Today's Top Tune

It’s been a banner year for Dijon: Lending talents to Bon Iver’s SABLE, fABLE, contributing to Justin Bieber’s SWAG, and an upcoming role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Batter After Another. But all of the above takes a backseat to Baby, his long-awaited follow up to 2021’s Absolutely. It’s an album made at home and mostly in isolation (save for contributions from his new family and a few notable musical kindred spirits). Crucially, it retains the deliberate introspection fans have come to expect. “Yamaha” is a highlight from the LP (out now), capturing a slice of quotidian life.

Latin Grammy-winning, Puerto Rican star iLe’s new LP Como Las Canto Yo (How I Sing Them) is due in late October. The album will feature her interpretations of a few favorite boleros. This includes “Un Amor De La Calle” (A Love of the Street), popularized by Boricua Hector Lavoe in 1975. Boleros tend to lean heavily on orchestration, but for this version iLe keeps it gritty and bohemian with streetwise energy.

Nashville-based pop purveyor Jessie Baylin has shared the stage with artists like Stevie Nicks, The Shins, and Iron & Wine (to name just a few). “Wild Life” was co-written with Daniel Tashian, a two-time Grammy-winning songwriter and producer who has worked with Kasey Musgraves and Burt Bacharach. This track has all the glitter of classic orchestral pop, and evokes a timeless Laurel Canyon sound.

Jazzy vocalist Mae Powell has experienced a major break-up. The kind of major break-up that led her to move to the farm where her mom lives so that she could take the time to process and figure out her next steps. Eventually she wrote “Where Will Love Go?” for her new album Making Room for the Light. Accustomed to devoting all of her attention to that one person that was no longer there, Powell felt overwhelmed by the love and care that she could no longer funnel through. Writing helped her figure things out and led her to realize that she’d need to learn to love herself before she could send that love anywhere else.

To say we’re excited by the prospect of new music from seminal ‘90s/2000s dreampop band Ivy would be an understatement. Traces Of You, the erstwhile project’s first new release in twelve years has been built from the ground up using demos and fragments which date from 1995 to 2012. After losing founding member Andy Schlesinger to COVID in 2020, surviving bandmates Dominique Durand and Andy Chase thought that Ivy was done forever. But as the pair prepared for back catalog reissues, they discovered a treasure trove of reel-to-reel tapes and old hard drives with unfinished songs. They handpicked the best and carved out an album’s worth of goodies for this new collection, complete with contributions from Schlesinger. “Heartbreak” is a 2010 demo that showcases their twinkling magic.

If you are looking to stargaze, look no further than the all-female, Sydney-based shoegaze band JuliaWhy?. Fans of Cocteau Twins and Slowdive will find plenty to love in “Pale Blue Dot.” The song invites its listeners to turn to the stars and the beauty of the environment as a place for solace.

LA-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Melina Duterte — best known as Jay Som — recently announced Belong, her first new album in more than six years. It’s also her first album to feature guest vocalists, including heavy-hitters like Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, and Lexi Vega of Mini Trees. Hear the latter adding backing vocals to Duterte’s favorite track on the record “Cards On The Table.”

The strongest link between the members of Melbourne’s Folk Bitch Trio, aside from their lifelong friendship, is music. The three women all knew that they wanted careers in music and joining forces demystified their future. Their debut album Now Would Be A Good Time, centers around being young and feminist in Australia. Absorb the message, download “God’s Got A Different Sword” for free as Today’s Top Tune.

It’s been roughly ten years since independent artist Rachael Yamagata put out a new studio album(!). Trust us, Starlit Alchemy (due October 3 via Julian Records) is worth the wait. Yamagata calls the forthcoming LP a “deep dive record,” with each song flowing into the next; a map made after the journey that nonetheless tells a cohesive story. “Birds” is a message song in disguise. P.S. If you think you aren’t familiar with Yamagata’s sonic stylings, think again. She’s worked extensively behind the scenes with a wide variety of our favorite artists including Liz Phair, Toots and the Maytals, and Bright Eyes.

Jeb Loy Nichols is on a lifelong journey through the roots of Americana, bringing his fresh perspective to the genre all along the way. “Step In” is just what you need to sample his dusty storytelling, it's even got a little Southern Rock thrown in for good measure. Plus, he’s got Cold Diamond & Mink’s swinging soul for back up. This one’s a total knockout.

