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 Lana Del Rey go on a musical adventure and Janelle Monáe give some love to the music side of her empire. 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 Flash newsletters.
Lana Del Rey — “A&W”
We’re now less than a month away from Lana Del Rey’s new album, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Pearl Watch Me On Ring A Bell Psycho Lifeguard. She unleashed a seven-minute chunk of its last week with “A&W,” a sprawling, narrative tune that’s as adventurous musically as it is lyrically.
Janelle Monáe — “Float” Feat. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80
Monáe is fresh off a big weekend getting some cardio in at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. Before that, though, she dropped “Float,” an anticipated new single that features hints of reggae and Monáe reaching into her rap bag.
Latto — “Lottery” Feat. Lu Kala
It feels like it was just a matter of time before Latto came through with a song titled “Lottery.” She made the most of it, too, recruiting Lu Kala to help deliver a Dua Lipa-esque disco-pop banger.
Polo G — “No Time Wasted” Feat. Future
Polo G got an assist from Future on last week’s “No Time Wasted.” Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez notes of the track, “Over a triumphant beat produced by Southside, Polo reminds us where he came from and that he still sees himself becoming even more monumental.”
Tiësto — “Renaissance (The White Lotus) (Tiësto Remix)”
The White Lotus switched up its distinctive theme music a bit for the second season, although that catchy vocal part remained intact. The same is true with Tiësto’s new remix of the tune, which turns the track into what should be a DJ set hit at festivals this summer.
Skrillex — “Ratata” Feat. Missy Elliott and Mr. Oizo
Skrillex has been a machine lately, releasing new songs at an impressive clip. That was all leading up to Quest For Fire, his first album in nine years that’s out now. Highlights include “Ratata,” a jittery two-minute number featuring Missy Elliott and Mr. Oizo.
Caroline Polachek — “Fly To You” Feat. Grimes and Dido
Instead of dropping on Friday like everybody else, she opted to release her new LP, Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, on Valentine’s Day. She mostly flies solo on the project, although she shared the love on “Fly To You,” which features Grimes and Dido.
Beabadoobee — “Glue Song”
Beabadoobee is enjoying some newfound happiness on last week’s single “Glue Song.” She explained of it, “I wrote a lot of this song while on tour across Australia and Asia in the back of cars and traveling. It’s a heartfelt song that means a lot to me…. A love song and the first one I’ve written in my new relationship.”
Don Toliver — “4 Me” Feat. Kali Uchis
Toliver had a busy week, dropping two new singles: “Leave The Club” and “4 Me.” Of the latter, Uproxx’s Aaron Williams says, “His latest single from the album, ‘4 Me,’ sticks closely to the [Lovesick] theme, hijacking an interpolation of Beenie Man’s 2000 Mya collaboration, ‘Girls Dem Sugar,’ to express his devotion to the song’s addressee.”
100 Gecs — “Hollywood Baby”
The famous Forrest Gump “box of chocolates” line could have easily been about 100 Gecs (timeline impossibility aside), because you really can’t predict what a new Gecs tune is going to sound like. On “Hollywood Baby,” the latest, they went in a guitar-driven direction that comes across as their warped-version of hooky ’00s pop-punk.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.