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 Lizzo come through with another “song of the summer” contender and Pharrell get back to pumping out material as a lead artist. 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.
Lizzo — “Grrrls”
Lizzo already has one of the year’s biggest songs with “About Damn Time” and with her new single “Grrrls,” she continues to prove that she’s among the best at busting out endlessly catchy tunes. Another parallel between those two tunes in lines that sneak up on you before staying with you: “About Damn Time” has the whole “Balenci-ussies” bit that’s inescapable on TikTok, while “Grrrls” has, “That’s my girl, we CEOs / And dancin’ like a C-E-ho.”
Pharrell — “Cash In Cash Out” Feat. Tyler The Creator and 21 Savage
Pharrell’s a busy guy, but you wouldn’t think so if you were just looking at his output as a lead artist. When he does drop something new, though, it hits, like “Cash In Cash Out” did last week. The song is almost entirely bass, on which 21 Savage and Tyler The Creator deliver some bars.
Halsey — “So Good”
For a non-controversial song, Halsey’s “So Good” sure has been surrounded by it. It’s the tune at the center of Halsey’s beef with her label, who allegedly withheld the song’s release until Halsey had a viral moment. The irony, of course, is that Halsey’s openly taking exception to that demand went viral itself. This winding road finally led to the release of “So Good,” on which Halsey chronicles another journey in their life that had plenty of turns: love.
Saucy Santana — “Booty” Feat. Latto
Many among us like a good booty, and now we have another one to like, this time a song called “Booty.” Saucy Santana and Latto’s ode to cheeks is a party-starter, thanks in part to the sample of Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love” in the hook, although there’s fun throughout beyond that musical reference. Expect this one to stick around and help make Summer 2022 a thicc one.
Marshmello and Khalid — “Numb”
Marshmello and Khalid have been two of the biggest collaborators of recent years, so them coming together is a natural fit. They did so last week on “Numb,” which melds Khalid’s R&B sensibilities with a summer-ready instrumental from Marshmello, resulting in a song that’s begging to be included on warm-weather playlists.
Nardo Wick — “Riot”
Uproxx’s Armon Sadler notes that on Wick’s new single, he uses his “charmingly haunting voice” to open the tune “with a near whisper before the beat kicks in and Wick taps into his bread and butter.” The result is a tune that’s both dynamic and in-your-face menacing.
King Princess — “Too Bad”
King Princess has become a star in recent years, an upward trajectory she’ll be looking to continue with Hold On Baby, her upcoming album that’s set for a July release. She offered a new preview of the LP last week with a double-video for “Too Bad” and “Cursed,” the former track being a rock-influenced number with a killer groove, while the latter is aesthetically similar but takes more of a breather.
Kid Cudi — “Do What I Want”
Cudi has a lot going on right now, as last week saw him drop the trailer for his Entergalactic animated series and share a new song, “Do What I Want.” The single makes use of a sample from Stephen A. Smith’s famed “stay off the weed!” video and sees Cudi in his woozy wheelhouse.
Joyce Manor — “Secret Sisters”
The band’s Barry Johnson recently told Uproxx of 40 Oz. To Fresno highlight “Secret Sisters,” “We’ve never tried to make a specific sounding record, but I thought maybe it’d be cool to make a record that all sounded like that. It slams… like an emo, f*ck this slams.”
BTS — “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)”
BTS has an anthology album, Proof, on the way, but the project isn’t entirely retrospective, as there’s some new material here, too. The group shared some of it last week with “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment),” an optimistic tune on which the band promises the best moment of their career hasn’t already happened.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
