The Pulse is the Uproxx Music guide to the best new albums, mixtapes, and other music releases that matter this week. Find our complete list of the records coming out in December here.
Despite what all the year-end top album lists might suggest, there’s still new music left to be released in 2018. This week, for instance, was filled with a surprising amount of anticipated releases.
There’s Zayn’s new album, the wait for which has frustrated fans since they know that it’s actually been done for some time now. There’s also the soundtrack for Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway show, which is a unique experience in a discography that’s already full of those. Lastly, there’s the Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse soundtrack, which is just the latest great movie soundtrack in a year that’s had plenty of them.
Well, “lastly” was the wrong word, because there’s more stuff to enjoy beyond that, so check out the best of this week’s new music releases below.
Zayn — Icarus Falls
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The former One Direction member’s new album took longer than expected to drop, but it’s finally here. You wanted Zayn, and now you got plenty of him: Icarus Falls is an astounding 27 tracks long.
Bruce Springsteen — Springsteen On Broadway
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First Springsteen On Broadway was a live show, and now it’s entering its final forms: Netflix special and soundtrack album. The show is a personal and raw look at the life of one of rock’s enduring icons, and worth consuming in every medium available.
Vic Mensa — Hooligans EP
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Mensa has had a relatively quiet 2018, but at the tail end of it, he’s back with a fresh new release. On it, he proves he’s not afraid to try some new things, as shown on experimental singles like “Reverse,” “Metaphysical,” and “Empathy.”
Various Artists — Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
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2018 has been a huge year for high-quality movie soundtracks, and now the new Spider-Man flick is entering that conversation. Featured on the record are Post Malone, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne, XXXTentacion, Vince Staples, Jaden Smith, and more.
The Decemberists — Traveling On EP
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The folk group dropped off their album I’ll Be Your Girl during the first quarter of 2018, and now they’re closing out the year with a group of songs that didn’t find their way onto that album. The band says the songs “were recorded during the I’ll Be Your Girl sessions but never quite found a home on the album those sessions produced.”
Kodak Black — Dying To Live
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Like Tekashi 69 before him, Kodak has some pending legal trouble and a new album. Drama aside, there’s at least one hit on the record: “Zeze” featuring Offset and Travis Scott.
