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 Drake yet again cause a stir and Lil Yachty follow his recent psych-rock opus. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Flash newsletters.
Drake — “Search & Rescue”
Drake sure likes to get people riled up. He did so again on his new single “Search & Rescue,” which is the rapper’s first solo single in a while after a string of collaborative projects. More notable, though, is the sample of Kim Kardashian discussing her divorce with Kanye West, saying in a sample lifted from Keeping Up With The Kardashians, “I didn’t come this far just to come this far and not be happy.”
Lil Yachty — “Strike (Holster)”
Yachty took a psychedelic rock turn on his latest album, Let’s Start Here from earlier this year. On his new single “Strike (Holster),” he remains in that aesthetic realm with a spacey instrumental, but the focus is back on rapping for the hazy track.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again — “WTF” Feat. Nicki Minaj
Fresh off of “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” Nicki Minaj has returned by joining YoungBoy Never Broke Again on “WTF.” The song’s title is exactly what Barbz online were exclaiming after they saw the song’s video, which sees Minaj, always eager to try on a new character, cosplaying as a ballerina.
Kaytraminé — “4Eva” Feat. Pharrell Williams
What would an Kaytranada and Aminé album sound like? We won’t have to wonder for long, as the two have announced they’re teaming up for a new project as Kaytraminé. They teased it last week with “4Eva,” a bouncy Pharrell collaboration that rides on a light but strong groove.
Labrinth — “Never Felt So Alone”
Euphoria composer Labrinth is back with “Never Felt So Alone,” which Uproxx’s Lexi Lane notes “opens with a dark, electronic beat that captures the moodiness and just how perfectly their vocals blend.” Billie Eilish doesn’t have a feature credit on the song, but she co-wrote it and contributed vocals (Finneas also co-produced and co-wrote). Labrinth later explained how the collaboration came to be.
Daniel Caesar — “Unstoppable”
Caesar just returned with Never Enough, his third album and first since 2019’s Case Study 01. On “Unstoppable,” the Toronto native sounds, well, unstoppable. It’s a hazy tune, propelled forward by a relaxed nighttime rhythm and Caesar’s smooth vocals.
Agust D — “People Pt. 2”
Big week for Suga! First the BTS member was named an official ambassador of the NBA, then he dropped a new solo single, “People Pt. 2” (under his other performing name, Agust D). It’s a smooth and vulnerable track on which Suga raps (translated from Korean), “This thing called love / Maybe it’s just a momentary list of emotions / What is it about loss that makes us so sad?”
Kali Uchis — “In The Lobby”
We got some new old stock here: Uchis is celebrating the fifth anniversary of her album Isolation and marked the occasion last week by dropping “In The Lobby.” It’s a previously unreleased track from the era that boasts a happy, peaceful sound, influenced by reggae and some light psychedelia.
Yaeji — “Passed Me By”
At the top of 2023, Yaeji declared her long-awaited debut album, With A Hammer, would arrive this year. Alas, it finally did last week, and it’s led by highlights like “Passed Me By.” It’s yet another showcase of her mastery over creating fresh soundscapes, balancing aesthetic experimentation with strong songwriting and catchy melodies.
Wednesday — “Quarry”
In his review of Rat Saw God, Uproxx’s Steven Hyden colorfully said, “I should note that in musical terms, this band sounds like it was produced in a lab by scientists who were determined to cater to a person with my tastes. Do you also love Southern Rock Opera, Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, and Siamese Dream so much that you wish you could listen to all three albums at the same time? Are you thrilled by the prospect of pedal steel guitar put through a distortion pedal? Are you intrigued by the premise of a band that’s so good it doesn’t need MJ Lenderman to contribute any songs? Shouldn’t more country tunes be eight and a half minutes long and conclude with a woman screaming about Mortal Kombat? This record answers every question in the affirmative, as would I.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
