Today's Top Tune

London based trio mary in the junkyard first came to our attention as part of last year's Richard Russell project Everything is Recorded. The band's inventive writing centers on the distinctive voice of Clari Freeman-Taylor, all beautifully framed on their track "New Muscles", a song you might never guess was originally composed on accordion. It's Today's Top Tune. "New Muscles" from mary in the junkyard on KCRW.

Storefront Church is the moniker for Lukas Frank's visceral, vibrant musical universe. The LA based artist claims his latest project puts "his worst impulses on display, alone in a spotlight, singing at gunpoint". His new full length, Blue Movie, is out September 18th, but for now we have "Tendency For Violence" and it's Today's Top Tune.

Our featured artist today is Rahill. Born in Michigan of Iranian heritage, and currently based in New York, she brings us a very cool cover of a 1973 Iranian psychedelic classic from Kourosh Yaghmaei. This modern take reflects a glimmer of hope in the lyrics. “My days are getting light from your eyes,” she sings, “as sorrow dies in the darkness”. Today's Top Tune is from Rahill on KCRW.

The team behind Germany's Milky Chance have sent us their latest signings, moonvine - a brother and sister duo, Dennis and Selina, born in South Africa and raised in Germany. The duo is currently Berlin based and killing it right out of the gate with their debut single, "cherry spice", and it's Today's Top Tune.

The young Brazilian singer / songwriter Nina Maia has already collaborated on the soundtracks for six Brazilian feature films, including a feature with KCRW favorite Liniker. But her debut solo album draws as much from Billie Eilish or Rosalía, as it does Milton Nascimento. Though rich in Brazilian heritage, Nina also channels the trip hop goodness of Portishead and Massive Attack. Today's Top Tune is AMARGO from Nina Maia on KCRW.

Summer is the time for road trips! Appropriately, Today's Top Tune comes from Lord Fascinator & Spiral Drive, whose joint project is a concept album designed around travel. In fact, the duo recorded the project in Mannheim, Germany, the actual birthplace of both the bicycle and the automobile. Their forthcoming album is called REISE (RISE-uh), which translates to journey in German, and they'll be dropping a track each month. The first of those tracks is Today's Top Tune and it's called "AUTO".

Ezra Collective are one of Britain’s most influential contemporary bands, blending jazz with Afrobeat, reggae, salsa and UK sounds to reflect their London upbringing and diverse cultural roots. Following the success of their Mercury Prize-winning album Where I’m Meant To Be and the acclaimed Dance, No One’s Watching, their new album Here Because Of Hope explores migration, identity, pain and resilience across West African, Caribbean and British musical traditions. Today's Top Tune is the latest single from the album. It's out today and it features Jamaican singer Lila Iké.

The LA band EELS has a long history with KCRW. Their first airplay, their first ever live radio performance, all happened at KCRW back in 1995 when the band was still unsigned. So naturally, we get excited whenever a new EELS album is announced - and they've just announced their 16th, called COOKIE HAPPENED, due in October. Speaking about the album title, E says: "Well, all of this will be forgotten. Every joy, accomplishment and hardship will one day become so irrelevant it will be as if none of it occurred. But as the great philosopher of our times, Cookie Monster once said: 'Me no cry because cookie is finished. Me smile because cookie happened.' The first single from EELS' new album is Cap in Hand, and it's Today's Top Tune.

Today’s Top Tune: Warm Sound ‘Better Days’ 

After a string of buzzy standalone singles — including KUTX Staff Favorite Song of 2025 “Moons” — Austin duo Warm Sound return to flex some impeccably toned sonic muscles on their third EP, Better Days. The title track, which you can grab as today’s free download, showcases the group’s signature lush synthscapes and tight-knit harmonies. Click in for a richly textured journey to the depths of auditory emotion.

(Obscure-Disk)

Today’s Top Tune: Jim James ‘Come Again’ 

Jim James returns with “Come Again,” the first single from his upcoming solo album Wowed Out (out August 28), his first in eight years. Originally written for a film score, the track transforms into a soulful, psychedelic meditation on resilience—finding hope and beauty amid uncertainty while reminding us to keep moving forward.

(ATO Records)