Kevin Bronson on May 8th, 2026

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Author’s note: Having been pulled away from my playlist responsibilities by a family matter, I’m catching up with recent releases. So this is the mix for the week ending May 8. More to come soon.

The juggernaut that is Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 386) features music from The Womack Sisters, Jawdropped, Maddy Davis, Fightmaster, Tim Atlas, Father John Misty, The Active Set, Deb Never, Bedouine, Jessie Payo, Social Distortion, Linda Perry, Lola Bates, Freedom Fry, Ana Sky, Paer and a bunch more. Explore and enjoy.

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

Anita Mills contributed to this roundup.

■ Fightmaster, “Quicksand” — Cincinnati-reared artist E.R. Fightmaster’s debut album “Tolerance” will be released June 5 via Fightmaster Industries imprint, produced by Riley Geare of Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Fightmaster says: “Every song has a goal. There are no random songs. I feel warm and soft about the album in a way I don’t think I’ve ever felt about a piece of my art before.” “Quicksand” is an upbeat melodic rock song paired with lyrics describing a stagnant situation. Watch Fightmaster master the rock wall in the music video here. Live June 2 at Santa Barbara Bowl.

■ The Womack Sisters, “Chaffeur” — By now you might know the lineage: BG, Zeimani and Kucha Womack are the grandchildren of Sam Cooke, nieces of Bobby Womack and the daughters of Cecil and Linda Womack (Womack & Womack). So here are the Womack Sisters delivering the goods: “Chauffeur” (video), the follow-up to “You Went Away Too Long,” introduces the trio’s self-titled debut album, out Aug. 14 via Daptone Records and produced by label co-founder Bosco Mann (aka Gabriel Roth). Live April 23 at the Greek Theatre, opening for Thee Sacred Souls; and Aug. 14 at the Hollywood Bowl, opening for Al Green.

■ Tim Atlas, “Only Love’s to Blame” — Oakland native Tim Atlas melds indie-soul, jazz and pop to melt hearts. Today brought the release of his new EP, “Reverso,” the follow-up to his debut LP, “Enchanté.” Live May 28 at School Night at the Airliner.

■ Maddy Davis, “Afraid” — “When did I become / so afraid of love,” Maddy Davis wonders on her cathartic indie-rocker “Afraid,” her first single of 2026 and one that’s likely to have you shouting along with the chorus. By the way, that’s K. Flay contributing background vocals, and the video’s a charmer, too.

■ Bad Light, “Stuck on Letting Go” — L.A. quartet Bad Light (Ryan Barnes, Nick Bottomley, Julian Fernandez-Vina and Trent Tanzi) have released their new EP, “Mortal Wounds,” the lighlight of which is the expansive rocker “Stuck on Letting Go.” Live June 23 at the Woodbridge.

■ Jawdropped, “Monday” — L.A. quartet Jawdropped (Kyra Morling, Roman Zangari, Sean Edwards and Cook Lee-Chobanian) have announced their signing to Transgressive Records/Canvasback and invited themselves into your power-pop sweet spot with the guitar-tastic single “Monday.” They dropped their debut EP, “Just Fantasy,” a year ago.

■ Deb Never, “Blue” — Boasting singles such as the title track and “All the Time” and glowing with a warm intimacy, Deb Never’s sophomore album “Arcade” is out today.

■ Freedom Fry, “Gene” — Husband-wife duo Freedom Fry — Bruce Driscoll (who is currently playing with Ivy) and Marie Seyrat — return with another in a long line of the project’s pretty things, the lush, airy single “Gene.” It’s about Gene Wilder.

■ Father John Misty, “The Payoff” — “The Payoff” is Father John Misty’s second single since releasing his sixth album, “Mahashmashana.” It’s a edgy psych-rocker in the vein of when the Beatles went hard: “Waiting for the payoff / It’s coming soon … Why bother getting pissed off when there’s / nothing you can do,” Father John sermonizes. Live May 17 at the Fox Theater Pomona.

■ Bedouine, “On My Own” — The follow-up to “Always on Time” and “Long Way to Fall,” “On My Own” is the third single from Bedouine’s fourth album, “Neon Summer Skin,” out June 5. Live June 6 at Largo at the Coronet.

