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 Billie Eilish finally follow up her debut album and super-producer Jack Antonoff take the spotlight for a change with a new Bleachers album. 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.
Billie Eilish — “Happier Than Ever”
After much ado, Billie Eilish’s long-awaited sophomore album Happier Than Ever is out. To accompany the release, she shared a rain-soaked video for the title track, an intensely vulnerable and emotional epic on which she all but mentions an ex who wronged her by name. It’s powerful and a key component of an album that’s ultimately a step forward for the young star.
Bleachers — “Secret Life”
Jack Antonoff has been more of a man behind the curtain in recent years with his work on some of pop’s most high-profile projects. Now, though, he’s stepping to the front of the stage again with a new Bleachers album, Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night, which he dropped last week. He preceded the album with “Secret Life,” a single that features one of those aforementioned collaborators, Lana Del Rey.
Silk Sonic — “Skate”
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) released “Leave The Door Open” in March, and in the months since then, fans have been waiting for the duo to follow up the soulful track. Finally, nearly half a year later, they have, with “Skate,” which is directly in the same vein as its predecessor but with some more vigor.
Petey — “We Go On Walks”
Uproxx favorite Petey has a full-length album, Lean Into Life, coming out this fall, and to follow the title track lead single, he dropped “We Go On Walks” last week. Uproxx’s Caitlin White notes of the track, “The chaotic, sometimes aggressive facets of the song are pretty reflective of how plenty of people are feeling after the last 18 months of confusing pandemic-related isolation, as is the practice of going on walks, so it feels very much like a song of its time.”
The Kid Laroi — “Best For Me”
The Kid Laroi’s F*ck Love is the project that doesn’t end. He has released expanded edition after expanded edition of it since its original release in July 2020. The latest is F*ck Love 3+: Over You, which adds six more songs to the album (bringing the total across all F*ck Love editions to 35 songs), and this time, they’re all solo cuts like “Best For Me.”
Angel Olsen — “Safety Dance”
Angel Olsen isn’t necessarily the first artist you’d expect to release a project of ’80s covers, but that’s just what she’s doing with Aisles, and the returns so far have been delightful. Her latest is the Men Without Hats classic “Safety Dance,” and the rendition eschews the pop sensibilities of the original recording in favor of a more brooding post-punk direction.
Jamila Woods — “Fast Car”
This fall, esteemed indie label Jagjaguwar is celebrating its 25th anniversary with Join The Ritual, a big covers album featuring a number of wonderful guests. Among them is Jamila Woods, who put her spin on a timeless classic, Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” Woods managed to breathe new life into the widely covered tune, turning the folk tune into more of a smoldering R&B ballad.
Toosii — “Spin Music”
Toosii is fresh off the release of his new expanded edition of Thank You For Believing, which was given the extended title Thank You For Believing (The Manifestation). A key track from the effort is “Spin Music,” which boasts a guest spot from Fivio Foreign. The track comes with a video that features some visually compelling shots of the rappers enjoying some of the trappings of their opulent lifestyles.
Isaiah Rashad — “Score” Feat. SZA and 6lack
A new full-length effort from Isaiah Rashad, titled The House Is Burning, dropped last week, and among the highlights is a collaboration with SZA and 6lack. Uproxx’s Wongo Okon notes of “Score,” “The well-constructed collaboration is led by mellow and drowned-out vocals from Rashad who opts for a bit of singing as opposed to rapping his way through the beat. SZA steps in for a rather small contribution to the song while 6lack delivers a strong verse of his own.”
Lil Yachty — “Love Music”
While Yachty’s recent work has had a bit of a hard-edged aesthetic, his latest, “Love Music,” is more in the unicorns-farting-rainbows territory. Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes how the song sees Yachty leaving his comfort zone: “Rather than relying on the bass-heavy, bombastic trap that he’s been kicking around the last couple of years or even reverting to his early cartoon-trap styles, this song sees him going soft-rock like it’s 2005 all over again.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.