Today's Top Tune

Brooklyn-based trio Nation of Language has an ardent-and-ever-expanding international audience for their danceable take on new wave, post-punk, and shoegaze. Expect new music from Nation of Language — now signed to Sub Pop(!) — throughout 2025. It begins with the exuberant “Inept Apollo.”

Three-time Grammy-winner Ben Harper has amassed an international audience with his genre-defying work. He’s also revered for his many musical collaborations and the wide array of artists he’s worked with as a producer. “Before The Rain Dried” is the first single from a forthcoming album — an emotional reflection on loss dedicated to his longtime guitarist, Michael Ward. Catch Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals when they cap off their fifteen-city tour on Sunday, Aug. 24 at The Orpheum in LA.

KCRW Young Creators Project alum, Tatyana Richaud, just hit us with a new experimental pop production — “Dandelions.” In addition to sonic inventiveness, the song offers introspective storytelling through its lyrics that explore the theme of youth.  

Ex-rocker/new-folker Steve Stout recently updated his sound to lean a little less lo-fi, and a little more in line with artists like Fruit Bats and Kurt Vile. “Some Folks” began life as a demo while Stout was under the weather and needed a tune to test an amp. But when he added vocals to the equation, he became intrigued by the cool poolside vibes he was channeling with his off-kilter recording method (and his illness).  The song languished on the backburner for months as Stout worried he wouldn't be able to match the original tone. Luckily, his then 2 year-old gave him the flu and the song was saved.

Alabama-based Lamont Landers funnels himself into his songs, infusing each note with raw power and grit. Lamont picked up the guitar as a teenager and quickly gained notice with a viral cover of Ray Charles’ “Hit The Road Jack.” This eventually led to a stint on America’s Got Talent and an invitation to record with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb. “Lotta Love” is Lamont’s official introduction to the music world. 

You probably recognize MRCY’s “Wandering Attention” from our recent world premiere on Morning Becomes Eclectic. Its swagger, soul, and vibrance play as a phenomenal preview of what’s ahead on their forthcoming album Volume 2 — due to drop on May 30. 

Chi-town indie artist Kai Slater records their quirky, nostalgic, lo-fi ditties under the moniker Sharp Pins. They also produce a rad ‘zine called HALLOGALLO. If you’re a Connie Converse or Big Star fan, download “Sycophant” immediately.

Grammy-winners, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and big time hit-makers The Doobie Brothers have still got it. On June 6, they will release their 16th studio album Walk This Road. It’s the foursome’s first new record in over forty years, and it was produced right here in Los Angeles. Written by frontman Michael McDonald (as all of the songs on the new LP are), “Learn To Let Go” radiates the band’s core essence through that signature sound that we all know and love.

Eighty four year-old Irma Thomas is the “Soul Queen of New Orleans.” Galactic is a band that’s spent the last three decades generating uncompromising funk music. Now, these cornerstones of the Crescent City are sharing a new collaboration — Audience With The Queen. Stewards of sonic heart that they are, Galactic fits perfectly alongside Thomas’ incomparable voice. And we expect “Where I Belong” will become a setlist staple for both artists.

After their surprise Coachella sets last month, Grammy-winning production/songwriting duo Bob Moses decided to let the hits keep coming. “Time of Your Life,” their first new music since their 2022 album The Silence In Between, is a sweet first taste of what they’ll be serving up later this year…