Producer, songwriter, and DJ HAAi is busy putting the finishing touches on her new album, HUMANiSE (due Oct. 10 via Mute). The album wrestles with what it is to be human in an increasingly digital world. But don’t worry, one thing a computerized world will never have is a sense of mortal connection… especially on the dancefloor. Grab “Hey!” while it’s free as Today’s Top Tune.

Indie rock hit maker Kurt Vile just dropped Classic Love, a new five-track EP made in collaboration with his Nashville-based pal Luke Roberts. Drawing heavily from their friendship and creative partnership, this EP checks all the best boxes: infectious, raw, and extraordinary. All of which goes double for the title track so grab that free download right now.

“A Lesson in Leavin’” had an impromptu debut at Stagecoach Festival earlier this year and was simply too good to abandon in the desert. So Sierra Ferrell and Nikki Lane have teamed up once again to record and release their harmony-dripping version of Dottie West’s classic country song. You can (and should) download it now to live forever in your digital library.

What happens when you pair a great guitar player with a badass bassist? You get mind-bending sounds from gifted producer and multi-instrumentalist Blake Mills — known for his work with Alabama Shakes and Bob Dylan — and Grammy-winner Pino Palladino who has reshaped how we hear the bass. See: Palladino’s collaborations with everyone from Erykah Badu to Nine Inch Nails. “Taka” is hard to pin down, but easy to take in. And you can take it in IRL, because Pino Palladino & Blake Mills are hitting The Ford on Friday, Sept. 26.

Men I Trust are winding their way through the USA on their biggest tour yet. It’s happening in the wake of two albums released just a few months apart in 2025: Equus Asinsus and Equus Caballus (Latin for donkey and horse, respectively). Early in the process of writing and recording, they realized they’d written songs with two distinct energies, each equally meaningful to the band. So they decided to put two albums out at (basically) the same time. “Come Back Down” is from Equus Caballus.

In just a few days, Big Wild (aka Jackson Stell) will release the vibrant new album Wild Child (Aug. 29). After making 2022’s The Efferusphere, he sought to connect to what originally drew him to music. That journey led him to resume communications with his inner child — his alias “Wild Child” — leading him to a wider, more emotionally resonant sonic palette. “Too Loud” was written by releasing his thinking mind and relying on pure excitement. Plus, it features Phantogram (!). Catch Big Wild at The Wiltern on Oct 4.

LA-based sonic acrobat Gelli Haha takes a running leap into her arthouse theatrics with frisky energy to spare. Her newly released debut album Switcheroo blooms with contrasts: playful, profound, and back and forth between the two modes many times over. If this is your first time in the Gelliverse, “Pluto is not a planet it’s a restaurant” is the perfect entry point. More: Gelli Haha: KCRW Guest Selector Set

Ozomatli is a band of activists who use music as a weapon for confronting inequity on their new song “Red Line.” “This track is a statement of solidarity,” says founding member Raul Pacheco. “We’re singing for everyone trying to make a life in a system built to hold them back.” The Grammy-winning ensemble is currently celebrating their thirtieth anniversary as a band with shows all across the country. If you’re reading this in SoCal, you have plenty of opportunity to see the legends in action: Friday, Sept. 12 – Monday, Sept 15 Ozomatli will be part of the Super Legends Cruise (departing from from Long Beach), Friday, Oct. 17 they’ll be at The Venice West, and Saturday, Oct. 18 they hit Warehouse 9 in San Pedro.

Americana duo Marfa makes music that ties Laurel Canyon to West Texas. Their vibrant sound is a proverbial hay bale of beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping good times. No matter how bad their hearts might be breaking, as you’ll hear on “Little Miss Two Time,” Marfa makes being left high and dry (almost) sound fun.

Discodelic-funk-punk trio Say She She just dropped “Under The Sun,” a tasty treat from their forthcoming third album Cut & Rewind (out Oct 3). It’s their dreamiest, most sway-ready song to date. Written during the WGA strike in 2023, the song is a summery ode to standing up to the man. Plus, it leaves plenty of room for the cognitive dissonance that comes from living in an idyllic setting… while also struggling under the weight of immense pressure.