This week in pop, Kesha celebrated Independence Day in the most literal sense, while Lana Del Rey and Quavo delivered “Tough” months after Quavo swore any dating speculation could be chalked up to “having hits.”
Check that out and more in Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.
aespa — “Hot Mess”
aespa are big on debuts lately. The former Uproxx cover stars just released their debut full-length album, Armageddon, in May, but the K-pop supernovas have already moved on. Last week, “Hot Mess” served as aespa’s Japanese debut. The anthemic single’s video is, of course, full of Japanese pop culture references, and the lyrics are equal parts playful (“I’m a hot mess, hot mess / So if you like it, I can take you to my world”) and self-aware (“I’m a troublemaker, troublemaker / What’s so funny, funny?”). “Sun And Moon” and “Zoom Zoom” are packaged with “Hot Mess,” so, in other words, aespa fans never have to worry about staying fed.
Beabadoobee — “Ever Seen”
Beabadoobee previously released “Coming Home” and “Take A Bite” from her upcoming This Is How Tomorrow Moves album, and they’re both lovely, but “Ever Seen” is my favorite. Beabadoobee has a knack for poignantly accentuating sweet romance in the seemingly mundane; in this case, someone telling her she “had the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen” was all it took for Beabadoobee to feel “the highest I think I’ve ever been.”
Kesha — “Joyride”
Kesha released “Joyride” on Independence Day because she could. It’s her first independently released single since fulfilling her Kemosabe Records contract and settling her lengthy legal battle with Dr. Luke. The song contains everything that made fans fall in love with Kesha in the early 2010s. Reneé Rapp, who has long cited Kesha as an idol and recently welcomed her to the stage on tour and at Coachella, will presumably love the Mean Girls Easter egg in the catchy hook: “Beep beep, b*tch, I’m outside / Get in, loser, for the joyride.”
Lana Del Rey & Quavo — “Tough”
“Life’s gonna do what it does / Sure as the good Lord’s up above,” Lana Del Rey ethereally sings in the opening verse of “Tough.” Fittingly, the song finds Del Rey and Quavo doing what they do: Effortlessly make an instant hit. Del Rey’s voice sounds pristine, and Quavo’s flow is tight as ever, but the best part might be how seamlessly their voices gently harmonize in the chorus.
AJ Tracey — “Bubble Bath”
West Londoner AJ Tracey reminded everyone he can still rap with the best of them with “Bubble Bath,” a frenetic song bursting with Instagram caption-worthy bars like “I’m the reason your girl’s got no behavior” or “She could short hair, bob it, or curly.”
Jessie Ware & Romy — “Lift You Up”
Jessie Ware and Romy had been wanting to collaborate for years, as they expressed in the press release for “Lift You Up.” Debuting “Lift You Up,” a shimmering disco-pop delight, at Glastonbury 2024 feels like the ultimately worth-the-wait moment. More or less, it’s the best-sounding rumination spiral imaginable (“Why do I think too much but not at all? / Why do I back myself against the wall?”) and morphs into an empowering message about leaving the past in the past and embracing what (or who) helps them feel better now.
Lainey Wilson — “4x4xU”
While you’re calculating how many days remain before Lainey Wilson releases Whirlwind, listen to “4x4xU.” The love-soaked single is unapologetically country, as is Wilson, who who rides shotgun with her lover through the backroads to the stable in the “4x4xU” video. “Ain’t nowhere I’d rather be,” she belts. “Than in a 4×4 by you, babe.” Wilson is fresh off winning Best Country Album at the 2024 Grammys, and Whirlwind is shaping up as another viable contender.
Felix Jaehn Feat. Sophie Ellis-Bextor — “Ready For Your Love”
The resurgence of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder On The Dancefloor” stoked the appetite for new music from Ellis-Bextor, and she delivered as the featured artist on Felix Jaehn’s “Ready For Your Love.” The pulsating, club-ready song finds Ellis-Bextor singing, in no uncertain terms, “I’m ready for your touch, it’s tearing me apart / I’m ready for your la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la / I’m ready for your love.”
Camylio — “Angel”
Camylio dropped the video for “Angel” simultaneous with his In The Light And Shadows EP. “My entire musical upbringing was listening to a weird combination of artists like The Weeknd and Hozier, but also Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes — truly a combination of light and dark,” the New York-bred, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter said of the EP. The description also applies to “Angel,” where Camylio’s gravelly voice sings of a delicate woman (yes, his angel) whose mere presence consumes him.
Louis The Child, Laszewo & Pluko — “Slow”
Months ago, Louis The Child and Pluko played an early version of “Slow” in Vegas, as they detailed on Instagram. The beat is infectious, and the drop is everything you want from an EDM/pop banger, but Laszewo’s vocals are what make “Slow” soar. The song lays bare every internal thought nobody wants to be the first to vocalize early in a romance.