It’s a new song at #1 this week, as “Ensenada” by legendary Southern California ska punk band Sublime takes over the top spot. Originally formed in Long Beach way back in 1988 by Bradley Nowell (vocals and guitar), Bud Gaugh (drums) and Eric Wilson (bass), they released three studio albums, a live album, five compilation albums, three EPs, one box set and six singles, three of which – “What I Got”, “Santeria” and “Wrong Way” – have remained longtime alt-rock radio staples. Sadly, they disbanded after Bradley Nowell’s untimely death from a heroin overdose in 1996 but subsequently reformed in 2023 with Nowell’s son Jakob singing lead vocals alongside original band members Wilson and Gaugh.

Released this past July, “Ensenada” carries on with the band’s original signature sound, almost as if no time has passed. The song lyrics speak to the joys of time spent with prostitutes in Ensenada, Mexico, with Jakob admitting “if I was the motherfuckin’ President, I’d hire twenty strippers for my cabinet” (which seems ironic, as at least two members of President Trump’s cabinet look like aging strippers). I must add it annoys me that the words “whore” and “motherfuckin'” have been bleeped out of the video.

There are four new entries to my chart again this week, starting with “Lucy” by Los Angeles-based indie rock band Mt. Joy. Formed in 2016, the band consists of Matt Quinn (vocals, guitar), Sam Cooper (guitar), Sotiris Eliopoulos (drums), Jackie Miclau (keyboards) and Michael Byrnes (bass). The song is from their fourth studio album Hope We Have Fun, and is their seventh song to appear on my chart.

Coming in at #28 is “Get The Message” by Atlanta-based pop-punk band The Paradox, comprised of Eric Dangerfield (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Donald Bryant (bass), Christopher “Xelan” Bernard (lead guitar and background vocals), and Percy “PC3” Crews (drums). Formed only a little more than a year ago in June 2024, they quickly made waves in the music industry; just three weeks after launching their social media presence, they amassed over 730k followers and have already opened for Green Day and Jack White. “Get The Message” is featured on their debut EP NSFW, which dropped September 19th.

Next up is “Watch Me Go” by folk rock band Lord Huron, another Los Angeles-based act who’ve been a longtime favorite of mine. Originally formed as a solo act by singer-songwriter/guitarist Ben Schneider in 2010 after he relocated from Michigan to Los Angeles, Lord Huron eventually became a four-piece that now includes Miguel Briseño on bass, keyboards & theremin, Tom Renaud on guitar, and Mark Barry on drums & percussion. Their uniquely beautiful music is a glorious mash-up of folk, western, rock and roll, pop, surf rock and new age. “Watch Me Go” is from their fifth and latest album The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, released in July. A previous single from that album, “Nothing I Need”, spent two weeks at #1 on my chart in June.

The fourth new entry is “Dang” by North Carolina-based alternative indie rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise, whose sound has been influenced by such artists as Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon, Frank Ocean, and Schoolboy Q. Formed in 2013 by Darrick “Bozzy” Keller (guitar, backup vocals) and Sam Melo (lead vocalist who transitioned to Ela in 2022), they were joined a year later by Ethan Goodpaster (electric guitar) and Jess Haney (drums). “Dang” is from their fifth studio album Bones, which dropped September 26th, and their second song to appear on my chart after “Fever Pitch” in 2018.

1. ENSENADA – Sublime (2)
2. FIVE MORE SECONDS – Seafret & KT Tunstall (1)
3. SUSHI AND COCA-COLA – St. Paul & The Broken Bones (5)
4. ANOTHER LIFE – Alabama Shakes (9)
5. AS ALIVE AS YOU NEED ME TO BE – Nine Inch Nails (4)
6. MISTAKES – Caamp (7)
7. THE WEATHER – All Time Low (8)
8. ELEGANTLY WASTED – Hermanos Gutiérrez feat. Leon Bridges (10)
9. UNDRESSED – sombr (3)
10. BACKSEAT – Balu Brigada (6)
11. WRECK – Neko Case (14)
12. DOWNSTAIRS – Matt Maeson (15)
13. EVERYBODY SCREAM – Florence + The Machine (16)
14. CITY WALLS – Twenty One Pilots (17)
15. THE FATE OF OPHELIA – Taylor Swift (18)
16. ORDINARY CREATURE – Of Monsters and Men (19)
17. SPECTER – Bad Omens (20)
18. DRACULA – Tame Impala (24)
19. ENOUGH – Jeff Tweedy (21)
20. BETTER DAYS – Yellowcard (11)
21. LIGHT YEARS APART – Unobliterated (12)
22. HORNETS – Western Jaguar (13)
23. LINGERIE – Two Feet (27)
24. SO FAR SO FAKE – Pierce the Veil (28)
25. 12 TO 12 – sombr (29)
26. THE FEAR – Future Theory (30)
27. LUCY – Mt. Joy (N)
28. GET THE MESSAGE – The Paradox (N)
29. WATCH ME GO – Lord Huron (N)
30. DANG – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (N)