Kevin Bronson on April 24th, 2026

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We spent the week filling our digital shelves with new albums from Failure, Death Lens, The Milk Carton Kids, Mikaela Davis, White Fence, Holy Wars, Hrisihikesh Hirway and The Leaving — all of whom you will find represented in Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 384).

Mix in the latest singles from Beck, IAN SWEET, Johanna Samuels, Susy Sun, Nymphlord, MUNA, Mirrorball, Landroid, Sydney Ross Mitchell and a bunch of others, and you’ve got yourself a 2-hour playlist. Enjoy.

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

Anita Mills contributed to this roundup.

■ Beck, “Ride Lonesome” — A ballad that feels more like a ride-along than a solo journey, “Ride Lonesome” is the new single from Beck, recalling his “Sea Change” and “Morning Phase” albums. He’s backed by the likes of Roger Manning Jr., Jason Falkner, Joey Waronker, Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Smoky Hormel on the song. Live Sept. 23 at the Greek.

■ Mikaela Davis, “Nothing’s on the Radio” — Friendly reminder that “Graceland Way,” the new album from cosmic folk-rocker Mikaela Davis, is out today. Highlighted by the single “(Looking Through) Rose-Colored Glasses” and boasting a cast of collaborators including Madison Cunningham, Tim Heidecker, Neal Francis, Karly Hartzman, James Felice and Clay Finch, “Graceland Way” features Davis teaming up with co-writer John Lee Shannon and producer/engineer Dan Horne for a volume of songs in the classic “canyon sound” vein. And while we might quibble with “Nothing’s on the Radio” (video), here’s what Davis says: “It already feels dystopic living in a world today where radio stations are all owned by a handful of corporations, all playing the same artists. Gone are the days when the radio was a way to bring people together, to amplify the voices of freaks and weirdos from all corners of the world. I was fortunate to grow up in the last years of the golden age of FM radio, and being able to tune into this magical world far beyond my own was a transformative experience. Hearing artists like Sheryl Crow and Vanessa Carlton coming through the car stereo is what made me want to write songs and play music in the first place.” Live June 3 at Sid the Cat Auditolrium.

■ Failure, “The Rising Skyline” (feat. Hayley Williams) — Space-rock heavyweights Failure today released “Location Lost,” their seventh full-length and fourth since their 2014 reunion. They dial back the afterburners and simply coast through the cosmos for most of the release-week single “The Rising Skyline,” which features guest Hayley Williams. See, especially, “The Air’s on Fire.” Live Oct. 30 at the Belasco.

■ IAN SWEET, “Criminal Kissing” — Songwriter Jilian Medford has announced the July 24 arrival of her fifth album under the moniker IAN SWEET, “Shiverstruck.” The LP, produced with Ben H. Allen (Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Soccer Mommy), marks Medford’s return to L.A. after several years in New York City, and, yes, her experiences in NYC heavily influence the record. “New York is incredible. It pulls something out of you and expands you in ways you can’t anticipate,” Medford said in announcing the record. “I think everyone should experience that. But for me, I kind of always knew I’d return home to LA to rejoin forces with myself.”

■ The Milk Carton Kids, “I’ll Go Home From Here” — During this week’s web wanderings, there appeared a missive sending me to the Milk Carton Kids’ website, promising a free download of their new album “Lost Cause Lover Fool.” As a body who still maniacally downloads music, I retrieved the eighth full-length (not counting a holiday album and a live one) from Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale. Suffice to say the duo’s font of folk finery, enchanting harmonies and evocative lyrics has not run dry. Cue the banjo, there should have been a tip jar. Live Nov. 15 at the Fonda Theatre, supported by Paper Wings.

■ Sister Gemini, “Freakshow” — After some stops and starts since releasing her first Sister Gemini single in 2022, singer-songwriter Remy Jean Gassmann will soon begin rolling out a full-length album (more details on that soon). The latest tease is “Freakshow” (video), released two weeks ago, a deceptively easygoing takedown built on sweet vocals and slide guitar. Stay tuned.

■ White Fence, “I Came Close, Orange for Luck” — Friendly reminder that Tim Presley today released his latest album as White Fence. Featuring singles such as “Your Eyes” and “Unread Books,” “Orange” is a winning collection of jangling, chiming ’60s psych-pop holding to a garage aesthetic.

■ MUNA, “Wannabeher” — MUNA’s fourth album “Dancing on the Wall” is shaking its stuff toward a May 8 release, and the L.A. trio’s latest single “Wannabeher” lacks nothing for grit and energy. Indeed the trio has called it “our version of Bikini Kill’s ‘Rebel Girl.’” Live May 8 and May 9 at the Shrine Expo Hall.

