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 DJ Khaled teaming up with everybody in the industry and Britney Spears having a major career moment. 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. Also find our Uproxx HQ Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly with the best new music, at the end of this post.
DJ Khaled — “God Did” Feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend, and Fridayy
DJ Khaled did that thing he does where he wrangles every famous musician currently working and put them all on one album. The new LP is called God Did and an early standout is the title track. The defining characteristic here is Jay-Z’s four-minute verse that Khaled thinks is one of Jay’s best ever and fans agree.
Elton John and Britney Spears — “Hold Me Closer”
After weeks of rumors, eventual confirmations, and scant pieces of info, Britney Spears has finally made her post-conservatorship music comeback, joining Elton John on “Hold Me Closer,” a new take on John’s classic “Tiny Dancer.” Similar to John’s Dua Lipa-featuring hit from last summer (“Cold Heart”), “Hold Me Closer” is a smooth disco-influenced re-work that brings the song into modern times. Given the context, it’s a track that’s having an effect on people, especially Drew Barrymore.
JID and Earthgang — “Can’t Punk Me”
It’s been nearly four years since 2018’s DiCaprio 2, but at long last, JID is back with a new album, The Forever Story (although he did have the Spillage Village album Spilligion in 2020). Actually, there’s a bit of a Spillage Village reunion on the new JID album, as he collaborated with Earthgang on “Can’t Punk Me,” which has a great upbeat rhythm, both in the production and JID’s rapid-fire rapping.
Rema and Selena Gomez — “Calm Down”
Afrobeats favorite Rema adding some more pop appeal to his single “Calm Down” by wrangling Selena Gomez to hop on a delightful new remix. Gomez said of the tune, “I’m really excited to see the person that asked me to be on a song that I couldn’t be more honored to do. The song’s fun, I hope people like it. That’s all I want.”
Offset — “Code” Feat. Moneybagg Yo
What’s going on with Migos? Who knows! Quavo and Offset are doing their own thing together, while Offset is off making solo tunes as well, his latest being a Moneybagg Yo collaboration “Code.” Uproxx’s Armon Sadler notes of the track, “The two rap with a fury over the uptempo beat, with Offset in particular branding a smooth Auto-Tune while Moneybagg employs his usual brooding vocals.”
Rina Sawayama — “Phantom”
In the lead-up to Hold The Girl (which is out this week), Sawayama has shown off her range with pre-album singles. Her latest, “Phantom,” is a story-telling pop epic that sees Sawayama putting both her lyricism and vocal abilities at the forefront.
Twice — “Talk That Talk”
K-pop favorites Twice are continuing to cement themselves among the genre’s greats with their upcoming project, Between 1&2. Lead single “Talk That Talk” is a promising start, as the new tune (shared last week) is a dynamic, catchy, and engaging pop tune that goes on quite the aesthetic journey over just three minutes.
Joji — “Yukon (Interlude)”
Joji is fresh off a major career high-point, as “Glimpse Of Us” became his first top-10 single in the US this summer. Presumably, the track will appear on his just-announced new album, Smithereens. That remains uncertain as there’s no tracklist out yet, but we do know that new song “Yukon (Interlude),” an upbeat track that’s very much James Blake-ian.
DDG — “If I Want You”
DDG and Halle Bailey have been having fun lately as a couple of young folks in love, which they put on full display in DDG’s new video for “If I Want You,” a smooth new single. The clip sees the pair enjoying intimate moments in a visual that overall has plenty of steam.
The National — “Weird Goodbyes” Feat. Bon Iver
Aaron Dessner brought two of his worlds — The National and Big Red Machine — together last week on “Weird Goodbyes” a new National tune that features Bon Iver. Matt Berninger sings subtly over a mid-tempo electronic beat while Justin Vernon continues to cement his status as one of the best complementary vocalists in the game.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.