Kevin Bronson on March 13th, 2026

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What we have here is Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 378), featuring a mountain of fresh music including songs by Eleni Mandell, Active Child, Maria Taylor (with Conor Oberst), The Sophs, HOTT MT, Giant Killer Bats, Morgan Nagler, Bedelia, Brooke Tomlinson, Sean Solomon, Child Seat, DMYTRYK, Sunday (1994), Thundercat, JEFF, Stella Lefty, Chris Hess, The Coyote Club, The Dollyrots and more. Plus, there’s a special Inara George track as the cherry on top.

Find past playlists, with liner notes, here.

Anita Mills contributed to this roundup.

■ Eleni Mandell, “Music and Motion” — With 11 solo albums, plus releases as a member of the groups the Living Sisters and the Grabs — not to mention having her body of work honored by a tribute album — Eleni Mandell’s place in the pantheon of Los Angeles indie artists is secure. Seven years since her last solo LP, Mandell is back. The sanguine “Music and Motion” is the first taste of her new album “Tailspin” (out May 29). “I didn’t know if I’d ever make another record,” Mandell says of the LP, borne of a period during which Mandell juggled motherhood and a career as an English teacher, and weathered a divorce and the passing of her father and of her music mentor, Chuck E. Weiss. Live June 22 at 2220 Arts + Archives.

■ Sean Solomon, “Remember” — After engaging the universe with singles such as “Car Crash” and “Black Hole,” Sean Solomon (Moaning, Moses Campbell) has announced that his debut solo LP, “The World Is Not Good Enough,” will be out April 17. The news arrived with the heart-rending single “Remember,” and if your heart has gotten a little hard recently, please feel free to melt it with this video culled from old home videos.

■ Morgan Nagler, “Hurt” — The music behind our favorite album title in a while, “I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It,” is out in the world today. It’s the first album Morgan Nagler (Whispertown and Whispertown 2000) has released under own name, and, produced by King Tuffy, it’s full emotional pyrotechnics and assorted wiggles, from the all-nerves-exposed rocker “Cradle the Pain” to the country frolic “Grassoline” to closing track “Hearthbreak City.” Live May 1 at the Ojai Valley Women’s Club, opening for King Tuff.

■ Active Child, “I Know What to Say Now” — Patrick Grossi reintroduced us to his distinct brand of pop ethereality in November with the release of “Coming Up,” the first Active Child single in five years. Now he returns with “I Know What to Say Now,” again co-produced with Alex Goose. “‘I Know What to Say Now’ started with a voice note of my youngest,” Grossie says. “His words shook me up and inspired me the same night to write, fueled by an intense feeling of reassurance and safety during a period of personal transformation. … It helped me find my words.” In Active Child’s Pasadena studio, Mike Haldeman (oboe, guitar), Daniel Abraham Jr. (keys), Mike Montgomery (bass) and Marley Bleu and Moorea Masa (backing vocals) brought the composition to the finish line.

■ Maria Taylor, “Sorry I Was Yours” (feat. Conor Oberst) — Conor Oberst and Maria Taylor go back a long way — Oberst’s Bright Eyes and the Taylor co-led Azure Ray were two of the many reasons to subscribe to the Saddle Creek Records mailing list back in the day. (Taylor was also an occasional touring member of Bright Eyes.) Now they duet on the co-penned “Sorry I Was Yours,” a heart-rending track from Taylor’s first solo album in seven years, “Story’s End” (out April 3). “Writing this song was a full circle moment,” Oberst says. “We’ve made so much music together over the years, it was just like going home.”

■ The Sophs, “House” — “House” (watch the video) is the release-week single from the Sophs’ debut album, “Goldstar,” out now. As singles such as “Sweat,” “I’m Your Fiend,” “Sweetiepie” and the title track suggest, the LP covers a lot of stylistic territory, and well. The album release is the first chapter for a band that got signed to Rough Trade Records via a blind submission. Live March 28 at Sid the Cat Auditorium.

■ Violet Grohl, “595” — Singer-songwriter Violet Grohl has released the alt-rock banger “595,” the follow-up to “Thum.” Her debut album “Be Sweet To Me” is slated for release May 29 via Auroura Records/Republic Records. Check out the pulp noir music video here, directed by Nikki Milan Houston.

■ HOTT MT, “All Along” — HOTT MT, the duo of Spooky Tavi (Nick Logie) and Ashi Dala (Ashleigh Allard), have been nothing if not fearless in their decade-plus together. From showing up unannounced at Wayne Coyne’s door, to helming the DIY venue Non Plus Ultra since 2015, to four albums of hit-and-miss pop experimentation, they’ve thrived, at least artistically, on the fringes. This week HOTT MT announced the May 13 release of their first album in five years, “Haunted House.” The new single “All Along,” along with 2025 releases “First Thing” and “Undersea Adventures,” suggest that whatever they heated in their crucibles this time has coalesced into something beautifully special. Live May 17 at Sid the Cat Auditorium, opening for Vinyl Williams.

