Kevin Bronson on June 5th, 2026

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Into the month of June we go, accompanied by Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 390).

Hear songs from Steve Lacy, Fightmaster, Bedouine, Mr. Dinkles, Slippers, The Aggrolites, Cold War Kids, MacGregor Burns, Chicano Mosh, Clarion, Alex Andre, Zzzahara, Smirk, Haylie Davis, Jacob Ungerleider, Mermaid Island, Dustbowl Revival and more.

Anita Mills contributed to this roundup.

■ Steve Lacy, “The Feeling” — Steve Lacy introduces his third album, “Oh Yeah?” (out July 17), with “The Feeling.” It comes advertised as an album for guitar kids who love synths and synth kids who love guitars. Check out the video for “The Feeling.”

■ Fightmaster, “Minotaur” — Today brought the release of “Tolerance,” the debut LP from non-binary artist E.R. Fightmaster that features singles such as “Quicksand” and “Glide” and ranks as a tuneful triumph of empathy, for oneself and others.

■ MacGregor Burns, “My Love Won’t Ever Die” — MacGregor Burns turns his ragged slacker-soul on its ear on the new single “My Love Won’t Ever Die.” After releasing the Luke Temple-produced LP “My Corner” in April, Burns turned to producer Ben Lazar Davis (Maya Hawke, Okkervil River) for the new single, which brims with from-the-bottom-of-my-heart exuberance. Feel good.

■ Slippers, “Wants for Everyone” — Friendly reminder that “Slippers 08,” the new album from Slippers, is out today. The work of drummer/singer-songwriter/animator Madeline Babuka Black (joined by Blue Broderick and Parker Silzer), it’s an indie gem from Perennial Records, smart, sweet, jangling and refreshingly twee.

■ Cold War Kids, “There Goes the Night” — Cold War Kids’ debut album “Robbers & Cowards” turns 20 this fall, and predictably there will be an anniversary reissue. Included will be four songs written at the time of “Robbers & Cowards” but never finished and released. “There’s Goes the Night” is the first of the batch, which the Kids are calling “Complete Cowards.” Meanwhile, the band’s tour with Young the Giant continues, with a July 17 date at the Kia Forum on the horizon.

■ Mr. Dinkles, “Letter to Elon” — Not sure we’ve heard an EP that is more of the moment than “R.I.P.T.” (out today), the new release from L.A./Seattle punk duo Mr. Dinkles (Mac Rettig and Rocco Ramos). Their message to Mr. Musk is spot-on, but also see: “Grinding My Teeth”, a lo-fi punk banger, which vocalist Rettig says “is about realizing how hard I have to work in the music industry as well as how vulnerable the job can be with online presence, dealing with burnout, and reevaluating my priorities.”Go see them July 16 at Gold-Diggers.

■ Mermaid Island, “Panic Button” — Mermaid Island is the quartet headed by Alex MacDonald (joined by Jenna Terranova, Jesse Shafer and Judah Bell), engaging in deliriously and viscerally messy indie-rock and skate-punk. Their debut album, “Mermaid Island,” is worth a fist-pump, or 20.

■ Smirk, “Abide” — Rockers Smirk follow “Dog Years” with the slow and dramatic “Abide.” Vocalist Nick Vicario says: “‘Abide’ is based on an old British hymn that I reworked to be about the looming end of a long friendship. It’s about that slow drift where nothing really happens, but you can feel it fading and you aren’t trying to fix it.” “Speculative Fiction” drops July 3 via Smoking Room. Watch the music video directed and edited by Dan Duvall here.

■ Clarion, “Jilt” — Clarion dropped their sophomore EP, “Blue Fairy,” back in March, and now the East L.A. rockers (Saya Oliva, Anthony Sanchez and Javier Flores) return with “Jilt.” Live tonight at the Paramount.

■ Chicano Mosh, “Triste Luna” — Hailing from Colton, Chicano Mosh is the project of Bryan Bugarin and Danny Gutierrez, whose high-velocity surf-punk hits the spot in two languages. Live opening for Archer Oh on June 13 at the Observatory (sold out).

■ The Aggrolites, “Till the Wheels Fall Off” — The Aggrolites, ferocious dispensers of “dirty reggae” for almost a quarter-century, returned this week with their first album since 2019. “Super Atomic” is their seventh LP, and “Till the Wheels Fall Off” embodies the Aggrolites’ ethos. “[The song] is about commitment — to the grind, to the music, to the vision,” frontman Jesse Wagner says. “It’s all gas, no brakes, says Jesse, adding, “That song captures our live energy better than anything we’ve done. It’s a ride-or-die anthem. Keep going, no matter what.” Live July 25-26 at the Vans Warped Tour at the Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach.

