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 Beyoncé drop an instant “song of the summer” candidate and Lil Nas X contribute an instant “beef of the summer” contender. 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.
Beyoncé — “Break My Soul”
We just had one of the strongest surprise-release weeks in recent memory: Drake dropped Honestly, Nevermind and shortly after that, Beyoncé fired off the single “Break My Soul.” Like Drake’s output, the new Beyoncé tune is a full-on dance banger, a thumping and catchy tune that’s bound to be ubiquitous this summer.
Lil Nas X and NBA Youngboy — “Late To The Party”
In case you missed it, Lil Nas X has beef with the BET Awards, which didn’t give him any nominations this year. Actually, there’s really no way we could have missed that beef, since Nas made it as clear as possible on his new song, “Late To The Party.” The tune opens and closes with Nas repeating, “F*ck BET,” and sandwiched between that is yet another fun and bouncy tune from the rapper/viral expert.
Eminem and Snoop Dogg — “From The D 2 The LBC”
NFTs, aka the things everybody loves and nobody has any issues with. Eminem and Snoop Dogg are (unironically) cool with them, as they flex in their video for “From The D 2 The LBC,” in which they turned into Bored Ape NFTs. As for the song, it’s an aggressive one in which both rappers turn up the tempo for dexterous verses.
Taylor Swift — “Carolina”
The Folklore/Evermore sessions keep on giving: A few days ago, Swift dropped “Carolina,” her contribution to the Where The Crawdads Sing soundtrack that was recorded during that era. The mellow tune is mostly just Swift and acoustic guitar before strings and other atmospheric instrumentation gradually creep in to flesh out the tune.
Soccer Mommy — “Darkness Forever”
Of the brooding and more experimental moments on her new album Sometimes, Forever, Soccer Mommy recently told Uproxx, “They are so heavy and doomy, and it can be slow and sludgy. It feels heavy all the time, but it’s not like a thousand guitars or this crazy shredding. It’s really evil.”
Gorillaz — “Cracker Island” Feat. Thundercat
Both Gorillaz and Thundercat have collaborated with more people than just about anybody in recent years, so it’s only natural that they’d finally link up on a track together. They delivered “Cracker Island” last week, an upbeat and groove-driven tune that makes perfect use of both artists’ respective talents in the name of fun and catchy music.
Roddy Ricch — “Real Talk”
Following his late-2021 album Live Life Fast, Ricch made a quick return with a batch of new songs, via last week’s three-track EP The Big 3. Kicking off the trio of tunes is “Real Talk,” an atmospheric and in-your-face tune in which the rapper talks about his past and staying true to himself.
Coi Leray — “Involved”
Leray recently delayed her tour, but the good news is that she’s now returned with new music, “Involved.” Uproxx’s Armon Sadler notes, ‘Her new single “Involved’ addresses the mutual affection between her and a lover. She pledges to be discreet through autotuned vocals and a frantic drum pattern but also acknowledges her addiction to the love they share and how it forces her to question why she stays when other women are in the picture.”
Giveon — “Lost Me”
Giveon has done a terrific job of making a name for himself, both through features (like on Justin Bieber’s No. 1 single “Peaches”) and his one material (2020’s “Heartbreak Anniversary” managed a peak at No. 16 on the Hot 100 chart). All of this has built up to his just-released debut album, Give Or Take. Of “Lost Me,” Uproxx’s Wongo Okon notes, “The song presents Giveon’s dismissal of future attempts at love after past ones only left him heartbroken.”
Conan Gray — “Movies”
Gray had one of our most anticipated pop albums of the summer with Superache, and thankfully the anticipation is over because the LP is now ours. The project kicks off with “Movies,” which balances cinematic grandiosity with acoustic intimacy, all for an evocative tune that sees Gray yearning for a perfect love, the kind that seems to only exist on the big screen.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.