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 Megan Thee Stallion solving problems with a tried-and-true solution and Ed Sheeran continuing to pad his list of collaborators. 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.
Megan Thee Stallion — “Plan B”
After stripping down and getting in a bathtub to announce “Plan B,” Megan Thee Stallion unveiled the track on Friday. As the title suggests, the tune is about an alternate solution, in this case being literal Plan B, aka the “morning after pill,” as Meg raps about utilizing the emergency contraceptive to rid herself of a connection with a former lover.
Ed Sheeran — “2Step” Feat. Lil Baby
Ed Sheeran has always been a willing collaborator but that’s been especially true lately. Just last week, he linked up with Lil Baby for a remix of “2Step,” with the rapper adding a new verse to the upbeat tune.
Pusha T — “Rock N Roll” Feat. Kanye West and Kid Cudi
On his new album It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T found himself in the middle of a developing hip-hop beef, between former collaborators Kanye West and Kid Cudi. Well, they’re former collaborators now, as they both feature on “Rock N Roll,” but Cudi vowed the song was completed pre-beef, he gave it his blessing as a favor to Pusha, and he declared it will be the last time he and Ye appear on a song together.
The Kid Laroi — “Thousand Miles”
The Kid Laroi is ready to move on from his F*ck Love mixtape after releasing three total versions of it, as he’s now gearing up for a debut album, Kids Are Growing Up. In fact, he officially launched the new era last week with “Thousand Miles,” another fine slice of pop-rap sure to satiate fans of his hit Justin Bieber collaboration “Stay.”
Southside and Future — “Hold That Heat” Feat. Travis Scott
Southside and Future’s “Hold That Heat” is a convergence of two of the year’s biggest story lines: Future (alongside Gunna) has perhaps 2022’s most viral song with “Pushin P” and now, “Hold That Heat” is Travis Scott’s first new music since the fatal Astroworld Festival tragedy. As for the new song, Uproxx’s Wongo Okon describes it as “a gloomy effort that features lengthy verses from Future and Travis while the former handles the song’s hook.”
PinkPantheress and Willow — “Where You Are”
After emerging as an alt-pop favorite in 2021, PinkPantheress is continuing to build on her massive potential here in 2022. Her latest is “Where You Are,” a smooth and rhythmic collaboration which melds PinkPantheress and her guest’s vocals for a delightful stylistic contrast. Willow’s the only credited feature on the track but not its only collaborator, as Mura Masa and Skrillex joined PinkPantheress in co-producing the song.
Florence And The Machine — “Free”
After laying relatively low recently, Florence Welch and her The Machines launched their return towards the start of the year. Now, they have a new album, Dance Fever, on the way and the latest taste of it, “Free,” arrived last week. The driving, propulsive tune is classic Florence And The Machine, and as a bonus, it arrived alongside a video co-starring Bill Nighy.
Soccer Mommy — “Unholy Affliction”
Sophie Allison is getting more experimental on her upcoming album Sometimes, Forever, as evidenced by her enlisting Daniel Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never as the project’s producer. That spirit also shines through on last week’s “Unholy Affliction,” which shows Allison venturing far from the bedroom indie-rock on which she initially made her name.
Blxst — “Every Good Girl”
In a recent interview, Blxst told Uproxx of the influences behind his new album, Before You Go, “I think just my day-to-day experiences: traveling, managing family time, personal time, and self-care. That’s pretty much what I pulled my inspiration from, those challenges, those hurdles I was facing, and facing that transition of also becoming an executive outside of just being an artist. Looking at success from a different perspective. I think I had a mind shift over this past year from the success of No Love Lost. You’ll hear that in the music, you’ll hear the growth for sure.”
Daniel Caesar — “Please Do Not Lean” Feat. Badbadnotgood
The past few years have been quiet on the Daniel Caesar front, although he changed that last week with “Please Do Not Lean,” his first single since 2019. The song is a collaboration with Badbadnotgood, so naturally, Caesar’s silky vocals are paired with the Canadian band’s R&B and jazzy sensibilities for an undoubtedly successful link-up.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
