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 Lil Nas X continue his joking ways and Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner bring another esteemed collaborator into the Big Red Machine universe. 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.
Lil Nas X — “Industry Baby” Feat. Jack Harlow
While Lil Nas X became seen as a kid-friendly artist thanks to the universal success of “Old Town Road,” ahead of his “Industry Baby” video, he went ahead and warned parents that it wasn’t for their children. That definitely proved to be the case, as, among other antics, it featured Nas (but not Jack Harlow) twerking naked in a prison shower, a reference to his current legal situation with Nike.
Belly — “Better Believe” Feat. The Weeknd and Young Thug
The Weeknd has been in a collaborative mood in recent months, and he continued that last week by joining Young Thug in hopping on a new song from Belly, “Better Believe.” The Weeknd got do pull off some action movie antics in the song’s visual, as he had the honor of blowing up an oil refinery.
Big Red Machine — “Phoenix” Feat. Fleet Foxes and Anaïs Mitchell
Taylor Swift is the headlining guest on Big Red Machine’s upcoming album How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, but she’s far from the only esteemed collaborator. On “Phoenix,” the latest single from the project, for example, they got both Anaïs Mitchell and Fleet Foxes on the soaring track.
Leon Bridges — “Steam”
Leon Bridges continued adding to his so-far-so-good legacy last week with the release of this third album, Gold-Diggers Sound. Alongside the album, he also dropped a visual for the silky and groovy album standout “Steam,” which sees him busting some moves to the feel-good track.
Gunna and Polo G — “Waves”
NBA star Kawhi Leonard is renowned for his talents both offensively and defensively, but he’s also well-versed in the music industry. He got a bunch of rappers to participate in his Culture Jam project, and the latest look at that is Gunna and Polo G’s “Waves.” As Uproxx’s Wongo Okon notes, the track “leans more into Gunna’s lane as it features production the YSL rapper might use for his own work, but nothing too out of the box for Polo G as he flows smoothly on the new track.”
Camila Cabello — “Don’t Go Yet”
Camila Cabello is about a year-and-a-half removed from her latest album, Romance, and now she’s getting ready for her third full-length effort. She previewed it with “Don’t Go Yet,” which sees her pining for extra time with a special somebody. Uproxx’s Rachel Brodsky notes the song “is supported by dance-friendly production with a dose of Latin elements as well.”
James Blake — “Say What You Will”
At the top of the month, James Blake declared that his next album was done, and he didn’t waste time kicking off the rollout of it. That project is Friends That Will Break Your Heart, and “Say What You Will,” Blake says, is “about finding peace with who you are and where you’re at regardless of how well other people seem to be doing.”
Khalid — “New Normal”
At some point this fall, Khalid is set to drop his third album, Everything Is Changing. Sticking to the theme of things no longer being the same is the single he shared from the project last week, “New Normal,” a soulful tune that comes with a video that shows just how different things have become.
The War On Drugs — “Living Proof”
It’s been a good long while since the most recent album from The War On Drugs, the fantastic 2017 effort A Deeper Understanding. Last week, they announced that its follow-up is on the way and teased it with “Living Proof,” a gentler song than a lot of their Deeper Understanding tracks.
The Kid Laroi — “Don’t Leave Me” Feat. G Herbo and Lil Durk
Australian rapper/singer The Kid Laroi is really milking his debut mixtape F*ck Love, which was originally released in 2020. He dropped a deluxe edition of it later that year, and now he has come back with yet another expanded version of the album, this time titled F*ck Love 3: Over You. This addendum introduces seven new songs, including his Justin Bieber collab “Stay” and a joint effort with G Herbo and Lil Durk called “Don’t Leave Me.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.