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 Saweetie and Doja Cat link up in a most delightful way and 100 Gecs put their spin on some classic 2000s music. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Saweetie and Doja Cat — “Best Friend”
Even before Saweetie and Doja Cat dropped their “Best Friend” video, they faced some accusations of plagiarism, which Saweetie ultimately didn’t take seriously. What was serious, though, was how much fun it looked like the two video stars had in the clip, which is a perfect visual accompaniment to the upbeat song.
Taylor Swift — “It’s Time To Go” and “Right Where You Left Me”
Physical releases of Taylor Swift’s new album Evermore came with some bonus tracks that were exclusive to those formats. Last week, though, Swift unleashed them into streaming services, meaning that some fans finally got to hear them for the first time. Interestingly, fans think Swift takes shots at some of her adversaries on the tracks, including Scooter Braun and Karlie Kloss.
Linkin Park — “One Step Closer (100 Gecs Remix)”
Linkin Park celebrated the 20th anniversary of Hybrid Theory last year, but the group is planning on keeping the party going into 2021. They did so last week by recruiting 100 Gecs to remix “One Step Closer,” and the idiosyncratic duo put their frenetic, electronic spin on the nu-metal classic.
Rhye — “Come In Closer”
Rhye has a new album, Home, dropping in a couple weeks, but ahead of then, he previewed it last week with “Come In Closer,” a characteristically smooth and subtly funky tune. Furthermore, the single was accompanied with an adorable video that shows a pair of kids leading the cutest lives.
Jazmine Sullivan — Heaux Tales EP
After a decade-plus of being one of R&B’s premiere artists, Jazmine Sullivan did something different: She released her first EP, Heaux Tales. It’s a bit of a concept album, as throughout its runtime, it tells stories of different sorts of women, showing off Sullivan’s powerhouse vocals all the while.
Dvsn — “Use Somebody”
On Dvsn’s first single of the year, he made an interesting move by re-contextualizing a pair of 2008 Kings Of Leon hits, “Use Somebody” and “Sex On Fire,” into smooth R&B. In fact, the members of Kings Of Leon are the only writers credited on the track, and it is basically a cover, albeit of two songs in one. Dvsn doesn’t really miss, so perhaps both unexpectedly and unsurprisingly, it works tremendously well.
RMR — “Her Honeymoon”
RMR became one of 2020’s most entertaining breakout stars thanks to the strength of his “Rascal” video, and now he’s back with another attention-grabbing visual. This time, with “Her Honeymoon,” RMR tells a tale of betrayal, but he had multiple ideas for how to end the narrative, so he went ahead and showed three different conclusions.
Russ — “Ugly” Feat. Lil Baby
Russ, who managed to thrive in 2020 while other artists weren’t as set up for success, started his year by linking up with Lil Baby on “Ugly.” Coming off huge years, both artists have a lot of reasons to be confident, so there’s a lot of justified flexing on their new joint effort.
Slowthai — “Mazza” Feat. ASAP Rocky
Slowthai pondered delaying his new album Tyron, but ultimately decided that he “cannot allow this virus to keep holding us back.” On the same day he made that declaration, he also dropped a new track called “Mazza,” an upbeat tune featuring ASAP Rocky.
Open Mike Eagle — “For DOOM”
MF DOOM’s death, which was only announced months after it actually happened, was a peculiar and unpleasant surprise to cap off a decidedly not great year. The influential artist had a profound impact on many, and that includes Open Mike Eagle. He decided to pay tribute with his “For DOOM” freestyle, and on the touching track, Mike’s lyrics include lines like, “Fool, you’re bout to sell more masks than Dr. Fauci / I’m copping one off Etsy to rock it proudly.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.