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.
This week, Drake offers up one of the most anticipated albums of the year, Let’s Eat Grandma delivers a star-making endeavor, and Gorillaz and Florence And The Machine both offer up big releases in the alternative realm. Yeah, it was a pretty good week for music. Check out the highlights below.
Drake — Scorpion
June has been wild, right? With Kanye West hijacking the attention of the music world for a whopping five weeks, it was easy to forget that Drake was even releasing an album this month. But Scorpion is impossible to ignore, coming in as a massive 25-song, double-album collection. Jay-Z and Michael Jackson both show up as guests, while Drizzy also acknowledges his son for the first time on record. But really, it’s a wealth of music from one of today’s most captivating artists. What more could you want?
Gorillaz — The Now Now
For the second album cycle in a row, Gorillaz deliver a second collection hot on the heels of the first. Just a year after offering up Humanz, an album full of marquee guests, the virtual band is back with The Now Now, a record that puts Damon Albarn front and center. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any special appearances — Snoop Dogg pops up for one — but The Now Now shows Gorillaz as not an easy project to peg down, always willing to take a left turn when you think you’ve got them figured out.
Florence + The Machine — High As Hope
Not quite a pop star, not quite a rocker, Florence Welch should take pride in being difficult to pin down. The truth is that she is greater than any of these labels, delivering theatrical, expansive tunes that are meant for the biggest stages possible. On her fourth full-length, Welch has spoken about going sober following the previous record, resulting in an album that “comes from a place of even getting underneath that because when you put the drinking down, all the other stuff is going to show up.”
Let’s Eat Grandma — I’m All Ears
On just their second album, the teens of Let’s Eat Grandma already prove to be at the forefront of the avant-pop world. The record works like a showcase for their talents, each song skipping to a different tone and sound with grace. In my review of the record, I wrote, “Let’s Eat Grandma knows that if you are going to make people travel a long road, you have to make the journey worth it.” It’s an album of continual rewards, and one that bodes very well for their future.
The Milk Carton Kids – All The Things That I Did And All The Things That I Didn’t Do
I caught The Milk Carton Kids recently at Arroyo Seco Weekend and saw the duo in a whole new form, playing with a full band on what is their first tour with such. On their latest record, the changes are less perceivable, but gentle percussion and fuller arrangements can still be heard. At their heart, The Milk Carton Kids are still folk purists who don’t mind shining a light on the genre they’ve immersed themselves in.
Mitski — “Nobody”
Okay, we’ve only heard two songs off Mitski’s upcoming new album, Be The Cowboy. But following up her breakthrough, 2016’s Puberty 2, it’s safe to say that the songwriter is hell-bent on seizing the moment. Her first new single, “Geyser,” might have been the most dramatic song of her career, while “Nobody” finds her in unprecedented disco territory. It is not an understatement to say that both songs are fantastic.
Charli XCX — “No Angel”
How do you like your Charli XCX? Regardless of your preference for her sound, she generally has you covered, mercurially shifting her aesthetic from release to release. For my money, I’ll take the playfulness of “No Angel” over the dancefloor-thumping “Focus,” but both show just what a creative free spirit she is. There might not be a better pop songwriter producing at such a rapid clip currently in music.
Marissa Nadler — “For My Crimes”
Boston songwriter Marissa Nadler can flirt with gothy darkness, but her aesthetic is generally more complex than that. On “For My Crimes,” she crafts a song that would sound perfect paired with rain pattering against a window, with Angel Olsen showing up to provide atmospheric backing vocals. “Please don’t remember me for my crimes,” she pleads throughout. With songs this good, Nadler doesn’t have to worry about how she will be remembered.
Dilly Dally — “I Feel Free”
After nearly calling it quits after their 2016 album Sore, Toronto’s Dilly Dally are back and full of a rare fire. “I Feel Free” lives up to its name, pummeling with the force of its instruments and packing a vocal performance to match. It sounds like the kind of song that only a band that’s seen their own demise can make, in the best possible way.
Converge — Beautiful Ruin EP
In the world of hardcore, you don’t get much more respected than Boston’s Converge. This four-song EP was recorded in the same sessions as their last full-length, The Dusk In Us, and proves pretty much anything the band releases is an essential listen.
