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 Freddie Gibbs drop off a well-received project and Paramore launch their highly anticipated comeback. 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.
Freddie Gibbs — “Feel No Pain” Feat. Anderson .Paak and Raekwon
Gibbs’ new album Soul Sold Separately received a lot of immediate praise and for good reason. It’s a really strong project, as evidenced by tracks like “Feel No Pain,” a smooth new song featuring assists from Anderson .Paak and Raekwon.
Paramore — “This Is Why”
Hayley Williams has been preoccupied with her solo career in recent years, but now she’s back with her Paramore bandmates and together, they’re preparing to drop a new album, This Is Why. They offered the first taste of the LP last week with the title track, an at-times atmospheric and at-times rocking tune that sounds like the start of something dynamic and fantastic.
Smino and J. Cole — “90 Proof”
Smino’s much-anticipated third album Luv 4 Rent is on the way and J. Cole gave the project his blessing by featuring on it, on last week’s “90 Proof.” Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes of the tune, “Smino sing-raps a soulful confessional to a woman he’s been keeping at arm’s length, while J. Cole goes full speed ahead detailing his own authenticity.”
Kid Cudi and Don Toliver — “Somewhere To Fly”
We should enjoy Kid Cudi while we have him because Scott Mescudi sounds like he’s just about over doing stuff under his long-time performing name. If he is hanging the Cudi name up, he’s going out with a bang on his latest project, Entergalactic. It’s both a TV special and an album, featuring songs like the spacey and thumping Don Toliver collab “Somewhere To Fly.”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs — “Wolf”
It’s been nearly ten years since Yeah Yeah Yeahs dropped their fourth album, 2013’s Mosquito. After much time away, the group finally returned last week with a fifth album, Cool It Down. It’s a welcomed return thanks to songs like “Wolf,” which spans eras with its ’80s aesthetic and ’00s rock edge that sound at home here in 2022.
DDG — “9 Lives” Feat. Polo G and NLE Choppa
DDG had one of the week’s biggest rap releases with It’s Not Me It’s You, and from where he is now, he looks back at where he came from on “9 Lives.” Polo G and NLE Choppa join DDG on the track, with all three taking time to reflect on their various pasts.
Roddy Ricch — “Stop Breathing”
Ricch’s mixtape Feed Tha Streets 3 is on the way and he teased it last week with “Stop Breathing.” The tune is a quick-hitter, clocking in at shy of two minutes, on which the rapper offers some insight into the luxurious lifestyle he leads: “Look out the window, what do I see? / A couple yachts, they got some thots that trot the seven seas.”
Baby Tate — “Perfect”
Tate popped up last week with a fresh mixtape, Mani/Pedi, which kicks off with “Perfect.” Over a bass-heavy instrumental, Tate starts with a dictionary definition of the titular word before offering her own meaning (“well, me”), only getting more self-congratulatory from there on the fun tune.
Tate McRae — “Uh Oh”
Speaking of Tates, McRae is making her way towards the top of the pop world: Her debut album, I Used to Think I Could Fly, came out back in May and managed to peak at No. 13 in the US, nothing to dismiss for a first LP. She’s not letting that stop her hustle, as last week brought a new tune, “Uh Oh,” which sees McRae singing over a hip-hop-inspired instrumental.
Shygirl — “Shlut”
After making a name for herself in various ways in recent years, UK favorite Shygirl finally has a debut album under her belt with last week’s Nymph. She prefaced the project with a visualizer for “Shlut,” which starts out sounding like an alt/indie/electronic track before morphing into a full-on rap track, another example of Shygirl’s exemplary versatility.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
