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 Ice Spice and SZA both come through with big-time collaborations. 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.
Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj — “Princess Diana”
Back in 2020, Ice Spice joked that Nicki Minaj had followed her on Twitter. Two years and change later, it actually happened. Things escalated quickly from there, as last week, Minaj joined Spice on a remix of “Princess Diana,” a thumping number that was accompanied by a twerk-filled video.
SZA — “Kill Bill” Feat. Doja Cat
SZA has one of the year’s biggest albums with SOS, and her single “Kill Bill” is also a massive success, so far peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. But speaking of high-profile collaborations, she breathed new life into the song last week by recruiting Doja Cat for a remix. The track starts with the newness right away, as Doja opens the track with a fresh verse that builds on the song’s themes of revenge.
Dominic Fike — “Dancing In The Courthouse”
After getting a season of Euphoria under his belt, Dominic Fike pivoted back to music last week with “Dancing In The Courthouse.” The single is a warm and breezy number, propelled by a relaxed rhythm and vibe that’s going to be perfect for lazy summer afternoons in the coming months.
Post Malone — “Chemical”
Posty just delivered one of the first big surprises of Coachella 2023’s opening weekend by popping up during Bad Bunny’s set. Before that, though, he dropped “Chemical,” his first single of the year, a pop- and rock-leaning tune with a propulsive rhythm on which he confronts his vices and struggles.
Angel Olsen — “Forever Means”
Not long after last year’s Big Time, Angel Olsen is coming back with a new collection of music, an EP dubbed Forever Means. The title track came out last week and the song, as Uproxx’s Danielle Chelosky notes, “possesses the endearing twang of her last LP, as well as the intimate, vulnerable ambiance.”
The National — “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend” Feat. Phoebe Bridgers
The National and Phoebe Bridgers have become friends in recent years, but they have an opposite sort of relationship with their inner workings on “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend,” the latest from The National on which Bridgers features. It’s a melancholic, piano-driven number on which Matt Berninger sings, “Don’t you understand? / Your mind is not your friend again / It takes you by the hand / And leaves you nowhere.”
Daniel Caesar — “Valentina” Feat. Rick Ross
Caesar is only days removed from the release of Never Enough but he already bounced back with a deluxe edition of the album. The expanded version includes a new collaboration with Rick Ross on “Valentina,” a sultry number that builds upon its initially brief runtime by adding some punch with Ross’ new verse.
Kelly Clarkson — “Mine”
Excluding a 2021 Christmas album, the last full-length we got from Kelly Clarkson was 2017’s Meaning Of Life. Now, though, the talk show host and singing competition judge is getting back in the saddle with Chemistry, which is set to land this summer. It’s gearing up to be a personal album that addresses her divorce, as she sings on “Mine,” “You know I question every motive, everything you say / Thought with you maybe my heart wasn’t meant to break / Can’t believe I let you in, I can’t believe I stayed / As long as I stayed, yeah.”
Lauren Spencer-Smith, Gayle, and Em Beihold — “Fantasy”
Gayle had a massive 2021 and 2022 with “ABCDEFU” and the subsequent A Study Of The Human Experience EPs. The personality she infuses in her music played a major role there and it’s also clearly present in “Fantasy,” a big and bold new song in collaboration with Lauren Spencer-Smith and Em Beihold.
Metallica — “Sleepwalk My Life Away”
Metallica had a huge 2022 thanks to a “Master Of Puppets” needle drop in Stranger Things. Now, they’re also making an impact in 2023 with a new album, 72 Seasons. The band has been at it since the ’80s and while they’re very much veterans, they don’t yet come across as old, as there are still plenty of punishing riffs and strong songwriting on the new LP, their 11th.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.