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 daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best music released in the last week.
Our first week of 2019 was relatively quiet, but still managed to include a memorable new tune from Noname, a Future track that launched his next album cycle, and Lizzo proving she is ready to ascend to the next level in her career. It was still a pretty great week for music. Check out the highlights below.
Lizzo — “Juice”
Lizzo might be the easiest rising star to root for in the music world. On her latest single, she kicks off the new year with another empowering anthem. As our own Chloe Gilke wrote about the song, “‘Juice’ is joyful, fizzing with Lizzo’s signature lyrical witticisms and confidence. Lizzo knows she’s glowing, and with ‘Juice,’ shares that glow with the rest of us.” This might be the start of a big year for Lizzo.
Noname — “Song 31”
Out favorite hip-hop poet returns with new music to ring in the new year. “Song 31” is quintessentially Noname, combining her jazz-influenced arrangements with lyrical slaying, turning phrases at an impressive clip. She even invites Chicago musician Phoelix to the fold for the memorable chorus. It’s only been a few months since her great Room 25, but Noname is quickly proving to be an artist that you can’t take your eyes, or ears, off of.
Paul McCartney – “Get Enough”
Paul McCartney is not afraid of the future. That’s what makes him one of the most enduring musicians of his era, unafraid to jump on a Kanye West song or experiment with the current sounds of the era. This comes across on his latest, “Get Enough,” which incorporates auto-tune in a manner that it sounds like it was directly influenced by his friend Kanye. It’s wild to think that Ye’s influence has even spread to members of The Beatles, but, as the saying goes, game recognize game.
Layzie Bone — “Annihilation”
The recent feud between Migos (and 21 Savage) and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is one of the more surprising developments of late, though it makes sense if you imagine that Bone Thugs were just the Migos of their day. But here we are, and the feud is still going, resulting in this latest diss track, “Annihilation.” Following last week’s “Let Me Go Migo,” Layzie Bone offers up this latest assault on the “best rap group ever,” which includes the line “Who them n****s say they want it in a battle? / Man it ain’t no competition I sold ’em like a cold cut / Know what? N**** this here a cold cut / You got served by a skinny n**** big enough.”
Strange Ranger — Etc
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There’s nothing more definitively indie than needing money to fix the van, but that’s the situation that Portland-based retro indie rockers Strange Ranger find themselves in. The band offers up this new EP as a fundraiser of sorts, their second short release in the last few months and further proof that they’re a band to watch for those longing for those gold soundz of ’90s and ’00s indie guitar rock.
Future — “Crushed Up”
Two No. 1 albums in 2017 followed by collaborative affairs with Juice Wrld and Zaytoven in 2018 (not to mention the Superfly soundtrack) have kept Future at the forefront of the hip-hop world. New year, same old Future, as he’s already back with an album ready to be released this month. “Crushed Up” is the first offering from the endeavor, and finds Future as comfortable as ever in his own skin, further carving out his name as one of the breakout rap stars to emerge this decade.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
