Kevin Bronson on February 13th, 2026

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Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 374) offers a mix of old friends and new faces, not to mention some songs that may or may not be appropriate for Valentine’s Day.

Press play to hear new music from White Fence, Sam Blasucci, Robert Francis, Deb Never, Cold War Kids, Mariachi El Bronx, Scout Gillett, Kid Sistr, The Sophs, CARR, Giant Killer Bats, Los Retros, Ian Stahl, Lavalove, Runnner, Wrabel and more — with two cool cover songs to wrap the mix.

Previous Buzz Bands LA playlists, with liner notes, here.

Anita Mills contributed to this roundup.

■ White Fence, “Your Eyes” — The back cover of the CD digipack of 2008’s “Darker My Love 2” displayed, simply but boldly, white on black, the word “Pop.” That’s the universe in which Tim Presley and bandmates resided, guitars blazing and melodies and harmonies keen, and, although the permutations have been many, that’s where the singer-guitarist has stayed through seven albums from his solo project White Fence. This week brought the news that the first White Fence album in seven years, “Orange” (made with producer Ty Segall), will be out April 24, and first single “Your Eyes” is a slice of clean, exhilarating pop as suited for the ’60s as it is for today. Here’s the video, directed by Agathe Rousselle.

■ Cold War Kids, “Push My Luck” — A few months shy of the 20th anniversary of their debut album “Robbers & Cowards,” Cold War Kids are back with a pair of new singles, “Push My Luck” and “All I Ever Need.”

■ Mariachi El Bronx, “Songbird” — Friendly reminder that “Mariachi El Bronx IV,” the fourth full-length from punk warriors the Bronx’s alter egos, is out today. As if the singles “Bandoleros” and “Forgive or Forget” weren’t enough, there’s the brilliant video for “Songbird” to get you in the spirit. “Whenever I direct a music video, I’m just trying to make something 11-year-old me would’ve stayed up late hoping to catch on ‘120 Minutes’ or “‘Headbangers Ball,’” director Blaise Cepis says. “Thankfully I found eight kindred spirits in Mariachi El Bronx, who were the most incredible collaborators and were down for anything. I had such a great time with the band and the insanely talented gorgeous cast, I think 11-year-old me would approve.” Live at 5 p.m. Feb. 17 at Amoeba Records (performance and signing).

■ Sam Blasucci, “Delicadeza” — Sam Blasucci (one-half of the duo Mapache) will return April 17 with a double-LP titled “Physical Dream.” It’s the fourth full-length from the acclaimed guitarist and songwriter who’s lived all over the U.S. and Mexico and is now based in Ojai. Blasucci alternates between Spanish and English on the magical first single “Delicadeza.” The album features the talents of Mia Wilson (vocals), Randal Fisher (horns, flute), Andres Renteria (percussion), Laena Myers (violin, viola, vocals) and Leng Bian (harp). Live April 22 at El Cid.

■ Robert Francis, “State Line” — Robert Francis will release “Phantasmagoria,” his first album in six years, on March 27. The LP is informed in part by the devastating 2025 wildfires — the Palisades blaze burned just south of his home studio, and he evacuated his mother (who lived nearby) to the home in Altadena where his sister Juliette Commagere and her husband Joachim Cooder lived, only to have to help evacuate them later the same day. Their house survived, though damaged by smoke and soot, so they relocated to the East Coast, leaving behind Juliette’s synths. Those instruments became vital to Francis’ new EP. “I’ve always been synth-obsessed, but they never fit the folk narrative,” Francis says. “Analog gear is alive —physical, tangible. We’d track the synths to 2-inch tape along with the reverbs and delays. You can hear the tape interpreting the synth in real time, as if deciding what to do with it.” On “State Line,” your ears are the final part of the process.

■ Kan Wakan, “Holy Angel” (feat. Steady Holiday) — Gueorgui Linev launched his orchestral rock project Kan Wakan in Los Angeles, but the Bulgarian composer-producer-multi-instrumentalist has recently been working back in his homeland. “Holy Angel,” which features SoCal’s Dre Babinski (Steady Holiday), appears in the Bulgarian National Television program “We, The Waves,” snippets of which are used in this video by Neda Morfova.

■ John Tejada, “Nightshift” — Longtime electronic music luminary John Tejada returns with “Nightshift,” the pulse of which certainly syncs with our 3 a.m. caffeine buzz.

