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 Jack Harlow drop one of the year’s hottest rap albums and Taylor Swift dig back into the archives for a fresh rerecording. 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 Life newsletters. Also find our Uproxx HQ Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly with the best new music, at the end of this post.
Jack Harlow — “Churchill Downs” Feat. Drake
It’s Harlow’s world at the moment, as he’s fresh off his first No. 1 single with “First Class” (aside from his Lil Nas X collaboration “Industry Baby”) and the release of his second album, Come Home The Kids Miss You. The LP dropped a few days ago and with it came a new Drake collaboration, “Churchill Downs,” on which the two rightfully boast about just how well they’re doing.
Taylor Swift — “This Love (Taylor’s Version)”
Swift is firmly in the midst of the massive undertaking of re-recording all of her old albums. She’s making great progress on the front and made some more last week with 1989 highlight “This Love,” which was first teased in a movie trailer (a strategy she’s tried before). As is the case with her other “Taylor’s Version” recordings, Swift has again done a tremendous job of re-capturing the vibe of the original version, which she is of course uniquely qualified to do.
Doja Cat — “Vegas”
Fans who checked out Doja Cat at Coachella this year got a real treat when she debuted a new song, “Vegas.” Now the track isn’t exclusive to the festival grounds (and the fan-shot videos capturing it on stage), as she went ahead and dropped “Vegas,” which arrives as part of the soundtrack album for the upcoming Elvis biopic. It’s not exactly an Elvis-style song, but it does sample Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog,” which works as a hook on the modern hip-hop tune.
Bad Bunny — “Moscow Mule”
Bad Bunny is having himself a moment, as it was recently announced he was tapped to play the lead in El Muerto, a new Spider-Man spin-off movie. He’s still making time for music, of course, as he’s also a few days removed from dropping his latest single, “Moscow Mule,” a warm tune that’ll help Bad Bunny dominate yet another summer.
Carly Rae Jepsen — “Western Wind”
The Canadian pop favorite (or “favourite,” as she may opt spell it) has been missed recently, as last week’s “Western Wind” is her first new song in a couple years. It’s a pleasing return, too, as it sees Jepsen’s feathery vocals float on the serene, vibe-setting pop tune.
Arcade Fire — “Age Of Anxiety I”
Arcade Fire’s previous album, 2017’s Everything Now, experienced a mixed reception. However, with their latest, last week’s We, Win Butler and company returned to an anthemic rock sound more reminiscent of their early material. The album opens with “Age Of Anxiety I,” which has a dynamic build-up that does a terrific job of setting the table for the rest of the LP.
Winona Oak — “Jojo”
The Swedish pop up-and-comer told Uproxx of her new single, “My name is Johanna, but I’ve always been called Jojo. I wanted to write a song to myself. It’s one of those songs reflecting on the time that we live in, and feeling confused and lost, and not knowing where to put these big emotions.”
Toosii — “Keeper”
Love is a common topic in a Toosii song, which is fair given he recently announced his longtime girlfriend Samaria Davis is pregnant with their first child. So he’s back in his bag on “Keeper,” which Upoxx’s Wongo Okon describes as “a tender release that Toosii uses to celebrate and praise a woman he plans on spending a lifetime with.”
ASAP Rocky — “DMB”
With all due respect to ASAP Rocky, whenever Rihanna is involved in something, she’s going to go ahead and be the star. So, when Rocky dropped a video for “DMB” and Rihanna featured in it prominently, naturally, that’s where the focus went. Let’s acknowledge, though, that this is a solid single that sees Rocky adopt a compelling lyrical rhythm over a lush backing track.
Black Star — “OG”
A true Black Star (Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli) reunion has been a long time coming, as the pair’s first and last album was 1998’s Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. It’s no longer accurate to call it their “last” album, though, as they finally released their sophomore album, No Fear Of Time (exclusively on the Luminary podcast network). Uproxx’s Adisa Banjoko notes of the album, “Tracks like ‘OG’ and ‘The Main Thing Is To Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing’ absolutely slap… in that Madlib fuzzed up kind of way. And the lyrics? They’re both on point and a departure, in the sense that Kweli and Bey are different people now living vastly different lives. With that said, insights and hard bars abound.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