■ Giant Killer Bats, “Rainmaker” — Power- and jangle-pop fans unite: Giant Killer Bats’ sophomore EP “Lottery Paradox” is out next Friday. “Rainmaker” is the third single from the project, the solo venture of McCoy Kirgo.

■ Satellite Citi, “Talking to Fear” — Satellite City, the project of wife-husband duo Anna Gevorkian and Shaunt Sulahian, have continued to churn out heavy, melodic rockers since releasing their 2024 EP “Spacewalker,” the name of which references the mask mysterians who comprise their backup band. (It’s also the title of the duo’s comic book, the first volume of which is out now.) Their latest single “Talking to Fear,” co-written and co-produced with Josh “KJ” Strock, is “about battling cancer and facing fear head on during one of the most difficult times of our lives,” they say explain. “We hope the song resonates with anyone who has had to confront their fears recently. You’re stronger than you know.

■ Zephyring, “Find My Way” — Zephyring, the alternative rock band fronted by Tasos Taiganides, sound like the ’90s on modern-day dietary supplements. “Find My Way” (free download) is the first single released from an album Zephyring made with legendary producer Steve Albini before his passing in May 2024. Zephyring’s EP, “Hydraphantasy,” is out now; the enitre full-length, “Detournement,” is on the way. Live (free show) on April 3 at the Viper Room.

■ Sunday (1994), “Shame” — Transatlantic dream-pop trio Sunday (1994) today released the deluxe version of their 2025 EP, “Devotion,” featuring three new tracks “written on the road in London, the Cotswolds in rural England and at home in California,” the band says. Paige Turner’s vocals are typically astral on the song “Shame,” a vignette about a doomed romance. Live April 29 at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever.

■ Dua Saleh, “I Do, I Do” — Solo artist Dua Saleh drops the stand-alone single “I Do, I Do,” following “Flood,” from their forthcoming record “Of Earth & Wires,” out on May 15 via Ghostly International. Saleh says: “‘I Do, I Do’ is rooted in Sudanese colloquialisms and idioms, using the vernacular as a vessel for something much larger – societal collapse, and the subsequent destruction of the Earth. The survivors, post-apocalypse, now scrounge for resources, Wild Wild West style. We incorporated an Oud into the song as well as a nod to Sudan.”

■ Holy Sun Opera House, “Voice of Gob” — Holy Sun Opera House, the collective headed by drummer/soprano Krissy Barker and composer dl Salo, explore the intersection of classical, dark synth-pop and choral music. Their debut album, “Holy Sun Opera House,” will be out May 15, features a choir including Tany Ling, Anna Wickenden, Isaac Prado, Rachel Gertz, Rachael Ferguson and Jessica Basta. The LP was introduced by the single “Voice of Gob,” about which HSOH says: “‘Voice of Gob’ explores the feeling of desperation to be seen and heard. It looks to a man-made deity to achieve safety and stillness that doesn’t exist. We raise our hands to it and call out. We hear nothing back, but we have hope.”

■ Thundercat, “ThunderWave” (feat. Willow) — Thundercat finds harmony with Willow on “ThunderWave,” the follow-up to “I Did This to Myself” and the latest single from his first album in six years, “Distracted” (out April 3).

■ Black Nile, “Danielle” — It’s been almost four years since Black Nile — Inglewood-reared brothers (and brothers in jazz) Aaron and Lawrence Shaw — released their third album, “River of Emotions.” They’re back with a couple intoxicating songs this year, and “Danielle” (written by Aaron about “the love of my life,” he says) is the latest, on which the duo is joined by trumpeter Sören Smedvig, keyboardist Luca Mendoza and and drummer Myles Martin.

■ Katie Alice Greer, “Unglued” — The follow-up to “Expo ’70,” the rocker “Unglued” is the latest single from Katie Alice Greer’s “Perfect Woman Sound Machine, Vol. 1,” out April 3.

■ DMYTRYK, “Sh-Boom” — Cameron Dmytryk (Giant Waste of Man, Facial, Fakers, Vanaprasta) today released his debut EP, “DMYTRYK,” a collection of experimental agit-pop (bedlam bops?) that make you think, broadly, about possibilities. That’s Kim Hellweg (Missing Teen/Future Ghost) on backing vocals on “Sh-Boom.” Live March 24 at the Slipper Clutch.

■ Child Seat, “Going Through the Motions” — Child Seat, the reliably fun bunch headed by Madeleine Mathews and Josiah Mazzaschi, today released their third album, “Hyperphantasia.” Check out any number of the singles, and dance your troubles away.

■ Spencer Hoffman, “Fiddler’s Green” — “Cherry Picker,” the sophomore album from Spencer Hoffman, arrived today via Anxiety Blanket Records. Produced by Sam Plecker, the LP’s folk ballads and baroque pop arrive freighted with heart-rending emotion (see, especially, the title track) and existential scrutiny, all of which Hoffman turns to gold.

■ Bedelia, “Do You Miss Me at All” — Friendly reminder that “Never Change, Love You Always,” the debut EP from dreamy trio Bedelia (Marisa Shirar, Miles Morris and Dakota Floeter), is out now, offering five tracks of fetching shimmer-pop.

