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 music released in the last week.
This week saw a TikTok hit for Drake and even more new material from The Weeknd. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Drake — “Toosie Slide”
Drake’s “Toosie Slide” debuted on TikTok before its official release, and it’s clear the song was crafted to take over the platform. There are literal dance instructions in the lyrics: “Right foot up, left foot slide / left foot up, right foot slide.” It also sounds like it could be yet another hit for Drake (but not for Lil Baby).
Thundercat — It Is What It Is
Thundercat is rightfully one of the most esteemed jazz musicians of the past decade, but he’s also much more than that. His music touches on a variety of genres, and that’s as true as ever on It Is What It Is. The record also features guest sports from Childish Gambino, Ty Dolla Sign, Kamasi Washington, BadBadNotGood, and others, as well as production from Flying Lotus.
Frank Ocean — “Dear April” and “Cayendo”
New music from Frank Ocean is always an event, and he had a couple of them recently. He premiered new songs during his PReP+ dance party last year, and now a pair of them have been officially released, albeit in acoustic form. The songs aren’t acoustic in the folk sense, in that they aren’t necessarily stripped down, as they’re still sonically enveloping.
The Weeknd — “Nothing Compares,” “Missed You,” and “Final Lullaby”
After Hours has been the album that won’t stop growing since its release. First The Weeknd added some appealing new remixes via a deluxe edition, and now, he has further updated the expanded record with a trio of new songs, which are a welcomed expansion of the world The Weeknd has built.
The 1975 — “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America”
Phoebe Bridgers noted previously that she worked with The 1975 on their upcoming album, and now the fruits of their collaboration have emerged. The 1975 shared the unconventionally titled “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America,” and a band that has been full of left turns made another one here: The song is more aligned with the gentle folk styling of Bridgers’ wheelhouse, and it turns out Matty Healy operates expertly in that context.
Empress Of — I’m Your Empress Of
Empress Of told Uproxx of her new album, “There is so much confidence on this record because I’m singing about things that are embarrassing and kind of vulnerable — like about begging someone to take you back, the text to your ex at two AM, or the rebound hookup.”
Read our interview with Empress Of here.
Troye Sivan — “Take Yourself Home”
People around the world are getting restless these days, and Troye Sivan’s new song “Take Yourself Home” has an ultra-relatable theme for the times: a yearning for escape. Sivan sings on the track, “I’m tired of the city / Scream if you’re with me / If I’m gonna die / Let’s die somewhere pretty.”
Young Thug and Gunna — “Quarantine Clean”
Meanwhile, Young Thug and Gunna express similar frustrations on their new track, “Quarantine Clean.” While the song has some complaints (“Why would a disease come around when you get rich?”), the song ultimately touches on how well Thug and Gunna are faring in spite of it all: “Yeah, I’m quarantine-clean, so relaxed / Got my pillows in my Benz Maybach.”
Ellis — Born Again
Ellis explained to Uproxx why she titled her album Born Again, saying in a recent interview, “I found a journal entry that I’d written a few years ago that said ‘we are born again and again and again and again.’ I think I was thinking about the cycle — like obviously, there are huge religious connotations to that term — but I think it can be used in a different way, or I’m reclaiming it to represent other transformative experiences I’ve been through.”
Read our interview with Ellis here.
Yves Tumor — Heaven To A Tortured Mind
Yves Tumor has spent the past decade as an experimental artist with a desire to make catchy hits, and he comes as close as ever to realizing that on Heaven For A Tortured Mind. There are definite pop moments here, and yet Tumor doesn’t make any sacrifices when it comes to pushing boundaries.
Read our review of Heaven To A Tortured Mind here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.