Today's Top Tune

Today's Top Tune

By KCRWMusic
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Today's Top Tune episodes

  • Maisy Owen ‘On My Way Down’

    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) 

    4 min
  • Kula Shaker ‘Lucky Number’

     

    “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.) 

     

    4 min
  • Bebel Gilberto ‘No Return’

     

    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)

     

    5 min
  • Lime Garden ‘Maybe Not Tonight’

     

     

    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.

    3 min
  • Jean Dawson ‘Prize Fighter’

     

     

    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+)

     

    4 min
  • Neko Case ‘Rusty Mountain’

     

     

    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-)

     

    4 min
  • Courtney Barnett ‘Stay In Your Lane’

    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)

     

    4 min
  • Jeff Tweedy ‘Lou Reed Was My Babysitter’

    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)

     

    4 min
  • Hercules & Love Affair ‘Someone Else Is Calling’

     

    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)

     

    4 min
  • The Barr Brothers ‘Run Right Into It’ (Feat. Land of Talk)

     

     

    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)

     

    5 min

About Today's Top Tune

From the publisher's feed

A free weekday download of standout songs, including advance releases, exclusive live tracks recorded at KCRW, remixes, and an introduction to new artists on our radar.

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