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 the much-hyped return of Boygenius and Ice Spice continue her rapid ascent. 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.
Boygenius — “Emily I’m Sorry”
In 2018, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker dropped their self-titled debut EP as Boygenius. Ever since then, fans have been yearning for a reunion, and now it’s happening. They announced The Record, their debut album, last week and dropped off a three-pack of songs, one led by each of the trio. Among them is “Emily I’m Sorry,” a Bridgers-sung track that a vulnerable piece of storytelling.
Kim Petras — “Brrr”
A No. 1 single (“Unholy“) is tough to follow, but Petras is doing an admirable job with “Brrr.” The predictably icy tune is a wintry pop banger, featuring synthy and industrial production to both contrast and play nice with Petras’ airy vocals.
Ice Spice and Lil Tjay — “Gangsta Boo”
Ice Spice started breaking out last year and after a run of singles, she’s finally dropped her first project, an EP dubbed Like..?. It includes some of those aforementioned loosies as well as some new cuts, like the jaunty Lil Tjay collaboration “Gangsta Boo.”
The Kid LAROI — “I Can’t Go Back To The Way It Was (Intro)”
LAROI has quickly become a star over the past couple years and now he’s prepping for further domination with a new album, The First Time. He prefaced it last week with “I Can’t Go Back To The Way It Was (Intro),” the project’s opening track that sets the table with tales of personal struggle and the difficulty of life.
Skrillex and Bobby Raps — “Leave Me Like This”
Skrillex is in the midst of a productive run right now and he continued it last week by linking up with Bobby Raps for “Leave Me Like This.” Uproxx’s Alex Gonzales notes the track “delivers a groovy, house-inspired beat” and has “exciting drops and thumping bass.”
Arlo Parks — “Weightless”
Last week was big for album announcements, thanks in part to Arlo Parks revealing My Soft Machine. The first taste of the forthcoming LP is “Weightless,” a reflective and upbeat synth-pop tune. Phoebe Bridgers, by the way, is also involved with this project, as well as the next one on this list.
The National — “Tropic Morning News”
The National have been doing some mysterious things lately, and now we know why: The group has a new album, First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, on the way. Along with sharing the tracklist, tour dates, and other details, they also dropped “Tropic Morning News,” a driving new tune that they previously debuted live in 2022.
NLE Choppa — “23”
We’re still in prime New Years’ resolutions season and that’s the energy NLE Choppa is bringing on “23.” On the track, he raps about the personal improvements he envisions for himself here in 2023: “The old sh*t ain’t goin’ forward, this a newer me / Probably knew me last year, but you don’t know me.”
ASAP Rocky — “Same Problems?”
It would seem ASAP Rocky is in the midst of putting the finishing touches on a new album. While that’s forthcoming, what we have now is a fresh song, “Same Problems?.” Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez describes the tune, “The song features minimalist production, allowing listeners to focus on Rocky’s soft vocals, as he sings in a forlorn, crestfallen manner.”
Wednesday — “Chosen To Deserve”
We’re in a peak mid-week era: Wednesday is one of the biggest TV shows and Wednesday the band has a new album on the way. The group announced Rat Saw God last week and launched it with “Chosen To Deserve,” which began as an attempt to re-create a Drive-By Truckers song and ended up as a sunny and delightful country-inspired tune.