Today's Top Tune

Today's Top Tune: Maisy Owen ‘On My Way Down’   Nashville native Maisy Owen has been immersed in music her entire life, raised in a musical family where songcraft was second nature. Drawing on the moody intimacy of Nick Drake, the folk finesse of Bert Jansch, and the hazy dream-pop glow of Mazzy Star, she’s carving out a sound all her own. Her debut album arrives this spring, but for now, here’s a first taste with “On My Way Down.”   (Tompkins Square) 

  “Lucky Number” is a commanding opener from Kula Shaker’s forthcoming album Wormslayer, due out January 30. Marking a return to the band’s original line-up, the track taps into their signature magic — a swirling, stomping psych-rock rush that proves their knack for big hooks and kaleidoscopic groove is as sharp as ever.   (Strange F.O.L.K.)   

  Born into a distinguished musical family, Bebel Gilberto has long brought a magical voice and a soulful blend of Brazilian tradition and electronic modernity to her work. She surprised the world with the release of Tanto Tempo in 2000 — a defining album she made despite originally having no intention of following the family business. Now, to celebrate the record’s 25th anniversary, Tanto Tempo has been newly reissued, featuring a previously unreleased track, “No Return,” which we’re sharing today — a beautiful reminder of the album’s timeless, quietly revolutionary sound.   (PIAS)  

    Today’s Top Tune: Lime Garden ‘Maybe Not Tonight’ Brighton alt-pop quartet Lime Garden make their long-awaited return with “Maybe Not Tonight,” their first new material since their acclaimed debut album One More Thing. Brimming with fizz, bite, and sharp-edged confidence, the single signals a thrilling new chapter for one of the UK’s most compelling young bands as frontwoman Chloe Howard balances swagger with vulnerability.

    Today’s Top Tune: Jean Dawson ‘Prize Fighter’  Jean Dawson released his new project Rock A Bye Baby, Glimmer Of God this year, a striking, lullaby-like closing chapter to his acclaimed Glimmer of God era. Rooted in his signature “ghetto pop” sound, the recording weaves together elements of alternative, pop, soul, and beyond, with Dawson singing in both English and Spanish. Tracks like “Prize Fighter” embody the heart of the project—capturing the tension between endurance and vulnerability as Dawson reckons with survival, self-belief, and transformation. (P+)  

    Today’s Top Tune: Neko Case ‘Rusty Mountain’   As if by cosmic design, every few years Neko Case resurfaces with a new album to remind us that she is one of her generation’s greatest living songwriters—restless, fearless, and perpetually evolving. The Grammy-nominated iconoclast’s ninth studio album, Neon Grey Midnight Green, is her biggest-sounding record to date. Entirely self-produced, the album reflects Case’s singular artistic vision—defined by her uncompromising taste and absolute creative authority. A sprawling centerpiece, “Rusty Mountain,” feels like the emotional heart of the record, anchoring its vast scope.    (Anti-)  

Today’s Top Tune: Courtney Barnett ‘Stay In Your Lane’  Courtney Barnett storms back with “Stay In Your Lane,” a dynamic, hard-hitting return that spotlights her razor-sharp songwriting and unmatched guitar prowess. It’s her first new song since Things Take Time, Take Time (2021), and it arrives with all the electricity of a reawakening — ferocious rhythms, blistering riffs, and lyrics that wrestle with boundaries, expectations, and breaking free.  (Mom+Pop)  

Today’s Top Tune: Jeff Tweedy ‘Lou Reed Was My Babysitter’  Jeff Tweedy’s “Lou Reed Was My Babysitter” reimagines musical influence as a kind of childhood guardianship, honoring Lou Reed as the artist who “babysat” him through his early years. With its understated warmth and gently humorous tone, the song celebrates the dark beauty and unlikely comfort of Reed’s music — the way it offered guidance, companionship, and creative courage from afar. Tweedy turns personal nostalgia into a universal feeling: the artists who become our mentors without ever being in the room.  Jan. 4 - 8 Jeff Tweedy sold out @ Largo  Mar. 20 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco  Mar. 21 - Los Angeles, CA @ The United Theater  Mar. 22 - Ventura, CA @ The Ventura Theatre  (dBpm Records)  

  Today’s Top Tune: Hercules & Love Affair ‘Someone Else Is Calling’   Hercules & Love Affair returns with Someone Else Is Calling, a new EP that marks a full-circle dive back into the dancefloor for founder Andy Butler. The project was sparked during time spent working in Iceland, where a sudden impulse to “crack out some dance music” ignited an immediate creative rush. Let’s check out the title track.    (StrataSonic Records)  

    Today’s Top Tune: The Barr Brothers ‘Run Right Into It’ (Feat. Land of Talk) Let’s check out the newly updated version of The Barr Brothers’ “Run Right Into It,” a propulsive ode to the power of change. Featuring the unmistakable vocals of fellow Montrealer Elizabeth Powell (Land of Talk), the track buzzes with the kinetic energy of transformation and the spirit of renewal. Sonically, it draws inspiration from the tight counterpoint harmonies and magnetic vocal chemistry of groups like The Raveonettes, resulting in a track that feels both urgent and beautifully alive. (Secret City Records)  

