lemon Twigs are among the producers.

■ Mica, “Eistown” (feat. Faerybabyy) — Mica is underground darkwave project of Anaheim-bred Dustin Kemp, whose urgent goth-pop has enraptured fans at venues such as Viva Pomona and Garden Amp. Mica’s latest single is a collaboration with Faerybabyy.

■ Chalice Sect, “Violet Grey” — More darkwave, this time from Chalice Sect, the solo project of Daniel Delgadillo. “Violet Grey” is the trio’s fifth single since debuting last year, a post-punker built on insistent and relentlessly ’80s synths.

■ Queen Lily, “Northern Lights” — Queen Lily is the solo project Christina Watson, who’s released seven singles since debuting a year ago. Her lush new single, “Northern Lights,” co-written with her brother Damon, “is about the simplicity of healthy love, romantic or platonic, and the strength you gain when you choose people who lift you up,” she says.

■ Sean Solomon, “Black Hole” — The follow-up to “Car Crash” and “Shooting Star,” “Black Hole” is the third single from Sean Solomon’s forthcoming album “The World Is Not Good Enough” (release date TBA). It’s yet another powerful confessional from the former member of the bands Moaning and Moses Campbell who animates his own videos. Watch “Black Hole.”

■ Rock Berg, “Stop Drop and Roll” — Raquel Berg makes endearingly left-field pop under the name Rock Berg. “Stop Drop and Roll” is just the fourth single she’s released as part of her solo project.

■ Dutch Interior, “Ground Scores” — On March 6, soft-rocking sextet Dutch Interior will release a new EP, “It’s Glass,” the follow-up to their highly regarded 2025 full-length, “Moneyball.” They released the single “Play the Song” last spring, and now comes “Ground Scores.” Live March 6 at the Lodge Room.

■ Swan Pool, “Jesus And I” — Swan Pool is the musical moniker of Sean Tittle (who has played with Mini Trees, All Thing Blue) Produced by Jon Joseph with backing vocals by India Coombs, “Jesus and I” is a mellow stand-alone single with a catchy guitar riff.

■ Deloyd Elze, “George Jones” (feat. Angela Autumn) — Electro-country troubadour Deloyd Elze checks in with the sweet homage, “George Jones,” which features harmonies from Angela Autumn. 

■ June Swoon, “Denver” — L.A.-based country artist Juli Lydell has released two albums under the name June Swoon. This week brought a new EP, titled “Big Truck,” and it’s bold like one.

■ Sounding Arrow, “Zero Gravity” — Sounding Arrow is the new solo music project of Scott Kinnebrew (Truth and Salvage Co.) “Zero Gravity” is a groovy ballad from his forthcoming album “Skyman,” co-produced by Kinnebrew, dropping April 10 via Blackbird Record Label/Indie AM Gold. Scott launches into space dressed as an astronaut in the music video here.

■ Haylie Davis, “Young Man” — Haylie Davis follows “Country Boy” with “Young Man,” a gorgeous folk track via Fire Records from her debut album in the works. Davis says: “I was fresh off a breakup, emotionally raw, and the song arrived naturally in that in-between space – part exhaustion, part reflection, part release. Later, I brought it to life with Michael Harris at Valentine Recording Studio.” Watch Haylie sing her heart out in the music video here.

■ Mike Green, “Bug” — Veteran songwriter Mike Green will release his sophomore solo album, “Hang the Moon,” on April 17. The first single “Bug” is a widescreen pop-rocker.

■ MARIS, “Body Is On Fire” — Solo artist MARIS enters 2026 with the synth-pop track “Body Is On Fire.” Maris says: “I wanted this song to feel reckless in the best way — like when you stop overthinking and just let your body take over. It’s playful, sweaty, a little dangerous, and totally honest.”

■ Alexandra John, “Crazy Stupid Love” — Duo Alexandra John (Weston Cain and Liza Cain) release the electro-pop stand-alone single “Crazy Stupid Love.” Liza Cain says: “It’s a love letter to people who are willing to be loved, even if they get hurt in the end.” Red is the color of love in the music video here.

■ Man Boy Brown, “Dulce Canción” — “Dulce Canción” is the second single from Raul Pacheco’s (Ozomatli) solo project Man Boy Brown, via Blue Élan Records. “Dulce Canción” is a lovely track sung in Spanish from his upcoming debut album (release date to be announced.)

■ The War Corporation, “Believe” — And now for something completely different: “Believe” is a spoken-word missive with a chill instrumental backdrop from the War Corporation (Chuck Mcquarrie and Larry Simmons). Believe the science, vibe to the video.

■ Brightmoon, “Lies About the Sky” — As is our habit, we’ll wrap this playlist with a cover: Long Beach’s Brightmoon is the wife-husband duo of Becca and Billy Mohler, who among their other exploits were once bandmates in War Tapes. Here they take on a song marking its 35th anniversary, Shudder to Think’s “Lies About the Sky.”

ALSO (not on Spotify but stream here):

■ The Black Watch, “Some People Will Believe” — The Black Watch’s new single is a happy-go-lucky song about a sad fact: “Some people will believe almost anything these days,” John Andrew Fredrick croons on “Some People Will Believe,” a song about which he declares “There isn’t enough incredulity, for my part.” The follow-up to “There Are Solutions to Each & Every Problem,” it’s the second single from the Black Watch’s 26th (speaking of hard to believe) full-length album, “Varied Superstitions,” which arrives March 2.

■ Julian Never, “Anything” — “Anything” is the third single by solo artist Julian Never from his upcoming LP “Everyday Is Purgation” dropping Feb. 6 via Mt.St.Mtn. “Anything” combines surf rock guitar with dark wave vocals. Watch the still life music video here.