The latest from Rachael Yamagata, Buxton, Bob Mould plus The High Points and Ghostly Kisses

Rachael Yamagata dropped a surprise EP this month, called Porch Songs. The Woodstock, N.Y.-based singer-songwriter describes its six songs as "stark vault treasures and reflections of a younger self ... songs that showcase a transformation underway but don’t quite let you know what the end result will be." That description certainly fits the track in our new music bin, "Worthless," which seems to describe a moment when a relationship might be transitioning, or might be coming to an end. Either way, she sings, "It isn't worthless / no waste of time."

Buxton is celebrating its 15th year as a band with the release of its fifth album, Stay Out Late. Over the years this Houston-based group has grown from a trio to a quintet and added more keyboard and synth sounds, while retaining its fundamental folk/rock/Americana sound. AllMusic says the latest record finds the group "spinning frontman Sergio Trevino's peculiar missives into dreamy golden-hued pop with soft hints of Texan spirit." Our featured track is a cheerful falling-in-love song called "Jan."

Speaking of cheerful - that might not be the vibe you expect from former Husker Du punk-rocker Bob Mould, but he's taking a deliberate turn to the sunny side on his forthcoming LP, Sunshine Rock. That's also the title of the first single, which dropped last week. "Sunshine Rock was such a bright, optimistic song, and once that came together, I knew that would be the title track, and that really set the tone for the direction of the album,” Mould says. Having described himself in a memoir as a "miserablist," Mould now says he's "trying to keep things brighter these days as a way to stay alive."

Have we mentioned that we debut a lot of indie music on our Sunday show called The Detour? A few weeks ago we gave a spin to "Need Your Love" by The High Points, and now we're adding it to our New Music rotation. This duo from Norwich, U.K., describes its music as "indie-funk with inspirations from 70s disco," although we're hearing good old guitar-bass-drums rock/pop in this jaunty number from their just-released debut EP, Instant Love.

As usual we go in many musical directions with our weekly New Music picks. So from bouncy, funky rock we turn to the ethereal sound of Ghostly Kisses, the project of Quebec-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Margaux Sauvé. Her debut EP What You See, was released last year and now she's followed up with a new single, "The City Holds My Heart." We discovered it thanks to The Revue, which calls it a "breathtakingly gorgeous song ... stunningly cinematic." Ghostly Kisses has shows coming up in Montreal and Toronto in early November.