Keeping up with the best 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 a strong new Vince Staples album and a certain pop star collaborator of his dropping a track of her own. Yeah, it was a great week for the best 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.
Billie Eilish — “NDA”
Gearing up for her new album Happier Than Ever has been an emotionally trying process, but Billie Eilish presses on. Her latest promotional effort was last week’s video for “NDA,” the making of which left Eilish’s mom a bit shook. As for the track, it continues Eilish’s trend of subdued and dark alternative pop that has made her a household name.
Vince Staples — “Are You With That?”
One of Eilish’s early collaborators, Vince Staples, had a busy week as well. He dropped his new self-titled album, and it features a bit of a pivot in the more melodic single “Are You With That?.” He explained of the track, “I was just having a lot of conversations with a lot of people around me… and people always say, ‘Oh, you used to always say these stories and this and that, and I don’t notice much about these specific things. Why don’t you put it into the music?’ And it’ll be stuff that has been in songs for years. And then I realized the backdrop wasn’t right for certain things I was saying or vice versa.”
Post Malone — “Motley Crew”
Post Malone has remained consistently active, but as for songs where he’s the primary artist, there hasn’t been one of those in a couple years. He returned last week, though, with “Motley Crew,” which arrived alongside a NASCAR-themed, Lyrical Lemonade-directed video that features appearances from folks like Big Sean, Ty Dolla Sign, French Montana, and Tyga.
Bas — “The Jackie” Feat. J. Cole and Lil Tjay
Since wrapping up his stint as a pro basketball player in Africa, J. Cole has kept busy. Besides sharpening his on-court skills with a Los Angeles Laker, he’s dedicated time to music, including his first featured appearance since 2019. He and Lil Tjay both joined Bas on “The Jackie,” a confident and melodic new single.
BIA and Nicki Minaj — “Whole Lotta Money”
Boston rapper BIA is on her way up thanks to the single “Whole Lotta Money,” and now her profile has been raised even further thanks to a new remix featuring Nicki Minaj. Making good on Minaj’s teased “very very very important” announcement, the track keeps things instrumentally identical but now with the added bonus of Minaj trading verses with BIA.
The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber — “Stay”
The young folks have been taking over music in a big way over the past couple years, and a big part of that is The Kid Laroi. Last week, the 17-year-old teamed up with somebody who knows a thing or two about being a child phenom: Justin Bieber. The pair linked up on “Stay,” a yearning single on which the pair beg their lovers not to go.
IDK, MF DOOM, Westside Gunn, and Jay Electronica — “Red”
After establishing himself as a rising star with his 2019 debut album, IDK has returned with his anticipated sophomore effort, USee4Yourself. The album sees IDK getting co-signs from some established names, like Young Thug, Offset, T-Pain, Rico Nasty, and Swae Lee. On just “Red,” he secured features from Westside Gunn, Jay Electronica, and the late, great MF DOOM.
BTS — “Permission To Dance”
In 2019, Ed Sheeran gave the BTS boys a hand with their Map Of The Soul: 7 song “Made It Right,” co-writing the song with the group. Now they’ve gotten back together on “Permission To Dance,” with Sheeran again receiving a co-writing credit on the jaunty new tune.
Omar Apollo — “Go Away”
Genre-defier Omar Apollo has dropped a new project once a year since 2018, most recently his 2020 album Apolonio. Now he’s back with some new music, a slice of nighttime pop called “Go Away” on which he bids farewell to a loved one.
Courtney Barnett — “Rae Street”
Courtney Barnett dropped Tell Me How You Really Feel in 2018, and now she’s back with her first new music since then. The song is “Rae Street,” a fan-pleasing tune that heralds a new album, Things Take Time, Take Time. If you like what you hear, the good news is that Barnett may be performing the song in a city near you early next year.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.