Kevin Bronson on September 18th, 2020

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Rounding up three new EPs from artists we have featured …

WINNETKA BOWLING LEAGUE, “Congratulations”

Songwriter Matthew Koma’s Winnetka Bowling League has done nothing but release infectious, West Coast-tinted nuggets ever since they saluted our least favorite freeway in 2018. Today brings the release of their second EP, “Congratulations,” the title track of which — like the single “CVS” — could get stuck in your head for weeks. “We were fortunate enough to record this EP and play these songs on tour right up until the world stopped worlding,” Koma says. “Overly hopeful titles considering the climate, but hopefully it’ll play even better in 2021.” It’d be a lousy pun to say Winnetka Bowling League are on a roll … but there, we just did it anyhow.

SAINT MOTEL, “The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Pt. 2”

Highlighted by the single “Preach,” the L.A. quartet released the second installment of a three-part album that is modeled after a three-act movie. Included on the new release is “A Good Song Never Dies,” a song some might know from PlayStation’s “MLB The Show 20.” If there were such a thing as song-and-dance men on the indie landscape, these guys would be them. At once retro and modern, their songs have moves. The band has also unveiled their immersive, interactive online space New World.

TYSON KELLY, “Plastic Rockstar”

The onetime frontman of L.A.’s King Washington and now based in London, Kelly released his debut EP in 2019. His new four-song effort again displays the Valley-reared artist’s ace songwriting skills — it’s in his DNA, he’s the son of Hall of Famer Tom Kelly — while holding to no specific genre. “Am I Ever Gonna See You Again” might remind you of Haim; “Get Me Higher” recalls the disco era; you can almost spot Bowie smiling down on “And I See Your Face;” and the falsetto confessional “I Wasn’t Saying That” gets dirtied up by a nifty guitar solo. There are mixtapes for all of them.