It seems like forever since San Diego quintet The Tragic Thrills first released their jaunty anthem "Tears", and that’s because it’s been a staple in their body of work since it was first unveiled last year. The track rightfully opens their utterly celebratory self-titled full-length, which was just officially released this week via Washington Square Music. What follows are nine more amicable, head bobbing cuts with a snappy, early aughts pop rock feel that are ready for constant radio airplay. Make sure to make your day a little bit brighter by watching them play at Hotel Café on Wednesday, October 29th.

Simplicity can be both a strength and a weakness. Garage rockers Maniac like to venture barely outside the lines with their no frills dirty rock, and their compulsion to urgent hooks and fierce, metronomic drum work simply just works. There’s a dash of power pop sensibility on the track “Dim Sum”, which was featured on their last 7", a brazenly jubilant number with a hard-edged backbone that has singer Zache Davis crying the refrain “shake it out” like proper mod punks. It careens wildly but it’s smartly constructed, a crunchy, straightforward anti-anthem that somehow ends up striking a winning chorus. The band are following it with a new full-length, Demimonde”, which will be released on November 11 via La Ti Da Records.

Benjamin Newgard, a native New Yorker turned LA transplant, debuts his first EP under the moniker Tarot School. His new EP, Giver of Names, is an acoustically driven project backed by powerful lyrics and vocals. Title track, "Giver of Names" captures the collective milieu of the EP with soft echoing vocals and multi-genre influences. "Silly Love", written by Daniel Johnston and performed by Newgard, is perhaps the most heartbreaking excursion on this collection. But it is rivaled by the lyrical and fittingly West Coast "Ghost, Ghost", with lines like "I suspect you might be here to stay"; one can only imagine that Newgard will be. – Jennifer Mergott

Inspired by the Nas lyric, “my mind is seeing through your design like blind fury”, and a nod to his dad’s work in neuroscience, Ringgo Ancheta is the genius behind MNDSGN (pronounced ‘mind design’). He illustrates to his audience the importance of beats and melodies in his music, which we rarely hear in music nowadays without lyrics, so we tend to forget how vital every detail is; every bass hit and every auto tune that we hear in the background is what is used to create the songs we know and love. Ancheta’s work solidifies the backbone of the hip-hop beats; his most recent work is the bewitching sound of TXT. His newest release from his album, Yawn Zen, creates an atmosphere of psychedelic ins and outs while engaging his audience on a synesthesia journey. "I’ve allowed myself to study the absence of daily struggle and its effects, and began to subconsciously paint that vibe in the music. Yawn Zen comes from a very neutral place that we, sometimes, are too busy to realize is there." – Kayla Hay

Folsom foursome, now locals, Brown Shoe recently released their latest EP, Lonely Beast II, the second of three EP’s that symbolically unify an entire full-length. The single they’re promoting off the EP, "Nightcrawler", is a surging rocker with indie rock inclinations that ultimately thrills and delights. It keeps the emotions genuine and real, and its lush soundscapes soothe with a feeling of cathartic release. The band is making an appearance at The Spare Room on October 2nd, and shortly therafter at Silverlake Lounge on October 24th.

Minimalist garage duo Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad have a cautionary tale for all of us through the vague, yet felt message lying within their cryptic track "Jane". The vocals are as clear as they can be and with good reason – these two have a story to share and they want you to hear every single word, built around a steady guitar line and a slinky bass throb that keeps the tension high as they hone in on their message: "girls and boys if you are listening/if you feel imprisoned/feeling like your mouth is glued tight shut/you were born for a reason/share all your feelings". The screeching cries that accentuate each verse seem to imply some sinister wrongdoing, which makes it all the more effective. Girlpool are officially releasing their self-titled debut EP on November 18th through Wichita Recordings. And make sure to catch their hometown residency at the Echo this coming December. 

