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 Harry Styles dominate the music conversation and Tame Impala link up with a legend… thanks to the Minions franchise. 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. Also find our Uproxx HQ Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly with the best new music, at the end of this post.
Harry Styles — “Late Night Talking”
For nearly two months now, “As It Was” was really the only taste of the highly anticipated new album from Styles, Harry’s House. At last, though, the full LP came out a couple days ago and Styles marked the release by sharing the album’s second single, “Late Night Talking,” a bit of jaunty R&B-pop that goes in a more soulful direction than the indie-synth-pop-leaning “As It Was.”
Diana Ross and Tame Impala — “Turn Up The Sunshine”
For a minute there, it looked like Diana Ross and Tame Impala made an album together with a bunch of guests. In actuality, they simply teamed up for a new collaborative song, “Turn Up The Sunshine,” as part of the Minions: The Rise Of Gru soundtrack. The two work well together, as Kevin Parker’s increasingly soulful and funky production is a natural pairing with the Motown legend’s iconic vocals.
Unc And Phew — “Hotel Lobby”
Is Migos breaking up? It actually seems like that might be the case after Offset unfollowed Quavo and Takeoff on Instagram last week. The latter two are definitely exploring what an Offset-less career would look like, as the pair teamed up last week, as Unc And Phew, on “Hotel Lobby,” a Murda Beatz-produced track that’s very Migos-ian in its themes of wealth and doing whatever you want.
Hayley Kiyoko — “For The Girls”
Hayley Kiyoko — “lesbian Jesus,” as she is sometimes called — continued to proudly represent the LGBTQ+ community last week with “For The Girls.” The song’s video is a great time, as it features Kiyoko as the star of a queer The Bachelorette parody, where female contestants compete for Kiyoko’s rose.
Rina Sawayama — “This Hell”
Sawayama’s self-titled breakthrough album came out two years ago and now the Japanese-British singer is getting ready to capitalize on all the hype with a newly announced album, Hold This Girl. Uproxx’s Adrian Spinelli notes lead single “This Hell” (which Sawayama just performed on The Tonight Show) “culls from both country music and glam rock influences” and is “propped up on an electrifying guitar riff and is lyrically tongue-in-cheek without giving up any fire.”
Soccer Mommy — “Bones”
Soccer Mommy has teamed up with Daniel Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never for her new album Sometimes, Forever, so you know she’s going to be trying stuff on a sonic level. However, her latest single, last week’s “Bones,” is actually true to the bedroom-pop sound that Soccer Mommy was founded on, albeit with a new layer of polish.
070 Shake — “Body” Feat. Christine And The Queens
070 Shake has come into her own since appearing on some of Kanye West’s 2018 projects. Her sophomore album, You Can’t Kill Me, is set for this summer and fans can’t wait. She held them over last week with “Body,” which Uproxx’s Armon Sadler calls “a whirlwind of sonic experiences, opening with a sultry nature before everything heightens and becomes frantic” He continues, “Eventually, the song becomes simultaneously haunting yet beautiful but through the jarring transitions, the New Jersey artist and guest star Christine And The Queens vocally command the space with ease.”
The Notorious B.I.G. — “G.O.A.T” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign and Bella Alubo
Last weekend (May 20, to be specific) marked what would have been the late Notorious B.I.G.’s 50th birthday. To mark the occasion, his estate dropped a new song, “G.O.A.T,” which samples a Biggie classic (“I Love The Dough”), adds some afrobeats flavor, and features Ty Dolla Sign and Bella Alubo.
Ravyn Lenae — “Xtasy”
Chicago’s Ravyn Lenae has finally followed up her 2018 EP Crush with a debut album, Hypnos. That dropped last week, but not before a final preview of the album, the smooth single “Xtasy.” Kaytranada has production duty here, so sonically, it’s about what you’d expect from the exemplary producer, who plays well with the up-and-coming singer here.
Lykke Li — “Over”
Fans of vintage Lykke Li rejoice this week with the release of Eyeye, as the Swedish singer-songwriter’s new album sees her reuniting with Björn Yttling, who produced her first three albums. Eyeye is her fifth LP and among the highlights is “Over,” a brooding, slow-burning bit of nighttime pop that’s propelled forward by Li’s vocals.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.