■ Martron, “Tonight” — EDM artist Martron, the solo project of Marlon Vincent Nigro, returns with some aerial synth magic in his new single “Tonight.” It’s the follow-up to his 2025 EP, “Resurgence.”

■ Giant Killer Bats, “Dustcluster” — The follow-up to “I’m Falling Behind,” “Dustcluster” is the second single from Giant Killer Bats’ new EP, “Lottery Paradox,” out March 20.

■ Scout Gillett, “Coney Island” — There’s a little Rilo Kiley DNA in Scout Gillett’s lively new single, “Coney Island,” the follow-up to January’s “Too Fast to Last.” The Missouri-born ex-Brooklynite says of the song: “I wrote this during a prolonged, really difficult breakup. We went to Coney Island even though we both knew we couldn’t be together anymore. It was one of the most visceral experiences of my life. It was so beautifully real, raw, and sad. We cried and buried notes for our love in the sand during Firework Friday and played ‘Coney Island Baby’ by Lou Reed on repeat. This song exposes the discovery of one’s self through love and loss.” Gillett’s sophomore album, “Tough Touch,” will be out March 6.

■ One Outta Ten, “Orpheus” — Friendly reminder that Glendale’s One Outta Ten this week released their new album, “Like You Never Left.” “Orpheus” is a powerful ballad full of heartache, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Live Feb. 21 at Non Plus Ultra.

■ Kid Sistr, “American Teenage Prophecy” — Sabel Englert, Sara Keden and Rebecca Webster are Kid Sistr: an indie pop-rock trio originally from the East Coast. The band says of their new stand-alone single “American Teenage Prophecy” via Giant: “The song is meant to imagine a world where queer romance flourishes in all the ways straight romance is allowed to.”

■ Livingmore, “Psychic Dream” — Just an observation: Spencer Livingston and Alex Moore have released a slew of singles from their self-titled “Livingmore” album, which is coming out in May, and every one of them feels like it’s from a different subgenre of pop and rock. So behold the hazy “Psychic Dream.”

■ Wrabel, “Birds & the Bees” — Today brought the release of Wrabel’s new album, “Up Above.” File under: Intimate pop delicacies. Live April 28 at the Wiltern, opening for Oh Wonder.

■ Deb Never, “Arcade” — Big news: Deb Never has announced the release of her debut album “Arcade,” out May 8 via Giant Music and produced by Romil Hemnani. Deb says: “There’s always so much going on, there’s always people around me, I’m always surrounded, but I always felt this singularity and this isolation and in my music is the only time where I can really express that.” The title track that follows  “I’ve Been Sleeping,” is a dreamy electronic track with a hint of ’60s French pop. Deb Never has a need for speed in the music video here.

■ Runnner, “Branch Bent” — Banjo in hand, Noah Weinman returns with an upbeat new Runnner single, “Branch Bent” (and a video co-starring his dad). After releasing his stellar album “A Welcome Kind of Weakness” last August, Weinman in December released a collection of instrumentals, “In an Empty Room With Open Windows,” under his alter-ego Nnnoah.

■ Gun Outfit, “Unfelt Loss” — This is called going big — Gun Outfit (founders Dylan Sharp and Carrie Keith, along with Daniel Swire, Henry Barnes and Kayla Cohen) will release an 80-minute double-LP, “Process & Reality,” on May 27. It’s the project’s first album in six years, and the opening track “Unfelt Loss” feels loosed from a confederacy of underground indie-rockers. Which is to say, there’s hope.

■ Ian Stahl, “Killing Time” — Echoing the feel of ’80s British rock, “Killing Time” is the first solo single from Ian Stahl (Supergloom, Brother Swan).

■ Lavalove, “Sniffin’ Around” — L.A. trio Lavalove have announced the April 4 arrival of their new album, “Tan Lines.” First single “Sniffin’ Around” gives you an idea of their brand pop sugar … which is deceptively saccharine. “The music and background vocals are very much ‘California Cheerleading,’” singer-guitarist Tealarose Coy says, “but the lyrics are about murdering your cheating boyfriend. It dives into the idea of letting your paranoia take control.” Live March 27 at the Moroccan Lounge, opening for Meldrop.

■ The Sophs, “Sweetiepie” — The Sophs drop “Sweetiepie,” following the title track, from their debut album “Goldstar” out March 13 on Rough Trade Records. Ethan Ramon says: “”Sweetiepie” is someone standing outside their ex’s window at 3 a.m., waving their arms over their head and screaming for some sort of second chance.” Join the Sophs at a Thai karaoke bar in the music video here. Live March 28 at Sid The Cat Auditorium.