■ JEFF, “Chang” — JEFF is the new collaboration between Charlie Hickey and Benjamin Lazar Davis (Okkervil River, Cuddle Magic). They’ve released two singles, including “Chang,” which, the duo explains, was written “over a groove that [composer] Ian Chang played.”

■ Stella Lefty, “The Kill” — Chicagoland native Stella Lefty (Stella Lefkofsky) released her debut EP “Tragic, Really” last year and broke out this year with the viral single “Thinking ’bout You.” She’s followed with two more singles this year, “Slow Dancin’” and “The Kill,” the latter of which was featured in the movie “Scream 7.” There’s new music on the horizon, too. Live May 13 at the Moroccan Lounge.

■ Possible Oceans, “Morning in America” — Written during last year’s wildfires, “Morning in America” is the latest single from Trevor O’Neill’s Possible Oceans. A synth-spiked indie-rocker, it’s a song for these times. As the chorus proclaims, “Morning in America / Gonna need a miracle.”

■ Brooke Tomlinson, “Fear Is a Liar” — Confession: Brooke Tomlinson had us when we saw she covered the La’s classic “There She Goes” on the lyre. (More on the lyre here.) And holy homonyms, Batman, here’s the lyre on her debut single “Fear Is a Liar,” co-written with and produced by Bleu.

■ Chris Hess, “Carry a Song With You” — The follow-up to “Salma Hayek,” “Carry a Song With You” is the second single from SWIMM frontman Chris Hess’s solo album, “Cookie” (release date TBA).

■ Julith, “Right From Left” — After six years of writing acoustic guitar-driven folk music under her given name, singer-songwriter Julia Pratt has rebranded as Julith, an electronic solo act. Julith says of her newest single “Right From Left”: “People like to drop their unsolicited advice without having the context or expertise. This song calls out that dynamic and advocates for doing whatever feels right to ME regardless of the judgements of others.” Her debut EP “This Is A Kindness” arrives April 10.

■ Thebandfriday, “Games” — The follow-up to “Wake Up,” “Games” is the new single from indie duo Thebandfriday (Finn Morris and Adin Eshaghpour). It’s co-produced and co-written with Griffin Chaney.

■ The Coyote Club, “Stag” — Straight outta Joshua Tree, the Coyote Club is the new desert rock project helmed by Adrienne Howls (aka Adrienne Vanderocker of Vanderocker, real name Adrienne Saraswati). You can feel, if not see in your mind’s eye, the vast, sun-baked horizon on the project’s debut single, “Stag.”

■ Beaming, “Stuck (here)” — The follow-up to “Say Goodbye,” “Stuck (here)” is the latest single from Beaming’s debut album “Horseshoe.” The duo (Derek Ted and Braden Lawrence) will release the LP on April 17. Live May 9 at Scribble, opening for Field Medic.

■ Tender Misfit, “An Act of God” — Ariel Beesley kicked off 2026 in strong fashion, releasing the Tender Misfit single “I Touch Myself.” February brought the new single “Does She Know?,” and this week she’s back with the colorful, caffeinated pop bop “Act of God.”

■ Pearl & The Oysters, “Wide Awake” — Indie-pop duo Pearl & The Oysters follow their 2024 album “Planet Pearl” with a fun retro-pop track “Wide Awake.”

■ The Dollyrots, “Attention Span” — Pop-punk warriors the Dollyrots are back with a new single, “Attention Span,” which the irrepressible Kelly Ogden describes thusly: “It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the intensity and rate of information thrown our way every day in this modern life. Important connections to each other and the Earth seem to get lost in the shuffle. “Attention Span” is a happy-sounding song about the confusion we feel right now.”

■ Chalice Sect, “Silent Fever” — Chalice Sect, the dark-alt electro trio, entered the L.A. music scene in January of last year. Their new stand-alone single “Silent Fever” is an intense battle of guitar vs. synth.

■ GEONI, “Sweet Obsession” — GEONI is the solo project of Geovanni Araujo, a Mexico-born, L.A.-based artist who mashes a lot of electronic genres. He’s at work on his debut album, and “Sweet Obsession” is his latest single.

■ Los Retros, “Joven Pobre y Sabio” — Los Retros (Mauri Tapia) shares the instrumental track “Joven Pobre y Sabio,” a bass-driven jazz fusion song, following “Secret Admirer.” His debut album “Odisea,” drops April 3 via Stones Throw.  

■ Inara George, “Tiny Girl” — As a solo artist and as a member of the Bird and the Bee and the Living Sisters, Inara George has never hesitated to honor her musical influences. It is with reverence (and, possibly, the delight of a crate-digger) that on March 20 she will release the album “Songs of Douglass & Littell,” her interpretation of long-lost (and in some cases, refreshed) songs by her longtime friends Elliot Douglass and Philip Littell, known primarily for their work in musical theater. Orchestrated by Jeff Babko and produced by Mike Andrews, the album is a soothing collection of jazz-inflected and lyrically potent pop. Live March 20 at Largo at the Coronet.