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 Rosalía and Cardi B team up to wrap up 2022 on a high note and The Weeknd bless Avatar 2 with a song. 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.
Rosalía and Cardi B — “Despechá RMX”
Roslía and Cardi B both showed up big in 2022 and they weren’t about to end the year without a bang. Rosalía breathed some additional life into Motomami highlight “Despechá” by getting Cardi to hop on a fresh remix. Cardi does some well-earned flexing, rapping, “You were tryin’ too hard not to watch my stories / I was shakin’ this ass, better not report me / I’m close by even though it’s hard to reach me.”
The Weeknd — “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)”
After dropping off the cinematic album Dawn FM at the top of the year, The Weeknd has come through with a song that’s more literally cinematic: “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” his contribution to the Avatar 2: The Way Of Water soundtrack. Uproxx’s Aaron Williams describes the track as “a big, dramatic, epic song, full of tribal chants and drums, soaring strings, and emotive, uplifting lyrics — as befits the centerpiece song of the big, dramatic, epic comeback sequel of a big, dramatic, epic hit movie from visionary director James Cameron.”
Latto — “Another Nasty Song”
Latto has a lot of nasty songs, and last week, she delivered another one. Appropriately, it’s called “Another Nasty Song.” Indeed, there’s some nastiness, with lyrics like, “Pull up on my pimpin’, say my name while you in it / Type of p*ssy make him say my name while hе swimmin’ / Gangsta b*tch, I make him wear my chain whilе he drillin.”
Ab-Soul — “FOMF”
As we get closer to 2023, there are fewer and fewer new releases left to look forward to at the end of the year. Ab-Soul’s Herbert is a December highlight, especially since it comes six years after his previous album. The title of “FOMF” is short for “f*ck out my face,” and indeed, the song sees the TDE rapper putting up with no nonsense.
Juice WRLD — “Face 2 Face”
December 2 would have been the late Juice WRLD’s 24th birthday, while the 8th marked the third anniversary of his death. Despite that, new music from the rapper continues to surface, with last week yielding “Face 2 Face.” On the track, Juice confronts his struggles, rapping, “I won’t, I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna implode / I won’t, I don’t wanna, it’s the end of the summer, it’s starting to get cold.”
Saint Jhn – “Stadiums”
As we start to look forward to 2023, Saint Jhn’s upcoming album In Case We Both Die Young is a release to keep an eye on. There’s no tracklist yet, but it would seem that new single “Stadiums” will be on it. The tune is a collaboration with London On Da Track and is sees Jhn confidently discussing how he achieved his high status.
PinkPantheress — “Take Me Home”
For Christmas, PinkPantheress gifted her fans a new EP, Take Me Home. On the title track, the early-20s singer deals with challenges of adult life, singing, “I went to the doctor again / I said I was behind on my rent / He said it’s not a problem for him.”
Rich The Kid — “No More Friends”
Rich The Kid, it turns out, is rich. In case that wasn’t clear, he makes it known on “No More Friends.” Furthermore, he also notes that he aims to share his wealth with those close to him and he doesn’t need anybody else trying to get in on that.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