Today’s Top Tune: Mavis Staples ‘Human Mind’ Sad And Beautiful World is the latest solo album from our national treasure, Mavis Staples, a generation spanning talent who continues to stand with us through uncertain times, singing from a place of lived experience and unwavering compassion. On the album, Staples delves into seven decades of the American songbook. The opening track “Human Mind” reflects on the complexity of modern life while holding onto a fragile but persistent faith in humanity.  (Anti)  

Today’s Top Tune: DÜÜL SUNS ‘Jealousy’  DÜÜL SUNS introduce their distinctive psych-soul/garage-rock fusion with “Jealousy,” the explosive lead single from their self-titled debut mini-album. Built on hypnotic riffs, molten grooves, and soaring vocal harmonies, “Jealousy” captures the band’s raw electricity and cinematic sense of space. It’s the perfect entry point into the DÜÜL SUNS universe—heavy, soulful, and instantly memorable.  (Declared Goods)  

    Today’s Top Tune: Boy Deluxe ‘EAT YOU ALIVE’   Los Angeles-based dark pop/electronic duo Boy Deluxe dive deeper into their shadow-pop world with “EAT YOU ALIVE,” a pulsing, seductive track that sits at the intersection of danger and desire.    (Industry Houseplant)  

    Today’s Top Tune: Melody's Echo Chamber ‘The House That Doesn't Exist’   With her fourth studio album Unclouded, Melody’s Echo Chamber shares the luminous song “The House That Doesn’t Exist.” Built on swooping strings and a diaphanous elegance, the track showcases the deep creative synergy between Melody and producer and jazz musician Sven Wunder, who mirrors her soaring vocal lines with rich ensemble textures. Melody describes the song as “turning the impossible perspective of a joyful human life in today’s world into reality, evoking a new sense of faith.”    (Domino)  

    Today’s Top Tune: Reyna Tropical ‘Tu Voz’  Revered, border-shattering artist Reyna Tropical (Fabiola Reyna) unveils her new single “Tu Voz,” a track born, as she describes, from “that exact moment in my room having an existential crisis.” Produced, written, and performed by Reyna, with Angel Michael Lau on percussion, the song draws inspiration from the tenderness and ache of queer long-distance love. Blending the emotive pull of Mexican ranchera with the vibrant rhythms of Brazilian samba, “Tu Voz” is carried by Reyna’s vocals.   (Reyna Tropical)  

Today’s Top Tune: Jalen Ngonda ‘All About Me’  Soul singer supreme Jalen Ngonda and veteran keyboardist-producer Victor Axelrod have joined forces for the irresistibly soulful reggae anthem “All About Me.” After collaborating on sessions for Jalen’s 2023 debut Come Around and Love Me, Axelrod was struck by the way Jalen’s voice echoed the British singer Bitty McLean. With the track’s instrumental already in place, all it needed was the perfect voice — and with Jalen on board, the duo wrote the lyrics and laid down the vocals in a single night.  (Daptone Records)   

Brooklyn songwriter and trumpeter Tōth returns with And The Voice Said, a soul-searching new album out February 27, 2026. Co-produced with Caroline Rose and featuring Kimbra, it’s a radiant look at healing and self-discovery. The lead single “Not Broken” bursts with bright horns, piano, and a mantra of self-love — captured in a joyful Coney Island video filled with strangers singing along. (Northern Spy Records/Egghunt Records!) (Tōth rhymes with both)  

Today’s Top Tune:  Joseph ‘Ready To Let You Down’ (Radio Edit)  Indie-pop duo JOSEPH — sisters Natalie and Meegan Closner — have announced a 2026 headline tour in support of their forthcoming album Closer To Happy, which lands in Los Angeles on Friday, February 27 at Pacific Electric. We’re gravitating toward the title track, a blissfully frenetic anthem powered by dizzying beats and sweat-soaked melodies. (Nettwerk Music Group)

Singer-songwriter Benny Sings returns with “Castle,” a new song and self-directed video that marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Known for more than two decades of warm, witty, genre-blurring songwriting and collaborations with artists like Remi Wolf, Mac DeMarco, and Rex Orange County, Benny now turns his focus to a more grounded, family-centered life.    (Stones Throw)  

Soulwax made a major impact on our Best of 2025 list, landing in the Top 10 Albums of the Year and earning the third most-played song on KCRW. Fresh off the release of All Systems Are Lying, the band — formed by brothers David and Stephen Dewaele — continues to expand its boundary-pushing creative universe, spanning their work as Soulwax, their 2manydjs persona, the DEEWEE label, and the Despacio sound system. Their acclaimed three-drummer live show is now touring across Europe and the UK, further cementing their reputation as one of the most innovative forces in modern electronic music.   (Mass Appeal)