■ Bedouine, “One Thing Right” — Welcome to the world, “Neon Summer Skin,” the album (and first since 2021) from Bedouine, the imprimatur of Syrian-American songwriter Azniv Korkejian. See also: “Always on Time” and “Long Way to Fall.” Live Oct. 17 at Sid the Cat Auditorium.

■ Alex Andre, “Dame La Luna” (feat. Andrea Lopez) — Genres intermingle in the work of Alex Andre, and sometimes their offspring amazes. On “Dame La Luna,” a collaboration with vocalist Andrea Lopez, jazz and emo get cozy. No really. Live June 12 at Valley Rox in Reseda.

■ Haylie Davis, “Lily of the Valley” — Friendly reminder that the spirit of ’70s Laurel Canyon lives on in folk singer Haylie Davis’ debut album, “Wandering Star,”Check out singles such as “Give Me a Rainbow,” “Young Man” and the title track.

■ Jacob Ungerleider, “Blacksburg” — The follow-up to “Letters of Your Name,” “Blacksburg” is the latest captivating tease from Jacob Ungerleider’s new album, “Congratulations,” out June 26. Here, the longtime sideman reflects on his time spent in Virginia. Live June 28 at Healing force of the Universe.

■ Fana Hues, “Recognize” — Pasadena-reared singer-songwriter Fana Hues returns after a two-year hiatus with the new stand-alone single “Recognize,” following her 2024 album “Moth.” “Recognize” is short and sweet alt-pop meets R&B track.

■ Waterbed, “Loading” — Waterbed, the long-running synth-pop project of Chad and Cat Montermini, returned after a five-year silence last month with the single “Airtime.” “Loading” is the follow-up, showcasing the duo’s nimble beats and airy production.

■ Debbii Dawson, “Kool Aid” — Last month, Debbii Dawson gave fans a taste of her new EP, “Where Have All the Good Men Gone?” (out June 26), and now she’s back with a sip of “Kool Aid.”

■ Malcolm Todd, “Malcolm in the Middle” — Bazillion-streaming L.A. native Malcolm Todd today released “Do That Again,” his third album. He’s got three headlining dates at the Greek Theatre: Oct. 28, Oct. 29 and Oct. 30.

■ Devon Again, “Snake The Drain” — Alt-pop artist Devon Again, aka Devon Johanningmeier, will embark on a sold out tour supporting Olivia Rodrigo this fall. In celebration Devon drops “Snake The Drain,” debuting on Interscope Records/Amusement Records. Devon says of the headstrong, country music inspired track: “This song felt like giving myself permission to explore a more headstrong, confident and playful side of myself. Snake is the first of a few that chase this feeling, and I hope to inspire that permission in whoever the song finds.”

■ Osees, “The Brute on His Knees” — John Dwyer invites one to “dip your toe in organ rock and roll” and check out the new Osees’ LP, “Off Course” (out today), which, he adds, is “an album wondering where the fuck are we and how did we get here. A signal dispatched out into the darkness.” Live Oct. 2 at the Bellwether, with Brigid Dawson.

■ Zzzahara, “She Doesn’t Want Me to Exist” — Hazy pop, supercharged shoegaze, post-punk-adjacent trips into space — yep, Highland Park-reared Zahara Jaime has released a fourth Zzahara album. It’s titled “Distant Lands.” Plan a vacation.

■ Anti-Spirit, “This World Makes Fools Of Us All” — Anti-Spirit is a four-piece modern grunge band whose members include Alex Pulisci, Ryan Alexander, Liz Sokolak and Jacob Cambra. Their new single “This World Makes Fools Of Us All,” is a loud and punishing track with hardcore vocals and defiant drums.

■ Sheva Elliot, “Birds of a Feather” — “Ultimately, this song is about saying ‘to hell with it,’ going for the person who makes your heart flutter, and not worrying about the consequences,” Sheva Elliot says of her twangy new roots-rocker, “Birds of a Feather.”

■ Dustbowl Revival, “Tall Tales” (feat. Ed Helms) — Irrepressible L.A. folk outfit Dustbowl Revival returns with a new single, “Tall Tales,” which features banjo from Ed Helms.

■ Kayla Stewart,”Lavender” — Kayla Stewart is an indie-pop singer-songwriter. Her new stand-alone single “Lavender” is a slow atmospheric ballad showcasing unique vocals. Stewart says: “Lavender represents the moment love becomes safe, steady, and fully returned.”

■ Chloe Star, “Fairytale” — Alt-pop solo artist Chloe Star drops the dark and dramatic piano-driven single “Fairytale,” following “You Say.” Star says: “It raises questions too: does fairy-tale love really last the way movies say it does? Do stories like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ actually end in lasting happiness, or do we just stop watching before things get complicated? I guess we’ll never really know.”