■ Ana Sky, “Blvd Dreams” — Ana Sky is the nom de tune of L.A.-reared Anna Dorfman, who was studying biology/embryology before making a left turn to music. Fans of Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse might like Sky’s cinematic pop style; “Blvd Dreams” is her latest single, and February’s “King of Hearts” reached No. 1 on the U.K. pop chart. Live June 14 at the Roxy, opening for Leah Kate.

■ Taji, “Used Like New” — Taji is the solo vehicle for Elijah Walker North Jones, a nomadic but mostly Kentucky-bred artist whose art-rock is imbued with a certain grandiosity. His 2025 single “Fail Forward” was featured in the end credits of Season 1 of HBO’s “The Pitt,” and “Used Like New” is his latest effort.

■ Linda Perry, “Feathers in a Storm” — Sleep not on “Let It Die Here,” the first solo album in more than 25 years from acclaimed songwriter, producer, label owner and 4 Non Blondes bandleader Linda Perry. “This album represents the years I struggled as a child, with a very tough mother who always made me feel like I had to be constantly looking over my shoulder, never feeling the comfort of safety,” Perry says of a relationship directly addressed in “Feathers in a Storm.” “I spent years trying to change my mom — wanting her approval and wanting her to be accountable for the damage she caused. I finally realized that would never happen. ‘Feathers in a Storm’ is about looking inward for that change. And yeah, it sucks when your parents don’t want to take responsibility for their actions. At the end of the day, we’re just feathers in a storm looking for a way out.”

■ Social Distortion, “The Way Things Were” — Tip of the cap to punk warriors Social Distortion, who today released their eighth album (and first in 15 years), “Born to Kill.” Mike Ness sings in “The Way Things Were”: “I wrote a song with a stolen riff / If you ain’t got a song you ain’t got shit,” and ain;’t that the truth.

■ Forest, “Lay With Me” — Forest, the solo vehicle of Siena Forest, is taking all the heavy stuff from the ’90s, bottling it, shaking it and popping the cap. “Lay With me,” the follow-up to “Whore & Savior,” is Forest’s third single of 2026.

■ The Active Set, “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” — Well. It is with bombast previously not heard in a decade and a half of following the Active Set’s music that the band declares, “I’m Not Here to Make Friends.” So there.

■ Lecx Stacy, “Winter, A Wilted Flower” — Lecx Stacy is a first generation Filipino American from San Diego, now based in L.A. His new album “The Folkhouse” offers hazy soundscapes to accompany his intimate storytelling as it floats between the experimental pop and folk universes.

■ The Army, The Navy, “2 Collide” — Folk-pop duo The Army, The Navy drop “2 Collide,” from their forthcoming album “Fake Brave Life,” out June 12. The band says about the track that features emotional alt-country type vocals paired with heavy pop rock instrumentation: “It’s intense, mighty and gut punching.”

■ Haylie Davis, “Give Me a Rainbow” — Country-folk artist on the rise Haylie Davis shares “Give Me a Rainbow,” following “Horns of Time.” Packed with gorgeous harmonies and a stunning electric guitar, “Give me a Rainbow” gives Woodstock 1969. Her debut album “Wandering Star” drops June 5 via Fire Records.

■ Jessie Payo, “Tiny Ballerina” — The creation of Jessie Payo’s sweet new single “Tiny Ballerina” dates back to the pandemic, when, she says, “I wrote and posted a new song a day for two weeks. ‘Tiny Ballerina’ came out as a love letter to my younger self. I was always dancing every where I went and went on to train to be a dancer. Then life happens and I have struggled with self-love and addiction. This was getting in touch with the innocence and self love I had for myself as a child, wild and free in the world.”

■ Carmela, “Queen of the Suburbs” — Friendly reminder that the sophomore album from Carmela (Anna Carmela Young), “Queen of the Suburbs,” is out today. Live June 27 at the June Gloom Festival in Reseda and Aug. 28 at the Wayfarer in Costa Mesa.

