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 Lil Baby and Gorillaz both launch their own new eras. 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.
Lil Baby — “Detox”
Last Friday (September 2) brought a Rushmore-ian announcement for Lil Baby’s upcoming third album, It’s Only Me. The day also yielded a single to kick things off, “Detox,” on which the rapper lauds a minimal style while boasting a set of skills that’s anything but paltry.
Ari Lennox and Summer Walker — “Queen Space”
Music fans are pumped for Ari Lennox’s new album, Age/Sex/Location, to drop — J. Cole, for one, “can’t wait ’til this sh*t comes out.” The album’s out in just a few days but Lennox didn’t want her fans to wait even that short period of time, so she offered an EP, Away Message, last week. Highlighting that effort is “Queen Space,” a smooth and soulful Summer Walker collaboration.
The 1975 — “I’m In Love With You”
Being Funny In A Foreign Language, the upcoming album from The 1975 due out in October, is shaping up nicely so far. Advance singles have teased a promising LP, with new single “I’m In Love With You” carrying the promotional weight last week. It’s the lively sort of pop-rock tune that has brought the band much success in recent years, and the cherry on top here is a Phoebe Bridgers’ appearance in the song’s video.
Arctic Monkeys — “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball”
It’s been a hearty minute since Arctic Monkeys’ last album, 2018’s Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. The wait for its follow-up won’t last much longer, though, as The Car is set to drop in November. The group previewed it last week with “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball,” a ballad much in the vein of the album that preceded it.
Gorillaz — “New Gold” Feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown
Next February, Gorillaz will bring us to Cracker Island on their just-announced new album. The Thundercat-featuring lead single/title track came back in June and the LP’s second single is also a collaboration, this time with Tame Impala and Bootie Brown. The song is “New Gold” and it definitely has Kevin Parker’s psychedelic stamp all over it, with Brown’s verse living harmoniously in the song’s groove.
Freddie Gibbs — “Too Much” Feat. Moneybagg Yo
While it’s been a quiet 2022 for Gibbs, that’ll change soon: His recently announced new album Soul Sold Separately is out at the end of the month and “Too Much,” a Moneybagg Yo single that’s Gibbs’ first of the year, dropped last week. Uproxx’s Armon Sadler says of the tune, “It is a unique foray for Gibbs, as the production is more trap-focused and he utilizes Aut-Tune on his vocals. As for Moneybagg, this beat is right in his usual brooding yet high-energy pocket.”
Kali Uchis — “No Hay Ley”
Uchis has indicated she’s working on a third album and while one hasn’t been officially announced yet, it would seem that last week’s single “No Hay Ley” is a taste of it. Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez notes of the upbeat tune, “Over a hypnotic house-inspired dance track, Uchis sings about the ‘cosas magicas’ she wants to do with her lover.”
Smino — “24-8”
Last month, it would have been late NBA icon Kobe Bryant’s 44th birthday. Sports fans continue to mourn the loss of the superstar, including Smino, who honored Bryant’s jersey numbers on the single “24-8,” an introspective track that pays homage to the beloved Laker.
Justin Bieber — “Beautiful Love (Free Fire)”
In recent years, the virtual worlds of video games have become increasingly accommodating spaces for musicians to perform and share their work. Just recently, Bieber debuted a new song called “Beautiful Love” in the Free Fire game and now he’s given the afrobeats-leaning tune a proper release.
Charlie Puth — “Smells Like Me”
Puth has long proven himself to be an extremely capable songwriters and invoker of aesthetics. He fulfills both roles on last week’s “Smells Like Me,” a catchy ballad that reaches its presumed goal of sounding like a modern take on an emotional, lovelorn track from an ’80s movie.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.