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 Ariana Grande offer up her sixth career album, Burna Boy speaking to the conflict in Nigeria, and Freddie Gibbs teaming with Big Sean. Yeah, it was a great week for the best new music. Check out the highlights below.
Ariana Grande — Positions
Ariana Grande fans have been spoiled over the past few years, as Positions is her third album since 2018. It’s a headline-making album, too, from collaborations with The Weeknd and Doja Cat to some impressively high vocal notes to perhaps a dig at a certain famous ex of hers.
Trippie Redd — Pegasus
Trippie has given his fans at least one full-length project a year since 2017, and the rapper wasn’t about to let 2020 slip by without continuing that streak. His third studio album, Pegasus, has a strong roster of guests that includes Partynextdoor, Rich The Kid, Young Thug, Future, Quavo, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Swae Lee, and others.
Oneohtrix Point Never — Magic Oneohtrix Point Never
Daniel Lopatin rolled out his latest Oneohtrix Point Never endeavor by gradually releasing multi-song chunks of it at a time. Now the whole thing has arrived, and it features contributions from familiar faces like The Weeknd and Caroline Polachek.
Guapdad 4000 — “Alpha”
Guapdad put himself in the running for the best video of the week with his “Alpha” visual, which is packed with anime inspiration. On top of that, he also made an appearance on Uproxx’s new show, React Like You Know.
Freddie Gibbs — “4 Thangs” Feat. Big Sean
Gibbs and Sean have both had big 2020’s, and the pair linked up with somebody else who has also had a prosperous year, producer Hit-Boy, for “4 Thangs.” In the visual for the braggadocios track, the rappers do their best LeBron James and celebrate yet another victory.
Dua Lipa — “Fever” Feat. Angèle
Dua Lipa has been all over the place pushing Future Nostalgia over the past year, but now she’s back with new material. She has linked up with a lot of big-name guests as of late, and on “Fever,” she expanded her horizons by working with French-language star Angèle.
Jim-E Stack — Ephemera
Stack recently told Uproxx about how making his new album differed from making a song for somebody else, saying, “When I’m working on my own music, it’s completely self-indulgent and I’m just making stuff I want to listen to. Whether I’m just listening to it off of my phone or it’s out on Apple Music and Spotify for everyone to hear, it’s just for me.”
French Montana — “Double G” Feat. Pop Smoke and Jay Gwuapo — “Black Mask” Feat. Pop Smoke
It’s been a big year in terms of musical success for the late Pop Smoke following his death in February. His prosperous run continued last week with a pair of features, as he appeared on new tracks with French Montana and Jay Gwuapo.
Salem — Fires In Heaven
After ten years away, influential witch house group Salem made their return in September with a storm-chasing video for “Starfall.” About a month later, they came back with an album, Fires In Heaven, which was discussed in depth on a recent Indiecast episode.
Burna Boy — “20:10:20”
It’s a tumultuous time in many parts of the world right now, and Burna Boy offered a perspective on the unrest in Nigeria on “20:10:20.” The track title is a reference to the date on which the Nigerian Armed Forces shot at unarmed protestors, and naturally, the rapper is incensed about it.
Tierra Whack — “Dora”
Two years after her debut project Whack World, the gears appear to be turning in the Tierra Whack camp. She popped up last week to drop of “Dora,” which was accompanied by a colorful and typically wacky video.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.