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Today’s big ol’ genre-fluid playlist covers a lot of bases. Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 282) boasts some of the shoegaze/dream-pop we favor, along with some solid rockers, pop songs, assorted indie variations and a slab of country/Americana in the middle. You know the drill — here’s where we name-check a lot of the artists featured: Brother Swan, The Rocky Valentines, Lily Kershaw, The Black Watch, Cold Cave, Dustin Kensrue, Crushed, Lizzy McAlpine, Jakobs Castle, Sam Morrow, Zealyn, Brandon McCulloch, Hana Vu, Softjaw, Kit Major, Royal Fools and more. And stay for Mary Lattimore at the end.
Find more of our recent playlists here.
■ Brother Swan, “Swimmer” — It is with much trepidation that we dare to compare any relatively new artist to the great Ride, but here we are, with the new single from Chris Matthews, Ian Stahl, Chris Weisson and Morganfield Riley, gobsmacked by Brother Swan’s wall of sound, dynamics and sense of melody. “Swimmer” is the band’s first release since their short-but-sweet album, 2022’s “Loom.”
■ Hana Vu, “Hammer” — The follow-up to “Care,” “Hammer” (watch the video) is the latest single from 23-year-old Hana Vu’s new album, “Romanticism,” out May 3.
■ The Black Watch, “New Brooms Sweep Clean” — “The Morning Papers Have Given Us the Vapours,” the 22nd (not a typo) full-length from songwriter John Andrew Fredrick’s The Black Watch, is out April 19. Rob Campanella again produces, and we’re suffering mild apoplexy ourselves trying to keep up with the Black Watch’s indie cornucopia.
■ Softjaw, “Pleased With Me” — Dustin Lovelis was a driving force in the indie-rock band The Fling before releasing four solo full-lengths between 2015 and ’22. Now he’s back, joined by Vinny Earley (Vaguess, Diode), Daniel Michicoff (Tijuana Panthers) and Tanner Duffy (Justus Proffit, Hilary Chilton), as Softjaw. Taking cues from bands such as Big Star, Teenage Fanclub and Nerves, Softjaw’s debut EP is coming soon. Long live power-pop. Live Saturday at the Wayfarer.
■ Lily Kershaw, “Americandream” — A poignant, even hopeful, song from Lily Kershaw about these times. Starting with the October release “Depreshmode,” this makes four fantastic songs in a row from Kershaw; we have no info on her next album (“Arcadia” came out in 2019), except that it may/may not be titled “Pain & More.”
■ Ivan Cornejo, “Baby Please” — Driven by an acoustic guitar in the style they’re calling sad sierreño, “Baby Please’ is the new single from 19-year-old Riverside up-and-comer Ivan Cornejo. No matter what language in which you profess your love, this one will grab you by the heartstrings.
■ Sam Morrow, “By Your Side” — Some glossy magazine stumbled across a Hollywood joint where everybody dresses up in Western garb, and, yippee ki yay, there’s a country music renaissance in L.A. It’s nonsense, of course, though fodder for a chuckle-worthy photo spread. The genre’s cast of artists is pretty formidable and always has been, and Sam Morrow’s among the best. “By Your Side” is one of four singles released so far from his fifth full-length, “On the Ride Here,” produced in L.A. by Grammy-nominated Eric Corne and out March 22. He’ll play live on the eve of its release to an ostensibly sharp-dressed crowd at Desert 5 Spot.
■ Ted Russell Kamp, “High Desert Fever” — The 14th slab of rock-Americana from Ted Russell Kamp (who, by the way, played bass on Sam Morrow’s album) is titled “California Son,” and it’s out March 22. Live (a free show) March 21 at Harvard & Stone.
■ Dustin Kensrue, “High Scalers” — Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue, in his alt-country solo guise, memorializes the workers who gave their lives building the Hoover Dam on “High Scalers,” the second single from his forthcoming album “Desert Dreaming,” out April 15. Live May 18 at the El Rey Theatre (moved from the Roxy) and May 19 at the Observatory.
■ Rosy Nolan, “One of Your Songs” — Rosy Nolan’s first single since her 2019 EP is a two-tempo song about a two-timing man. “I was looking to write a song that oscillated between a high energy old-time tune and a traditional country two-step,” says the Stagecoach festival 2022 alum. “I wanted the song’s tempo to reflect the extreme highs and lows of a tumultuous relationship.” Live April 12 at Alex’s Bar and April 14 at Grand Ole Echo at the Echo.
■ Discotelle, “Circle” — Not disco: The duo of Danielle Disotelle and Skyler Garn get a little twangy on the new, home-recorded single “Circle,” on which, if you listen hard, you can hear the traffic on Glendale Boulevard.
■ Bedbug, “Seasons on the New Coast” — Today brought the release of Bedbug’s new album, “Pack Your Bags the Sun Is Growing” — fans of indie-rock that loosens your second-wave emo tear ducts, be alerted. Also: Read Dylan Gamez Citron’s essay on bedroom pop. Live tonight at Permanent Records Roadhouse.
