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 collaborations lead the week, with pairings of Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift as well as Saweetie and HER. 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.
Ed Sheeran — “The Joker And The Queen” Feat. Taylor Swift
Sheeran and Swift have been pals for a good while now, and the friends got to reunite on a new track last week, with Swift (as was rumored for months in advance) featured on a new version of Sheeran’s “The Joker And The Queen.” The video was nostalgic for many reasons, which led to both pop stars to reminisce about the ride they’ve been on as best buds.
Saweetie and HER — “Closer”
Fans are still waiting for Saweetie’s delayed Pretty Bitch Music album, and while the release date for the project remains TBD, she did link up with HER on “Closer” last week. Uproxx’s Aaron Williams calls the tune “a flirtatious, dance-ready piece of disco-pop” on which “the two performers — who share Bay Area roots and mixed Black-Filipino heritage — revel in the warm, fuzzy vibes of a new relationship.”
Fivio Foreign — “City Of Gods” Feat. Kanye West and Alicia Keys
Kanye West finds himself in the news just about every other hour these days, but towards the end of last week, one such instance was actually music-related. No, it didn’t have to do with Donda 2: He and Alicia Keys joined Fivio Foreign on “City Of Gods,” which is carried by drill production and Alicia Keys’ interpolating of The Chainsmokers’ “New York City” for the hook, but perhaps defined by Ye dropping references to everything from Pete Davidson to the Chicago Bills.
Pusha T — “Diet Coke”
It was actually a big week for new Kanye music, as he and 88 Keys produced the latest from Pusha T, “Diet Coke.” Ye even found his way into the song’s video, maintaining a background role like he does on the song itself as Pusha T drops bars that aren’t about a reduced-sugar soda.
Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby — “Bussin”
Minaj and Baby is a combo so nice they did it twice. Earlier this month, the pair linked up on “Do We Have A Problem?,” and they followed that up quickly with “Bussin.” On the new single, Minaj goes in and flexes the wealth she’s been able to accumulate over the years.
Caroline Polachek — “Billions”
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok lately, you’ve likely heard Polachek’s 2019 single “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings,” which has gone viral years after its release. Well, new Polachek fans who heard the newfound hit and wanted more were in luck this week, as Polachek dropped “Billions,” which Uproxx’s Caitlin White calls “a flickering, glitchy distillation of Polachek’s most experimental instincts.”
Big Thief — “Red Moon”
Big Thief’s massive new album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is out now, and among the 20 tracks, virtually all of them are highlights, but “Red Moon” stands out. Uproxx’s Steven Hyden called the new album a “masterpiece” and noted of “Red Moon” specifically, “The sweeping country rock of ‘Red Moon’ (featuring excellent fiddle playing by Mat Davidson, among the small handful of non-band members appearing on the album) carries with it the dust of the Arizona desert.”
Jack White — “The Fear Of The Dawn”
Jack White has an album two albums coming out in the coming months: Fear Of The Dawn is scheduled for April 8, then Entering Heaven Alive is set to drop on July 22. He previewed it last week the the former album’s title track, a brief but energetic rocker for White dropped a now-on-brand very blue video.
Orville Peck — “C’mon Baby, Cry”
Peck, perhaps country music’s favorite mysterious masked cowboy, has a new album, Bronco, coming out on April 8. When he announced that last week, he also shared “C’mon Baby, Cry,” another fine example of Peck’s throwback country balladry.
Raveena — “Mystery”
Raveena is one of pop’s most intriguing up-and-comers, which she proved again last week with “Mystery,” a delightfully catchy highlight from the just-released album Asha’s Awakening. Uproxx’s Caitlin White recently noted of Raveena, “Even in a world that is striving to offer better representation and center women of color, it’s still rare to see an Indian woman in the pop mainstream, so Raveena’s proud centering of her intersectional identity is part of what makes her music so special and important.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.