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 Billie Eilish drop the latest Album Of The Year contender and Donald Glover refresh one of his Childish Gambino releases. 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.
Billie Eilish — “Lunch”
Billie’s pre-release explanation about “Lunch” generated some attention, when she said, “I’ve been in love with girls for my whole life, but I just didn’t understand — until, last year, I realized I wanted my face in a vagina.” Now that the track is here, it’s a clear album highlight with a fun groove.
Childish Gambino — “Little Foot Big Foot” Feat. Lil Nudy
2020’s 3.15.20 was a relatively under-the-radar release for Gambino, in that it’s the lowest-charting album in his discography. He just gave the project another shot, though, with Atavista, a spiffed-up version of the album. He tapped Quinta Brunson for his new “Little Foot Big Foot” video, which adds to Gambino’s legacy of high-effort visuals.
Zayn — “Stardust”
Although Zayn frequently falls out of the public eye, he has been relatively consistent with solo albums since the end of his time in One Direction. His latest LP, Room Under The Stairs, is here, and songs like “Stardust” show off his new country-inspired direction.
Omar Apollo — “Dispose Of Me”
Apollo has God Said No coming out this summer and he teased it a few days ago with “Dispose Of Me.” It’s a soulful slow-burner that shows him navigating the trouble of moving on.
aespa — “Supernova”
Given how successful they’ve been, it might be surprising that aespa doesn’t have a full-length album out yet. Armageddon is set to drop soon, though, and last week’s “Supernova” is a promising taste, a fiery tune merging elements of pop, hip-hop, and more.
NxWorries — “FromHere” Feat. Snoop Dogg and October London
Between his solo work and Silk Sonic, Anderson .Paak is a busy dude. Now he’s thrown NxWorries (his duo with Knxwledge) into the mix, too, as they dropped “FromHere” last week. The Snoop-featuring tune isn’t too stylistically removed from the soulful R&B of Silk Sonic, which we’ll happily take.
Rapsody — “Back In My Bag”
After nearly five years without a new album, Rapsody dropped Please Don’t Cry last week. She’s back in her bag on, well, “Back In My Bag,” a hard-hitting number that sees Rapsody celebrating her return.
Saweetie — “Nani”
Summer’s here and Saweetie is ready: “Nani” is a light, warm-weather tune that Saweetie describes as “a record about empowering yourself to walk through any room you enter feeling beautiful, confident, and unstoppable.”
Chance The Rapper and DJ Premier — “Together”
Chance The Rapper has become a household name since his last album, 2019’s The Big Day, by being a judge on The Voice. He can still bust out a song when he wants to, though, like last week’s “Together,” which sees Chance pleading for a more unified Chicago.
Miley Cyrus — “Psycho Killer”
Miley Cyrus has proven to be fantastic when it comes to covering classic tunes, so she was a perfect artist to contribute to Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute To Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, which just released in full. She delivers a rendition of “Psycho Killer” here, merging the original’s alternative energy with her distinct pop edge.