■ Crushed, “Waterlily” — The L.A. dream-pop duo of Bre Morell and Shaun Durkan today released an expanded edition of their 2023 EP, “Extra Life,” via Ghostly International. “Waterlily” is best enjoyed with director Erynn Patrick Lamont’s video.
■ Cold Cave, “She Reigns Down” — “She Reigns Down” is the first newly recorded material since 2021 from darkwave mastermind Wesley Eisold. Wear the loudest black in your wardrobe.
■ Kit Major, “Let Me Be in Your Band” — Kit Major’s first single of the year, “Let Me in Your Band,” is the brassy declaration of a wannabe, who, come to think of it, is.
■ Royal Fools, “Bats in the Attic” — Identical twins August and Greyson Sucheki hail from Massachusetts, attend UCLA and are making noise as Royal Fools. They play Minifest on June 22 along with Strictly Elizabeth, Cloud Ray and more at the Write Off Room in Studio City.
■ Zealyn, “No Wondering” — The follow-up to “Blood of Hollywood,” “No Wondering” is a stop-you-in-your-tracks pop ballad freighted by a little family history. Listen to the lyrics.
■ Worn-Tin, “Replace Me” — The third album from Warner Hiatt, aka Worn-Tin, is a break-up album … (mostly) about a van. It’s titled “Lurlene” (after the van) and it’s out April 11. Heartbreak over a Ford E-150, drenched in synth that sounds like an MGMT demo, sugar for soured romance, a video inspired by Pee-Wee Herman — what’s not to like?
■ Lizzy McAlpine, “I Guess” — “Older” (out April 5) is the second album from Lizzy McAlpine, a collection made in L.A. with producers Mason Stoops, Ryan Lerman, Jeremy Most and Tony Berg. The bedroom pop artist’s second single “I Guess” gets a beautifully orchestrated treatment. Live May 18 and May 19 at the Greek Theatre.
■ Brandon McCulloch Band, “Radio On” — Veteran songwriter, photographer, journo and dude-around-town Brandon McCulloch is joined by Craig Jackson, Josh Jacober and Vincent Fosset Jr. in his latest band, which just released their first EP, “Denim.” It’s an apt title for five-song collection’s infectious and incisive ’90s-styled rock.
■ Bob Junior and Bethany Cosentino, “Always (All the Time)” — Chilean-Norwegian indie indie artist Bob Junior (Esteban Munoz) teams up with L.A.’s Bethany Cosentino for a big rocker that closes out Bob Junior’s new album “Friends Vol. 1” (out today), on which he also collaborates with the likes of Inner Wave, Dent May and Alfie Templeman.
■ Hazel English, “Jesse” (feat. Day Wave) — Hazel English again collaborates with Jackson Phillips (Day Wave), here on a paean to a Jesse she somehow lost.
■ The Rocky Valentines, “Stick It Out” — Twenty-year-old Charles Martin’s debut album as the Rocky Valentines, “Erase,” is out March 29. “Stick It Out,” the follow-up to “Sing the Song,” is the second single, prickly guitars and all.
■ Analog Party, “Can I With You?” — Songwriter Animaan Pathak lures you down the rabbit hole in Analog Party’s new neo-grunge trip, “Can I With You?,” just the fifth single he’s released since the heavy-hitting 2019 EP, “Model Youth.” Co-produced with Matt McJunkins (A Perfect Circle, Puscifer), the song is “about the duality of trying to maintain a relationship while walking the line of self-destruction,” Pathak says. “I wanted the dynamic changes between each section to reflect how chaotic one’s mind can be, in turbulent times both internally and externally.”
■ Jakobs Castle, “Supervillain” — Next month, Jakob Nowell will stand in for his late father fronting Sublime when they play Coachella. Next month also brings the release of Nowell’s debut album as Jakobs Castle, “Enter: The Castle.” “Supervillain,” co-written with Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, is the latest single.
■ Between Friends, “Friends” — Here’s the title track to “Friends,” the new EP from siblings Savannah and Brandon Hudson, who as Between Friends make treacly, small-dose synth-pop.
■ Ashley Elle, “Save Us” — Wisconsin native Ashley Elle (Ashley Kacmarcik), who currently attends Loyola Marymount, has a released a half-dozen singles as she tried to stand out amid the tender-voiced pop masses (à la Gracie Abrams).
■ Joseph Luca, “One Last Dance” (feat. The Pocket Queen) — Last year, Ojai native and purveyor of blue-eyed soul Joseph Luca began rolling out an EP trilogy with “Part 1: Ouroboros (Life).” “Part 2: Ouroboros (Death)” followed in February, and April 19 will bring “Part 3: Ouroboros (Rebirth).” If there’s such a thing as feel-betterisms, Luca is making them.
■ Mary Lattimore and Walt McClements, “Nest of Earnings” — “Nest of Earnings” is the first single from the duo project launched by harpist extraordinaire Marry Lattimore and multi-instrumentalist Walt McClements, widely known for his accordion playing. They’ll release a full-length, “Rain on the Road,” on May 11 via Thrill Jockey. The duo will premiere the album on May 8 at Zebulon.
