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 Don Toliver reunite with a major early-career ally and James Blake drop an evocative new album. 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.
Don Toliver — “Flocky Flocky” Feat. Travis Scott
Travis Scott was a major help in Don Toliver’s ascent, as Toliver had a memorable appearance on Scott’s Astroworld highlight “Can’t Say,” which is where a lot of now-fans heard Toliver for the first time. Now the pair is back together, but this time with Scott as the featured artist on Toliver’s “Flocky Flocky,” from his brand new LP, Life Of A Don.
Joyner Lucas — “Late To The Party” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign
Joyner Lucas has been on a hot streak with big-time collaborators lately: Over the past few months, he’s worked with Lil Baby, Rick Ross, Lil Tjay, and J. Cole. Last week, he added to that list perhaps the greatest collaborator ever: Ty Dolla Sign, who joined him on the energetic “Late To The Party.”
James Blake — “Coming Back” Feat. SZA
James Blake is fresh off the release of Friends Who Break Your Heart, on which he got help from some friends (who hopefully didn’t break his heart). One of the best guest appearances comes from SZA, who joins Blake on the soulful and hip-hop-inflected “Coming Back.”
Cordae — “Super”
In the grand scheme, Cordae has fared better than most rappers have. His career has gone well, a fact on which he reflects with his celebratory new single, “Super.” Success has certainly come Cordae’s way, a fact he thoroughly emphasizes on the hard-hitting track.
Big Thief — “Change”
Big Thief fans felt blessed last week as the band revealed they’re returning with a massive 20-song double-LP in 2022. After that news made the rounds, the band made things even more exciting by sharing a new track, “Change,” a relatively minimal tune that would have felt at home on Adrianne Lenker’s 2020 solo album Songs.
Mitski — “Working For The Knife”
Mitski is going on tour in 2022, but before that, she graced fans with a new track, “Working For The Knife.” It’s a deep one, too, as Mitski said of it, “It’s about going from being a kid with a dream, to a grown up with a job, and feeling that somewhere along the way you got left behind.”
The Alchemist — “6 Five Heartbeats” Feat. Vince Staples
Alchemist and Vince Staples spoke some this summer about a significant amount of collaborations the two have worked on. While fans wait for that to drop, the two have a new collaboration, “6 Five Heartbeats.” Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes the track sees Staples “spitting a ferocious verse in that languid delivery of his over a jazzy beat that belies the menace of Staples’ lyrics.”
Nas — “Big Nas”
Nas is teaching his own Masterclass, and to mark the occasion, he shared a new song, “Big Nas” (no relation to Lil Nas X). The track serves as a resume for the esteemed rapper, as it goes through his triumphs in music, business, family, and life more broadly.
Jesy Nelson — “Boyz” Feat. Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj let it be known last month that she was linking up with former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson for her next collaboration. Now, that joint effort, “Boyz,” has arrived. Built on a sample of Black Rob, Mark Curry, and Diddy’s “Bad Boy For Life,” the duo use the track to show their support for nefarious males.
Magdalena Bay — “Hysterical Us”
LA duo Magdalena Bay has built a colorful universe for their new album Mercurial World to live, and a couple days ahead of dropping the album, they offered a final preview of it with “Hysterical Us.” The video is vibrant and the music, a smooth and bubbly electro-pop tune, is equally so.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.