Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.
This week saw Cardi B deliver her first drop of the year and Foo Fighters return with a long-awaited album. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Cardi B — “Up”
“WAP” was one of the most talked-about singles of 2020, making it a tough act to follow. Now, though, months later, Cardi B has offered her first single since then: “Up” is a confident new tune with a wild video to match.
Hayley Williams — Flowers For Vases/Descansos
While Williams’ 2020 album Petals For Armor was preceded by an extensive promotional campaign, she kept things far more low-key for her latest effort. Flowers For Vases/Descansos was released last week and the effort arrived after just a few days of heads up and an intentionally “leaked” song.
Julien Baker — “Favor”
One way or another, the members of Boygenius seem to find a way to reunite. They all hopped on a Hayley Williams track last year, and now Baker recruited her supergroup bandmates Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus to join her on “Favor.” All that’s missing is Adrianne Lenker.
Polo G — “GNF (OKOKOK)”
Polo G enjoyed a strong 2020 (or as much as anybody could enjoy 2020, anyway) thanks to his album The Goat, which was so, so close to topping the charts. Now he’s ready to make an impact in 2021, a campaign he has kicked off with the nonchalant single “GNF (OKOKOK).”
Freddie Gibbs — “Gang Signs” Feat. Schoolboy Q
The headline of Gibbs’ 2020 was his album with the Alchemist, Alfredo. Now he has kicked off his 2021 with another collaboration, and this time, it’s “Gang Signs,” a smooth effort co-piloted by Schoolboy Q.
Vic Mensa — “Shelter” Feat. Wyclef Jean and Chance The Rapper
It’s been a good while since Chicago rappers Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa teamed up on music together. They both appeared on early projects for each other about a decade ago, but now, all this time later, they’re back on the same song. The occasion that brings them together again is Mensa’s “Shelter,” which also boasts an appearance from Wyclef Jean.
Bobby Session and Megan Thee Stallion — “I’m A King”
Both halves of “WAP” has a big week. Aside from Cardi’s single, Megan Thee Stallion joined Bobby Session on the celebratory Coming 2 America cut “I’m A King.” On top of that, she and Ellen DeGeneres also donated $50,000 to a Houston nurse, so alongside Meg, that nurse also had a pretty strong week.
Pooh Shiesty — Shiesty Season
Pooh Sheisty, one of Gucci Mane’s most exciting 1017 Records signees, has arrived with his first project, Shiesty Season. The 21-year-old is often unaccompanied on the effort, but he makes the guest spots he does include count, as he secured spots from folks like Gucci, 21 Savage, and Lil Durk.
Vampire Weekend — 40:42 EP
“2021” (the song) clocks in at under two minutes and is the shortest song on Vampire Weekend’s 2019 album Father Of The Bride. Now, though, the group has expanded the track big time… or rather, they got some friends to do it. On their new 40:42 EP, they recruited Sam Gendel and Goose to record new versions of the song in their own styles and each new rendition runs for exactly 20:21.
Victoria Monét — “F.*.C.K.”
Relationships today aren’t the same as they were 20 years ago, a reality that Monét acknowledges on “F.*.C.K.,” which is short for “Friend U Can Keep.” She says of the tune, “‘F.*.C.K. is a nod to the millennial and gen Z mindset. We do not have to be confined to traditional commitment ideals, and instead, embody the freedom to be intimate when and with whom we mutually, please! I wanted to give that non-binding friendship intimacy an official name.”
Finneas — “American Cliché”
Finneas has a lot of success writing with his sister Billie Eilish and subsequently for other music stars, but he’s got plenty going on on his own, too. The latest output from his productive solo career is “American Cliché.” Interestingly, the upbeat tune was initially only meant to be performed live, but Finneas’ fans convinced him to record a proper studio version of it.
Foo Fighters — Medicine At Midnight
Dave Grohl and company had their new album finished about a year ago, but due to the pandemic, it took about another year for it to finally come out. After holding the project in for so long, Taylor Hawkins had an apt description for how it felt to finally release it: “[It felt] like taking a big huge sh*t. My stomach’s been hurting for a long time. Finally! A collective sigh of relief. We’ve finally got over our constipation.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
