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 Drake and 21 Savage come through with a controversial release and Selena Gomez get as vulnerable as ever. 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.
Drake and 21 Savage — “Circo Loco”
People sure are talking about Drake and 21 Savage’s new album Her Loss, mostly because of perceived shots fired at Megan Thee Stallion on “Circo Loco.” What has perhaps flown under the radar about the track, at least in terms of popular discussion, is that it’s built on a sample of Daft Punk’s “One More Time” (which itself samples “More Spell On You” by Eddie Johns).
Selena Gomez — “My Mind & Me”
Gomez is fresh off the release of her new documentary My Mind & Me, which sees her really pulling back the curtain on some personal things. Naturally, her song of the same name is similarly spirited, but in powerful ballad form.
JID — “2007”
When JID originally released The Forever Story, it was supposed to conclude with the emotional “2007,” which featured his father, J. Cole, and Dreamville president Ib Hamad. Sadly, sample clearance issues prevented that from happening. Now, though, it appears everything has been worked out, as “2007” has officially been added to the album.
Brockhampton — “Big P*ssy”
Brockhampton is working on wrapping things up, with their final album, The Family, dropping later this month. They previewed it last week with “Big P*ssy” and Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez notes that on the track, “Kevin Abstract delivers outlandish bars over horn-driven production by Bearface.”
Burna Boy — “Alone”
Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” is the obvious highlight of the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. Now that the whole album is out, there, there are plenty of other standouts, too, like Burna Boy’s evocative contribution, “Alone.”
Gorillaz — “Baby Queen”
Gorillaz have been super productive in recent years and they’ll keep that going with Cracker Island, a new album set for 2023. They’ve offered some looks at the LP so far and shared another one last week: “Baby Queen,” a synth-driven tune inspired by an actual encounter with real-life royalty.
Ciara – “Better Thangs (Remix)” Feat. Summer Walker and GloRilla
GloRilla is a major rising star right now and Ciara wants in. So, she revamped her recent Summer Walker collaboration “Better Thangs” to get GloRilla on a smooth new remix.
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie — “Ballin”
Video games have become venues for debuting new music, like last week when A Boogie’s latest, “Ballin,” premiered in NBA 2K23. He then gave the track a more proper release and naturally, it’s full of basketball references, like, “I’m ballin’ like LeBron son / They want me to lose my breath / So I got to watch my step / Two 30s on my hip / I call ’em Steph and Seth.”
Joji — “Die For You”
Joji’s new album Smithereens got off to an exceptionally strong start with lead single “Glimpse Of Us,” which now has over 600 million streams on Spotify. The full album dropped on Friday and with it “Die For You,” the sort of atmospheric and emotional ballad that’s right in Joji’s wheelhouse.
Yves Tumor — “God Is A Circle”
2020’s Heaven To A Tortured Mind was one the year’s best-received albums and Yves is maintaining the standard of excellence with last week’s “God Is A Circle.” The tune is a subtly unsettling rocker, chugging forward with a consistent rhythm propelled by guitar riffs and creepy breathing.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
