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 Megan The Stallion’s rebirth and Olivia Rodrigo enter an iconic cinematic universe. 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.
Megan Thee Stallion — “Cobra”
“Cobra” is a big one for Megan Thee Stallion. She brought the goods, too, with lyrics that cut deep into her psyche at the moment and that are starting all sorts of conversations.
Olivia Rodrigo — “Can’t Catch Me Now”
The rumors turned out to be true: Rodrigo has a new song on the The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes soundtrack. The tune in question is “Can’t Catch Me Now,” a sorrowful-sounding ballad that ends in a big and appropriately cinematic climax.
The Kid LAROI — “Bleed”
We’re at the point in the year when there aren’t too many high-profile albums to look forward to until 2024, but The Kid LAROI will highlight 2023’s final couple months with The First Time. He offered a taste of it last Friday with “Bleed,” an acoustic-driven pop-rock ballad that sees LAROI coping with the end of a relationship.
Jung Kook — “Standing Next To You”
Jung Kook is the latest BTS member to come through with a solo album, as Golden has arrived. Fans of the group should be excited, but so should anybody, really, based on “Standing Next To You,” a funky, ’80s-inspired single that’s an undeniable crowd-pleaser.
Kevin Abstract — “Madonna”
With Brockhampton now a thing of the past, Kevin Abstract is moving forward on his own. He’s going in a different direction, too, as his pre-release singles, last week’s “Madonna” included, have shown him pursuing a more rock- and pop-inspired sound.
Kid Cudi — “At The Party” Feat. Pharrell and Travis Scott
As we start looking into 2024, Kid Cudi’s Insano is a clear highlight for January. The album rollout has started here in 2023, though, and last week, Cudi unveiled “At The Party,” which is definitely ready for a rager and brings some star power via Pharrell and Travis Scott.
Hotline TNT — “History Channel”
Hotline TNT’s new album Cartwheel has earned the approval of Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen, who discussed the project in their latest episode. Among the highlights is “History Channel,” which the band’s Will Anderson told Brooklyn Vegan was nearly a single before the band “decided to save it for the true fans.”
Conan Gray — “Killing Me”
Gray delivered the well-received album Superache last year, and while it’s not exactly clear what’s on the horizon yet, he’s unveiled a string of delightful singles in 2023. The latest is “Killing Me,” which continues to draw inspiration from the sounds of the ’80s, which sounds great delivered via yet another catchy hook from Gray.
Empty Country — “Bootsie”
Empty Country (aka Joseph D’Agostino, formerly of Cymbals Eat Guitars) recently told Uproxx about how video games inspired his new album, Empty Country II, saying, “I do play video games here and there, and I’ll get heavily into something for like six months. And it was Elden Ring while I was writing Empty Country II. And I was like, ‘Okay, a video game couldn’t possibly inform something like this album.’ But it really did. You really feel like you’re discovering things and it’s the only open world game where I’ve felt that way and it’s not just the same content recycled, recycled. So yeah, Elden Ring even kind of makes its way into Empty Country II just in that feeling of exploration and discovery that I hadn’t had from anything in a long time.”
Willow — “Alone”
Willow’s in the rare position of being a music industry veteran at only 23 years old. Throughout her journey, Willow has confidently explored various styles, and while her 2022 album Coping Mechanism was firmly rock-inspired, she’s confidently working in jazzy neo-soul on the new single “Alone.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.