Today's Top Tune

My Precious Bunny is the solo project of Lily Wolter of the brother sister indie rock duo Penelope Isles. Originally from The Isle of Man, an island situated midway between the Irish and English coasts, Wolter delivers a debut album that exhilarates - caught between joy and melancholy. Our favorite is "I Go Up, You Go Down" and it's Today's Top Tune.

Angela Autumn grew up in the Appalachian hills of Western Pennsylvania. Her distinctive half yodel, half hillbilly growl graces her latest single, a surefooted banjo stomp of goodness. The song heralds the coming of her sophomore release, Believer, due on 9/11. It's called Mountain Stream and it's Today's Top Tune.

Tomoyuki Katsurada is a founding member of the now defunct Japanese rock band Kikagaku Moyo His latest is a dreamy collaboration with Scottish guitarist Jonny Nash, founder of Melody as Truth, an Amsterdam based record label that specializes in ambient projects. Today's Top Tune is one from their stellar new album At the Emerald Pool, and it's Today's Top Tune.

KCRW favorite Uche Yara is Austrian born, and Berlin-based. Her electrifying new single explores the constant tension between control and surrender, between dominance and submissiveness. BODYSCANNER thrives on that duality and it's Today's Top Tune.

Born in North Carolina, and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Jordan Patterson conjures the emotional intensity and conversational tone of 90s Ani Difranco. Her voice commands an audience, and her song "Cinderella" is Today's Top Tune.

The Seattle based duo Chinese American Bear is Lingbo Ann Tong and Bryce Barsten. Lingbo is Chinese by birth, and Bryce grew up on a llama farm. Together, they build Mandarin and English lyrics into their kaleidoscopic brand of alt pop. We're loving this hypnotic piece from their latest album Dim Sum & Then Some. It's called Chant and it's Today's Top Tune.

Allie Teilz' origin story starts in Phoenix, Arizona, where she worked at a record store at 13, and booked local shows with her favorite artists by the age of 15. A celebrated career as a DJ followed, and now, with her own music, she continues to explore her fondness for disco and glam rock. Her whole history is evident on her new single "17" and it's Today's Top Tune. Teilz on KCRW.

Poolside is Jeffrey Paradise, who over the past 15 years - four albums and dozens of collaborations later - has defined a sound that has launched a genre: Daytime Disco. Poolside's latest is a big swing called "Bedroom Eyes," and it features the voice of UK singer-songwriter, and platinum-selling artist Stevie Appleton. This shimmering Summer single explores the depth of a single look that could be love at first sight, and it's Today's Top Tune.

KCRW has a long tradition of championing the best music from around the world, especially new hybrids, exhilarating blends of old + new, genre-hopping, culture bending experiments that reveal musical epiphanies. Today's Top Tune is a stellar example. South African singer-songwriter Bongeziwe Mabandla joins Cameroonian artist Blick Bassy on the song Ndinje, a song that states proudly, "This is Who I Am".

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".

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: Mollie Elizabeth ‘Run Rabbit’    Rising pop artist Mollie Elizabeth shares “Run Rabbit,” a hauntingly whimsical single that pairs cinematic melodies with deeply personal storytelling. Inspired by the lasting impact of an unstable childhood, the song explores trauma, resilience, and the complicated question of whether our coping mechanisms define us.   (Neon Gold Records)  

  Today’s Top Tune: Sofie Royer ‘Sesquicentennial’ Austrian based artist Sofie Royer returns with “Sesquicentennial,” the first glimpse of her forthcoming album before/after (out Sept. 4). Blending sophisticated pop with philosophical reflection, the track explores the cycles we repeat throughout our lives—capturing that fleeting moment between who we've been and who we're becoming. “The idea for the song came to me in the Texas heat after a SXSW show when I read the word on the back of a bumper sticker. It means every one hundred and fifty years; which I remember my sunstroked self finding both silly and thrilling, and made me think about all that’s cyclical in our own lifetimes; what we’re fated to repeat.”   (Stones Throw)  

  Today’s Top Tune: Vincent Taeger ‘O Santo do Nome’  French drummer, composer, and producer Vincent Taeger explores Brazilian musical traditions on “O Santo do Nome.” Blending rich percussion, jazz influences, and contemporary arrangements, the track reflects Taeger’s knack for creating deeply rhythmic, globally minded music that feels both timeless and adventurous.   (Flee Project)

  Today’s Top Tune:  Panda Bear & Sonic Boom ‘A? of When’ (Ultimate Drive Time Mix)   Panda Bear and Sonic Boom reunite for A ? of WHEN, their eagerly anticipated follow-up to 2022’s Reset. Blending playful loops, pedal steel, harp, and even mariachi flourishes, the album pairs its bright, adventurous sound with reflections on modern anxieties, from online burnout to environmental uncertainty. The title track captures that contrast perfectly: an irresistibly buoyant tune that turns concern for the future into something unexpectedly joyful. We hit play on the Ultimate Drive Time Remix.    (Domino)  