■ The Leaving, “Atmosphere” — The Leaving combines the talents of two L.A.-based Scotsmen, CHVRCHES co-founder Martin Doherty and that band’s live drummer, Jonny Scott. Today brought the release of the project’s debut LP, “Ultimate Buzz,” and the aptly titled lead track “Atmosphere” sets the tone for the whole, expansive album. The duo make their live debut June 6 at Gold-Diggers.

■ Mirrorball, “Devil Mirror” — “Devil Mirror,” produced by Chris Coady, is the first single from Mirrorball (Alexandra Johnstone and Scott Watson) since last fall’s “The Story of the Ice.” It’s a lovely, languorous soundtrack to taking a hard look at yourself. Live July 25 at Permanent Records Roadhouse, supporting Fleur Bleu.e.

■ Johanna Samuels, “Two People, the Moon” — “The first line was the whole premise of the song,” Johanna Samuels says of the reference to a “cinematic trope” in her new single, “Two People, the Moon” (video). “I was thinking about how in movies there’s that common writing device where two people are separated, but that they’re both under the same moon and are looking up at the same time. It connects them in a way, bound by the light. … I often toggle between loving and believing in that image but then losing hope and feeling permanently separate from others.” The paean to isolation is Samuels’ second single this year, following “White Limousine,” also produced by Jonathan Rado. An album announcement seems nigh.

■ Scimitar, “Razors” — L.A. trio Scimitar (Athena Propia, Lilian Void and Sergio Gomez) make tense, daunting darkwave that the walks in the shadows of their post-punk/goth forebears. Their debut album, “Errare,” came out this week, offering fans of artists such as Cold Cave and Boy Harsher more tracks for their dancing-in-the-shadows mix. Live Saturday at Pacific Electric, supporting Male Tears.

■ Death Lens, “Waiting to Know” (feat. Militarie Gun) — Death Lens today dropped their new album, “What’s Left Now?,” and as if the L.A. quartet needed any more muscle for their punk rock, Militarie Gun lends a hand on the release-week single “Waiting to Know.” Other album highlights include “Debt Collector,” “Power” and “Drown.” There’s a free show Sunday at Zebulon to celebrate the release.

■ Holy Wars, “Kill the Light” — Friendly reminder that Holy Wars (Kat Leon and Nick Perez) today released their latest album of industrial-strength grunge-cum-metal, “Shadow Work / Light Work.” “Kill the Light” is typically take-no-prisoners, sonically and emotionally. Live May 2 at Bar Sinister.

■ Magic Wands, “Starline” — Friendly reminder that “Wishing Well,” the new EP from dark-pop duo Magic Wands is out today. Live June 27 at Bar Sinister.

■ Landroid, “Autonomous” — Landroid, the high-flying High Desert duo of Cooper Gillespie and Greg Gordon, will release their sophomore LP, “Constellation,” on June 12. The follow-up to “Hank the Dragon” and “Say My Name,” “Autonomous” is a majestic jam for gazing in wonder at an expansive night sky. “The song sits with a man in his final moments,” Gordon says. “He’s suspended in space, watching the earth recede… what surfaces isn’t regret exactly, but a devastating honesty.”

■ The Tulips, “Come to You” — The Tulips, who released their album “Halcyon Beach” early this year, return with a new single, “Come to You.”

■ The Two Lips, “In Every Lifetime” — Dream-pop duo The Two Lips follow “Kiss Goodbye” with “In Every Lifetime.” The track is featured in the trendy new Amazon Prime show “Off Campus.” The band says: “The song is about fated connection and how some people are destined to find each other again and again across every lifetime.”

■ Susy Sun, “Nothing’s Ever Right” — Singer-songwriter Susy Sun will release her fourth LP, “Pisces Dream,” on July 24. After introducing the Henry Wolfe-produced record in March with “You Should Be Mine,” she’s back this week with the equally endearing “Nothing’s Ever Right.” The video for that first single was directed by Paige Stark.

