Hundreds of songs come out every month, and if you blink while looking at Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, Twitter, or wherever else you hear about new music, you are bound to miss something. This is where we can help. We spend hours every day watching for and listening to hordes of new music, and we've decided to put our best finds all in one place. What follows are the top new songs in hip-hop, pop, EDM, and more.
This is a chronologically ordered list, newest to oldest, based on release date, that will be updated weekly with all of the top songs of the moment, the ones that have already staged global takeovers and the others that have next. Mosts of the songs added on here will be those released within the last month or two. But sometimes a song takes a while to percolate before it pops off, which is why we will occasionally break our own rule.
So get up from your computers, and go do something productive. Let us stare at the Internet while you reap the rewards. These are The Top New Songs You Should Listen to Right Now.
Related: New Songs This Week
Alina Baraz f/ Khalid "Electric"
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Release Date: January 20
Album: n/a
Label: Mom + Pop
This sultry single from promising newcomers Alina Baraz and Khalid is the perfect mixture of moody, atmospheric lyricism and a sexy, downtempo electronic beat. The Los Angeles transplant and Houston native’s collaboration unites their smooth vocals with vivid imagery as the two croon about a love that transcends deep oceans, outer space, and blazing fires. A perfect song for sunset cruising, “Electric” will leave you feeling just that.
Kehlani "Too Much"
Release Date: January 27
Album: SweetSexySavage
Label: Atlantic Records
Released on Thursday night, SweetSexySavage reveals the convoluted inner workings of Kehlani’s mind as she revisits a not-so-old flame. The songs move between self-affirming proclamations of confidence and lamentations over feelings of self-doubt and the misbehavior of the former love interest. By the 13th track of a hefty 18 track album, we finally get to hear that beloved “no fucks given” persona. “Too Much” add Kehlani to the ranks of the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj with this empowering bad bitch anthem.
Major Lazer f/ PARTYNEXTDOOR & Nicki Minaj "Run Up"
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Release Date: January 27
Album: Music is the Weapon
Label: Mad Decent
This summery single from Major Lazer’s upcoming fourth project, Music is the Weapon, is perfect for distracting you from the mid-January winter gloom. PARTYNEXTDOOR and Minaj infuse their Caribbean background into this feel-good track that gives a pleasant alternative to much of the latest releases because of its pure listenability. Nicki Minaj brings her A game, as expected, displaying her casual confidence and superior rhyming, while subtly teasing the possibility of her own future project with the line, “‘Bout to drop an album, this is my fourth.”
Rick Ross f/ Ty Dolla $ign "I Think She Like Me"
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Release Date: January 27
Album: Rather You Than Me
Label: Epic Records
In anticipation of the release of his ninth album, Rather You Than Me, Rick Ross teams up with Ty Dolla Sign for this head bopping single. Featuring a sample from 70’s Philly soul group the Stylistics’ “People Make the World Go Round,” the production sounds like Ross circa Deeper Than Rap. He asserts his position among rap legends, citing his only competition as Diddy and Jigga, while also laying out his extravagant lifestyle of expensive overseas getaways and diamond-studded wrist pieces. Ty provides the simple hook. Just another day in Rozay’s life.
Father John Misty "Pure Comedy"
Release Date: January 24
Album: Pure Comedy
Label: Sub Pop Records
Straight from the dizzyingly satirical mind of indie concept dude Josh Tillman comes his latest sing, the titular track from his upcoming third solo album. Known for the sarcastic social commentary and a terminally relaxed California perspective, Father John Misty is back with a necessarily grim take on the current state of affairs. Backed by minimal, tasteful percussion and delicate piano, FJM spins verse after verse about how screwed we are. Religion, power-obsessed political leaders, and a generation reliant on medication are just some of the items on Tillman’s latest list of grievances.
John Mayer "Moving On and Getting Over"
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Release Date: January 20
Album: The Search for Everything
Label: Columbia
Quietly, John Mayer released an EP, The Search for Everything - Wave One; his first project in three years. It sound as though Mayer may be returning to what feels most comfortable for him, as he has enlisted the help of some of the production team from his 2006 EP, Continuum, for this latest project. This song has the jazzy, mellow feeling Mayer fans know and love, but crucially it doesn’t sound recycled here.
Big Sean "Halfway off the Balcony"
Release Date: January 18
Album: I Decided
Label: Def Jam
The latest from Big Sean’s upcoming album, I Decided, “Halfway off the Balcony” is more introspective than “Bounce Back” and “Moves,” depicting the rapper’s psyche at its most overwhelmed. Sonically, the track has a somber tone, with simple piano notes behind a synth driven beat. The smooth-voiced rapper describes the pressure he feels as an artist who wants to stay true to himself and enjoy his life.
J. Cole "High for Hours"
Release Date: January 16
Album: n/a
Label: Roc Nation
Released on MLK Day, J. Cole took this track as an opportunity to tackle the convoluted and vitriolic state of affairs that American society is presently going through. In three verses, Cole raps about homegrown hypocrisy, the oppression faced by black Americans, and his encounter with President Obama. He brings his A-game. “High for Hours,” which in less-skilled hands could come off as the ramblings of someone who was just passed the blunt, is a deft critical analysis. Cole leaves us with a powerful kicker: “The only real revolution happens right inside of you.”
The xx "Dangerous"
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Release Date: January 13
Album: I See You
Label: The Young Turks
Late last week indie trio the xx released their long-awaited third album, I See You. The uptempo opener, “Dangerous,” makes their new ambitions crystal clear. The track opens with dramatic horns and a hypnotic percussion, before adding the mellow vocals of Romy Croft and Oliver Sim to the mix. This new sound is indebted to producer Jamie xx’s solo work, marrying his ebullient electronic production with their signature emotive restraint.
Migos "T Shirt"
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Release Date: January 6
Album: Culture
Label: Quality Control
Fresh off the success of their chart-topping smash “Bad and Boujee,” the iconic Atlanta rap trio delivers the heat yet again. The Atlanta rappers are mastering their unique appeal, paving their own lane within the rap world—something the video for “T-Shirt,” a trap-indebted The Revenant, makes extraordinarily clear. “Do it for the culture/ They gon’ bite like vultures,” ringleader Quavo raps, sending a message to those following in the group’s wake, and stoking excitement for Culture, which sees its release next week.
Ed Sheeran "Castle on the Hill"
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Release Date: January 6
Album: Divide
Label: Asylum Records
The unlikely English pop heartthrob has teased his fans with a taste of what’s to come from upcoming album, Divide, out March 3, with this latest single. This lighters out foot-tapper is driven by nostalgic lyrics that evoke the UK’s countrysides at sunset, timid first kisses, and other staples of (British) adolescence. Sheeran’s signature raspy vocals and the radio friendly chorus have already made this a hit.
Kehlani "Undercover"
Release Date: January 5
Album: SweetSexySavage
Label: Atlantic
“Undercover”—the latest release from R&B princess Kehlani’s highly anticipated debut album, SweetSexySavage—is a light-hearted tribute to staying with a loved one regardless of the opinions and objections of others. Kehlani expresses her awareness of outside forces wanting to keep she and her love interest apart and jovially counters the backlash with “but we say fuck it!”—borrowing the chorus from Akon’s hit, “Don’t Matter.”