  Today’s Top Tune: Little Barrie ‘Luggin’ Hurt’  UK psych-rock veterans Little Barrie return with “Luggin’ Hurt,” a fuzzed-out groove from their new album Gravity Freeze. Blending deep soul rhythms, sharp hooks, and vintage rock swagger, the track showcases the trio’s enduring chemistry as they continue a new chapter following the loss of longtime drummer Virgil Howe. (Easy Eye Sound)  

    Today’s Top Tune:  Genesis Owusu ‘Stampede’   Genesis Owusu returns with REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, a bold and deeply personal album that grapples with the chaos of modern life. Blending experimental sounds with raw emotion, the Ghanaian-Australian artist explores identity, uncertainty, and resilience, as you’ll hear on the unsettling sound of “Stampede,” creating a record that feels both intensely intimate and strikingly universal.   (Ourness)  

  Today’s Top Tune: Josh da Costa ‘Proving Me Right’   Josh da Costa steps out on his own with New Wave Graveyard (out July 24), a highly anticipated solo debut inspired by the glam, synth-pop, and post-punk sounds of artists like Japan, Sparks, and ELO. Led by the single “Proving Me Right,” the album plays like a collection of lost classics from an alternate universe—blending da Costa’s eclectic musical obsessions into a colorful, genre-hopping statement.   (Stones Throw)  

Today’s Top Tune: Okonski ‘Axes (Feat. Rachel Kitchlew)   Okonski—the jazz trio featuring Durand Jones & The Indications members Steve Okonski, Aaron Frazer, and Michael Montgomery, return with “Axes,” a new single featuring harpist Rachel Kitchlew. Blending soulful improvisation with rich, cinematic textures, the track highlights the group’s knack for creating meditative, deeply expressive instrumental music.   (Colemine Records)  

  Today’s Top Tune: Shakey Graves ‘When The Love Is New’    Shakey Graves explores matters of the heart on “When the Love Is New,” a standout from his new album Fondness, Etc. Driven by a propulsive Tulsa-style groove and brooding alt-rock energy, the song reflects on the uncertainty and exhilaration of new love while showcasing the intimate, home-recorded spirit of the album.   (Dualtone)  

    Today’s Top Tune: Bedouine ‘Always On Time’   LA-based musician Bedouine returns with “Always on Time,” a warm, reflective single from her new album Neon Summer Skin. Built around a gentle piano melody with lush strings and synths, the track leans into themes of patience and self-acceptance—embracing life’s timing rather than rushing it.   (Thirty Tigers)  

    Today’s Top Tune: duendita ‘super sad!’ (Clean)   duendita’s album existential thottie is led by the single “super sad!” Blending jazz, soul, and R&B with raw, diary-like honesty, the project dives into themes of identity, love, and survival. Fully self-produced, it’s duendita’s most personal work yet—balancing vulnerability, humor, and a commitment to healing.   (10k)  

  Today’s Top Tune: Allison Russell ‘Cold April (Feat. Denitia, Kara Jackson, & Explore! Pop Choir) Allison Russell leans into the healing power of music on “Cold April.” Joined by Kara Jackson, Denitia, and the Explore! Pop Choir, the track isn’t about dwelling on hard times—it’s about finding renewal through song. With voices lifted together, Russell channels resilience, community, and the strength to keep moving forward.   (Fantasy Records / Concord Label Group)  

  Today’s Top Tune: Flying Mojito Brothers ‘Polk Salad Annie’    The Flying Mojito Bros link up with the legacy of Tony Joe White on The Swamp Fox, a remix project that bridges swampy Southern soul with late-night disco grooves. Inspired by White’s own genre-blending experiments in the late ’70s and ’80s, the UK duo rework cuts from The Real Thang including “Polk Salad Annie” into their signature “desert disco” sound—bringing new life to the Swamp Fox’s timeless funk.   (Swamp Records)  

    Today’s Top Tune: Mia Doi Todd ‘A Song To Make You Smile’    Mia Doi Todd offers a radiant moment with “A Song To Make You Smile,” a standout from her album Human Experience. Blending warmth, wisdom, and emotional depth, the track lives up to its name — a gentle, uplifting reminder of joy amid life’s full spectrum of feeling.   (City Zen)  

  Today’s Top Tune: Marshmello & Portugal. The Man ‘Phoenix’    Marshmello and Portugal. The Man join forces on “Phoenix,” a bright, feel-good anthem that captures the spark of new love and renewal. With its uplifting energy and nostalgic glow, the track channels the rush of connection and the promise of fresh beginnings — a perfect soundtrack for the spring and summer ahead.  

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)