Sabrina Carpenter dropped, and she has earned the right to be the headline until further notice. While Carpenter is one of the most ubiquitous stars in America this summer, international artists like Coldplay, Myles Smith, Nick Ward, Will Swinton, and Sofie Reyer served up offerings worth universal recognition.
Check that out and more in Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.
Sabrina Carpenter — “Taste”
Sabrina Carpenter has been building toward this for a decade. Somehow, Short N’ Sweet, her sixth LP out now, simultaneously feels like a beginning and a culmination. Carpenter could have dropped “Taste” as the album’s lead single, and the hype would have just as high, which is saying something considering “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” peaked at Nos. 1 and 3, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100. “Taste” ups the “Espresso” ante, as Carpenter sings, “I heard you’re back together, and if that’s true / You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you / If you want forever, I bet you do / Just know you’ll taste me, too.” The Dave Meyers-directed video co-starring Jenna Ortega is even more explicitly clear.
Coldplay Feat. Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna & TINI — “We Pray”
As evidenced by their two-plus-year Music Of The Spheres World Tour, Coldplay doesn’t know how to do anything subtly. “We Pray” synthesizes the overwhelming problems inherent with being alive in the world today into cohesive verses seamlessly shared by Chris Martin, Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna, and Tini. The swelling instrumentals raise “We Pray” to anthemic status. Five versions of the song are available, including a live version from when Coldplay debut it at Glastonbury, and it will be a track from the iconic band’s Moon Music due out on October 4.
Myles Smith — “Wait For You”
There’s no reason to wait to hop on the Myles Smith bandwagon. “Wait For You” is an impressive follow-up to Smith’s “Stargazing,” the English artist’s breakthrough hit that became his first-ever Billboard Hot 100 charter. “Wait For You” doubles down on the upbeat, folksy sonic palette that carried “Stargazing,” and the lyricism proves Smiths’ depth can’t be reduced to one hit. “[It’s] an introspective and deeply emotional track,” Smith said in a statement. “It delves into the struggle of watching a friend (my previous self) battle their inner demons and their commitment to stand by them through their darkest times.” Smith will kick off his entirely sold-out North American headlining tour next month.
Nick Ward — “Control”
Nick Ward has laid claim to the title of Australia’s latest universal star in the making. The 22-year-old singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer already caught John Mayer’s ears with “All Your Life,” his July single, and “Control” unquestionably builds on that momentum. The track’s hook illustrates the chokehold control — or desperately wanting to feel in control — can have on someone, as Ward repeats “Control” twelve times. That simplicity is contrasted by vulnerable verses like, “I found some purpose, or something that felt like purpose / Then I died. Story of my life / I’m stuck inside this body / And I don’t think it’s mine.” House With The Blue Door, his debut LP due out on October 4, figures to further solidify Ward’s uniquely captivating appeal.
Sofie Royer — “I Forget (I’m So Young)”
The term multi-hyphenate might very well have been invented for Sofie Royer — a classically trained violinist and visual artist with multiple European gallery showings to her name. Royer’s dimensionality is front and center with “I Forget (I’m So Young),” an electro-pop single pulsating with bass and musings about inconvenient amnesia about youth and impermanence. “I Forget (I’m So Young” is the Vienna-based artist’s first solo release of 2024 and foreshadows her follow-up to 2022’s Harlequin.
Jessie Murph — “I Hope It Hurts”
Jessie Murph is ten days away from releasing That Ain’t No Man That’s The Devil, her debut studio album. “I Hope It Hurts” showcases Murph’s soulful vocals as she details an all-consuming lust confused for love and, ultimately, ending in despair. “And I hope it burns, and I won’t be there,” Murph belts powerfully in the chorus. “I hope it hurts everywhere / You’re gonna learn I’m happy to lose / But I hope you hurt, ’cause God knows I do.” The track complements with “Dirty” with Teddy Swims released earlier this month.
Will Swinton — “Fall Apart”
Will Swinton is hopelessly devoted to the muse of this song. The New Zealand-born singer and songwriter was previously featured in this roundup for “Letting Me Down,” a simmering takedown about someone “always letting me down.” Swinton refocused on (presumably) someone else who brings opposing emotions out of him. He desperately wishes for her to stay, singing, “And all along / I swear that I was scared to let you go / And I was wrong / I needed you to know / I’d never let you fall apart / Or leave you with an ugly scar.” Swinton and his irresistible vocal tone won’t have to worry about unrequited affection when he supports BabyJake on tour across North America this fall.
Lainey Wilson — “Whirlwind”
Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottom Country won Best Country Album at this year’s Grammys. She’s coming for the award again with Whirlwind, her newly released album. The title track finds Wilson in full control — of vocal delivery and narrative. “We’rе a whirlwind,” she sings. “Cuttin’ through a Texas town / Yeah, this funnel wouldn’t bе near as fun / Without you spinnin’ ’round.”
Jessie Reyez Feat. Lil Wayne — “RIDIN”
Jessie Reyez described “RIDIN” as “a poem.” Reyez fully gives herself over to the performance. The rock-tinged track oozes emotion, as Reyez sings salacious lines like “Tell you to turn the lights on / ‘Cause I like to see what I ride on” or “Hold me / Since love always hurt me baby / Imma need you to choke me.” Lil Wayne’s verse is even more explicit, of course, and his bars are clever and effortless as ever. Reyez claims “I’m like a drug / More than morphine,” and this song certainly possesses an addictive quality.
Myke Towers & Peso Pluma — “SE TE NOTA”
Before Myke Towers released La Pantera Negra, the Puerto Rican sensation spoke to Rolling Stone about it. “I don’t do too many features, but I had a few here,” Towers told the publication. “Jay Wheeler, I have a song with him. I got a song with Peso Pluma.” Can confirm that it was an excellent decision to team up with Pluma for “SE TE NOTA,” an end-to-end romp.