■ Hrishikesh Hirway, “Dark Circles” (feat. Fenne Lily) — Hrishikesh Hirway today released his album “In the Last Hour of Light,” a weighty, sober memoir processing loss, love and, on the LP’s second track, identity. “[‘Dark Circles’] is a song about growing up a brown kid in a white suburb,” Hirway says of the song co-written and sung with Fenne Lily. “It took me a long time after leaving that world to be able to see just how alienating and isolating parts of that experience were. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been trying to figure out how to fit in — so the ways I want to stand out are what people could notice instead. … Bruce Springsteen was, to me, the epitome of American-ness in the ’80s, so there are references to his songs in each of the verses.” See also: “Rollercoaster” and “Stray Dogs.” As part of his series “A Concert and Conversation With Hirishikesh Hirway and Guests,” the artist will appear with Jason Mantzoukas on May 14 at Pacific Electric.

■ Sydney Ross Mitchell, “Pale Blue Eyes” — Sydney Ross Mitchell is a Texas native whose feathery dream-folk shone and its penchant for self-interrogation on the EP “Cynthia,” released in February. “Pale Blue Eyes” is her new single. Live May 30 at the Moroccan Lounge.

■ Sunshio, “Mindpond” — Sunshio is the solo project of Erick Tanaka, a folk musician who was born and reared in Brazil in a multi-generational Japanese family. Sunshio’s self-titled EP, produced by Philip Etherington (Lizzy McAlpine) came out earlier this month, featuring a half-dozen cozy songs exploring themes of identity and belonging.

■ Lola Blue, “I Don’t Know How to Leave” — The follow-up to singles “Heartbeat” and “Daisy,” “I Don’t Know How to Leave” is the latest taste of Lola Blue’s debut EP “Pinky Promise,” out May 15.

■ Ill Peach, “Small Talk” — Ill Peach’s sophomore album “Eavesdropping” will be released June 26 by way of Handwritten Records. Lead-vocalist Jess Corazza says: “In the middle of making this album, I lost my father in 2024. And even though every bone in my body was screaming with grief I put all my creative energy towards completing this album.” “Small Talk,” a hard-hitting pop track, follows “Cult Daddy.” Watch Corazza sass around in an empty office building with giant fly-headed creatures in the music video here.

■ Unpolished*, “Doghouse” — Last week brought the release of “Full Frontal: Act I,” the new EP from rock quartet Unpolished* (Mary Bugbee, Celinda Chang, Jasmine Day and Stephanie De Santos), who take from-the-veins emotions and channel them into in-your-face rockers.

■ Luna Aura, “I’m Free” — Luna Aura (Phoenix native Angela Flores) is back with the roof-rattler “I’m Free,” the follow-up to her March single “You Suck.”

■ Eyedress, “Stoner Olympics” — A year since releasing their fifth album “Stoner” (which included the single “Occasional Stoner”), Eyedress returned — on April 20, of course — with the single “Stoner Olympics.” Gold? Silver? Bronze? This will at least get him on the podium.

■ Nymphlord, “Paper or Plastic?” — Nymphlord (singer-songwriter Tia Rabinovitz) continues to roll out singles from her album “Shedding Velvet,” out May 15. “Paper or Plastic?” is the follow-up to “Emptiness” and another example of her appealing, ’90s-derived alt-rock/folk. Live May 27 at Zebulon.

■ Chalk Teeth, “Floor It” — Dark and hypnotic, “Floor It” is just the second single from L.A. trio Chalk Teeth (Karolina Wallace, Adam Wallace and Jason Miller), who debuted in February with “Stuck.” Adam Wallace directed the video. Live tonight at Harvard & Stone.

■ Lauren Sanderson, “Come Say Sum” — Indiana-reared solo artist Lauren Sanderson first found success with her 2020 debut album “Midwest Kids Can Make It Big.” Her sophomore album “Lauren” drops May 29 via Pack Records. “Come Say Sum” is high-energy late 90s rock song. Watch Lauren work the crowd in the music video here.

■ Chloe Star, “You Say” — Pop-punk singer-songwriter Chloe Star drops the stand-alone single “You Say,” an angsty, guitar-driven track, following “Emergency Contact.”

■ Gottlieb, “I Started Carrying a Knife Today” — “With growing threats in several areas, I wrote this on a day when I started carrying a literal knife for the first time,” Gottlieb vocalist Andrw Pescara says. “This symbolized a closing off from the world; the knife is an allegory for dishonesty, which we all use at varying degrees as a measure of self-protection. By choosing to be less up front with people — by assuming their motives may be dangerous ones — I pick up a weapon that allows me to adequately handle them if needed.” The punk-rock outfit release their debut album, “The Far Fallen Fruit,” next Friday. Live May 2 at Oblivion.

■ Cayden Wemple, “Kids” — Now for our playlist-ending cover: San Luis Obispo’s Caden Wemple turns MGMT’s “Kids” into a folk song.