■ CARR, “Bang It Out” — Solo artist CARR, aka Carly McClellan, unveils “Bang It Out” (following “Mud”) along with the news of her forthcoming full-length studio album “CARRGIRRL” due March 20 via DCD2 Records and Music Is Fun. McClellan explains the meaning behind the very literal song title: When there’s nothing left to resolve and what remains is only a physical connection — so you’re left using touch to fill the silence where communication and love used to be.”

■ Forest, “Prosthetic Stars” — Forest debuted in 2022 and released their most recent EP, “Intravenous French Kiss,” last year. Their distortion-heavy, ’90s-indebted sound is couched by intimate, often stark lyrics. “‘Prosthetic Stars’ was one of the first real songs I wrote when I moved to Los Angeles,” Forest says. “It’s a lot about throwing yourself into things that don’t mean much, jumping into the pool and then wondering why you’re treading water.”

■ Mac Luster, “The Lovers” — Jake Mazon founded Mac Luster in 2013 and by 2018 the project had run its course. Now the Orange County rock project has a second life, with Mazon joined by Jackson Wargo (Snowball II) and recording with Jordi Radnoti (Olivia Rodrigo’s drummer). “The Lovers” is the second single of the new era. “I set out to write a more traditional love song, but that’s never really been in my wheelhouse,” Mazon says. “I tend to get stuck in the post-love space, where the lessons are learned. ‘The Lovers’ is about two people reconnecting long after the romance has ended, in order to make amends with each other.”

■ Magic Wands, “Wishing Well” — “Wishing Well” is the title track of a new EP dark-pop duo Magic Wands will release on April 24.

■ Los Retros, “Secret Admirer” — Los Retros (Mauri Tapia) release their debut album “Odisea” on April 3 via Stones Throw. “Secret Admirer” is a groovy soft-rock track, following “Doves.” Live April 12 and 19 at Coachella.

■ Eilish Constance, “1 Plus 1” — Sixteen-year-old Eilish Constance has garnered attention for her loose-limbed, lo-fi folk songs. “1 Plus 1” sees her working with a frequent collaborator, the songwriter-producer Aaron Paul O’Brien.

■ Jacob The Horse, “Tympanis” — Jacob The Horse drop “Tympanis,” following “Bad New Religion,” from their new album “At Least It’s Almost Over” out March 20. “The song is about that creeping feeling you get after a breakup, how memories of loss sometimes sneak up on you and hit you like a truck.” Watch the music video here.

■ Kit Major, “Not As Witty As I Used to Be” — L.A. rocker/motormouth Kit Major returns with a blast of Ramones-styled music, “Not As Witty As I Used to Be” (video), the lead track on and the first single from her new EP, “Miss Ego,” out June 12.

■ Ill Peach, “Cult Daddy” — Ill Peach (Jess Corazza, Pat Morrissey, and Jesse Schuster) is a three-piece alt-pop group that found success with their 2023 debut album “This Is Not An Exit.” Watch the music video for “Cult Daddy,” a hard-pop stand-alone single via Handwritten Records here.

■ Arcane Grace, “Makin Moves” — Rock trio Arcane Grace combine the talents of Andrea Leigh, Ryan Bale and Matt Tucci, who have an EP oin the way this summer. “Makin Moves” offers some stright-ahead, guitar-rippin’ rock. Live tonight at the Mint.

■ Stuntdriver, “Dickface Sweetheart” — Just in time for … ahem, Valentine’s Day, L.A. hellraisers Stuntdriver return with “Dickface Sweetheart,” which, bandleader Kym Priess say, you can enjoy while pondering: “Are you a dickface? Or are you a sweetheart?”

■ The Linda Lindas, “California Sun” — Back-to-back cover songs to end this week’s playlist: Pop-punk whiz kids the Linda Lindas check in with their version of “California Sun,” first released in 1960 and later covered by artists such as the Rivieras, the Ramones, the Crickets and Dick Dale, among others.

■ Mister Romantic, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” — Mister Romantic, the lovelorn musical guise of actor and renaissance man John C. Reilly, leads into his Valentine’s Day show at Glendale Presbyterian Church (sorry, sold out) by releasing two appropriate covers, including “Dream a Little Dream of Me.”