■ Yogurt, “Red Flag” — Two years since his last release, songwriter Yegor Borisenko is back with a new Yogurt single, “Red Flag” (video).

■ Slippers, “Wasted Tonight” — Slippers are the trio headed by Madeline Babuka Black, along with Blue Broderick and Parker Silzer. They engage in quite engaging OG indie-pop, lo-fi and twee, and because some things are right in the universe they are on K Records, which will release their sophomore LP, “Slippers 08,” on June 5. “Wasted Tonight” is the third single from the record. Live June 4 and June 5 at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach, opening for Hunx and His Punx.

■ Kilo Tango, “Sweet Tooth” — Songwriter Katie Mitchell’s new single as Kilo Tango, “Sweet Tooth,” is a fuzzy, serpentine beast a little reminiscent of Liz Phair. Kilo Tango released an LP since 2021 (except for a collection of demos), but Mitchell has unleashed a steady stream of singles worth exploring.

■ Electric Guest, “ETR” — Electric guest will drop a deluxe edition of their 2025 album “10K” on June 5. The album will include five new tracks, including “ETR,” a breezy upbeat track fueled by the message behind the rebellious motto “eat the rich.”

■ Lola Bates, “Madonna Gold” — Lola Bates’ talents have been evident since she was a teenager, and now they are in full bloom on the Laurel Canyon-reared artist’s debut album, “Love and Power.”

■ Paer, “Mean It” — Paer’s debut EP “Monitor” will be released by way of Anxiety Blanket Records. Produced by the duo and Mike De Luccia, “Mean It” creates a hynotizing soundscape featuring Kaki King style guitar, following “Power Lines.”

■ Fitz & the Tantrums, “Good Morning, California” — Almost a year since the release of their sixth LP, “Man on the Moon,” Fitz & the Tantrums have announced the June 5 arrival of a deluxe version of the album. The chipper pop confection “Good Morning, California” is one of three new songs on the collection.

■ Aly Navarro, “Embarrassing” — Aly Navarro crafts guitar-driven pop confessionals with charm and warmth. “Embarrassing” is the fourth single she’s released since debuting in 2024, and a taste of her forthcoming EP, “Do Not Resuscitate.”

■ Pacific Radio, “I’m Coming Over” — The cheery pop song “I’m Coming Over” is the first new music from Joe Robinson’s Pacific Radio since the project released an EP in the summer of 2024. He’s backed by guest vocalist Lila Forde on the track.

■ Supermodel*, “Cherry Garcia” — Alt-pop solo artist Supermodel* (Frankie Beanie) drops the stand-alone single “Cherry Garcia,” following his 2025 self-titled EP. “Cherry Garcia” is an charming and easy-going alt-pop love song. Watch Frankie get down in the music video choreographed by Asiel Hardison here.

■ Disco Shrine, “Spray Tan” — The follow-up to “Boom Boom,” “Spray Tan” is the latest dance-pop single from Jessica Delijani, aka Disco Shrine.

■ Blair Gun, “Riot Dog” — Two years since the release of their sophomore, “There Are No Rival Clones Here,” raucous San Diego quartet Blair Gun are back with a pair of new singles, “Riot Dog” and “Bouncing Bombs.” Their third LP is on the way.

■ Nick Moon, “Bonfire City” — Solo artist Nick Moon follows “Setting Sun” with “Bonfire City,” a noisy noise-rock track from his debut album “Who Is The Bone Man.”

■ Late Night Brunch, “Unreliable” — Late Night Brunch are an upstart indie-rock five-piece from Pasadena combining the talents of Sabane Campbell, Theo Feldman, Sophia Sogomian, Maria Trazo and Grace Lee. “Unreliable” is the second single they’ve released, following “Adolescent Love.”

■ Bosh Rothman, “Superstar” — Friendly reminder that “Joshua,” the debut EP from singer-songwriter-drummer Bosh Rothman (Living Things, Kills Birds) is out this week. It’s features one original (the title track) and five covers — all made famous by other drummers. Since we typically end these playlists with cover songs, we thought it perfect to include Rothman and Lily Elise duetting on “Superstar,” a Delaney & Bonnie song covered by the Carpenters in 1971.