Soft Swells release their sophomore album, Floodlights, on September 30th, which follows their self-titled debut (2012) and follow-up EP Lifeboats (2013). Their first single, "Floodlights", was just remixed by the electro-pop band EXROYALE, lending the original’s garage sounding guitar riffs a slightly more mellow pop finish. "Don’t you want to think this is our time", the song’s mantra echoes in both versions. The band name also serves as a pretty good description of their music. It’s derived from surf terminology, and their sound mimics the ease of the small waves it represents. Though they may have started small, their swell is definitely growing. They have a standing Monday residency at the Echo until September 22nd. After that, they’ll kick off their tour – the next stop being Austin, TX. Catch them before their wave breaks. – Jennifer Mergott

Singer/songwriter Jen Hirsh, otherwisde known as MONOGEM, continues to bridge the current surge of eighties-leaning synth pop with nineties R&B with "Stay With Me", a soulful slow-burn with a metallic sheen that’s a sharp contrast to her previous, more dance-oriented single "All We Have". Hirsh follows a measured, more atmospheric tone that brings her delicate, yet robust vocals to the forefront. "Stay With Me" should be part of her upcoming EP, which, according to her official facebook page, should be arriving very, very soon.

Kelela Mizanekristos’s style and soul has caught not only my attention but also LA based producer Kingdom. Her sweet sounding voice and low key, yet hype beats spun a much-acclaimed 13 track mixtape last year called CUT 4 ME. The sinfully true lyrics tell stories of heartbreak, and relationships with rousing beats that really do lead from the car, to the club, and to the bedroom. Her newest single, OICU, featuring LE1F, has a twist of Childish Gambino, Jhene Aiko and The Weeknd packed into one song. It’s catchy and extremely fun rapping to, especially if you’re anything like me and can’t sing. Producer P Morris composed a perfectly blended mix of freestyle, instrumentals and synergy between all the parties involved, effectively mixing complex beats to help this upcoming star emerge from LA’s underground scene. – Kayla Hay

Hotly-tipped pop chanteuse Zella Day has garnered heaps of attention for her sweeping, uplifting synth pop, a marked evolution from her days living in a small ranch in Pinetop, Arizona. At an early age, Day would perform at her family-owned coffee show, playing a variety of covers in what could be described as a stately, idyllic setting. These days, Day is pursuing a grander, more accessible sound, in which an atmospheric veil of droning synths and pompous, thundering drums crash against her simple, yet affective vocals. Day may write finely-polished ballads that have the potential to become big hits, but they’re also intricately produced and suffused with a sultry elegance that’s equally exacting and fulfilling. Expect her still nascent career to really take shape in 2015.Day’s debut self-titled EP is slated for a fall 2014 release via B3SCI records. And make sure to catch her play a set at The Echo next wednesday, September 10th.  

Nicholas Krgovich, a multi-instrumentalist originally hailing from Canada, is set to release his first full-length studio album, On Sunset,  on September 22nd. The album is a dynamic mix of experimental pop and modern 80’s dance rhythms with a slightly melancholy edge. Krgovich, also of No Kids, GIGI and P:ANO, has ventured out on his own for On Sunset. The standout track, "Along the PCH on Oscar Night", is a quiet night drive in off-duty LA. The video captures Los Angeles loneliness whether intentionally or not, by painting Krgovich upon a background of empty Hollywood landmarks. There’s a restlessness to this particular night which perfectly suits Krgovich’s dancey pop melodies. For a city that functions primarily around celebrity, "Along the PCH" separates Los Angeles from its’ glamourous Hollywood counterpart. There is something anxious and exciting about the city through this perspective. Krgovich laments about "going home empty-handed" in the ironic loneliness of the city’s most popular night. – Jennifer Mergott

Echo Park septet Sweet Bump It can be described as the unlikeliest garage revivalists, playing a more agreeable and less snotty form of chugging blues rock that is loaded with primal power and an utter sense of fun. The video for the track "Dauphine" shows the band members playing in true form, featuring singer/guitarist Nicole "Paco" De Leon" wielding her guitar with a soulful disposition as the other band members – and three backup dancers to boot – augment the song’s musicality. Sweet Bump It could very well be a reimagining of a Daptone act with a punk spirit, and "Dauphine" is proof they’ve got the chops to live up to that promise.