Best Songs of the Week

With so much good music, it's easy to miss some of the best. To help prevent this, we've rounded up the best new songs of the week. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

You've heard the diss tracks, you've seen the memes, and you've probably already made up your mind who has the upper hand in this long-simmering war of words. After Drake's "Duppy Freestyle" Pusha T responded mercilessly, with investigative journalism and a total disregard for Drake's family and friends. Stay tuned for the rest of this surgical summer.—Alex Gardner

Since the 2015 release of their last album, Ego Death, all five members of R&B outfit The Internet have shared solo projects that highlight each of their musical idiosyncrasies. Now, the band has reunited for Hive Mind, due July 20. The group kicked off their triumphant return in April with "Roll (Burbank Funk)," and the second single arrived on Wednesday morning.

"Come Over," a sultry track led by Syd's otherworldly vocals, chronicles the beginning of a new relationship. The band's effortless chemistry is on full display, Steve Lacy's lusty guitar and bass riffs blending beautifully into Matt Martians' downtempo drum groove. "When I started making the drums, I was like I want to make something that people can easily two-step to," Matt Martians explained in a Beats 1 interview with Zane Lowe. The result is a simmering, danceable ode to puppy love that shows The Internet at their most creative.—Charlotte Freitag

While the conversation around his recent comments should continue, it feels good to talk about Kanye West's music, rather than his politics.

Fortunately, ye is an album that highlights Kanye's powers of curation as much as his lyricism. "Ghost Town," for example, features opposite bookends of 2018 Kanye. Kid Cudi is a confidante and long-term co-creator. The two produced timeless classics and weathered significant storms, and Kids See Ghost is due out next week. 070 Shake is one of GOOD Music's newest signees, and has been building—most recently with March's Glitter EP. Her breakout moment is here—last week she featured on on Pusha T's "Santeria," and today makes a star-making appearance on "Ghost Town."

Together, Cudi and Shake push the song into epic, operatic territory. I think the right verb for what they're doing is "belting." Kanye's production follows suit, finding a middle ground between "Runaway" and "Otis" with big distorted guitars, organ, and tambourine. Shake boils down the "Ghost Town" missive nicely when she sings, "I put my hand on the stove, to see if I still bleed / And nothing hurts anymore, I feel kind of free."—Graham Corrigan

With five new songs out, Lykke Li's album So Sad So Sexy is starting to take shape. Before the project came out, Li mentioned that she'd be going back to her pop roots. That's definitely the case on the hook-centric "sex money feelings die," but it comes with all the depth, emotion, and sophistication that has always set the Swedish singer apart from more straightforward pop stars. So Sad So Sexy might be the most appropriate album title of the year, and we're looking forward to the rest of it on June 8.—Jacob Moore

Gorillaz back! Damon Albarn and co.'s virtual band have a new album, The Now Now, out on June 29, and "Humility" is the first single. It's a sunny, summery, faintly psychedelic song with a fun video to match, which stars Jack Black. When Gorillaz are at their best, they're one of the most exciting bands around, and this gives me high hopes for the upcoming album.—Alex Gardner

Tierra Whack dropped this week's most consistent project. 15 tracks, 15 minutes, no skips. Every song on Whack World leaves you wanting more, and "Cable Guy" might be the chief example. Whack's sounding heartbroken over stock electric piano and clipped drums, flipping through channels and bemoaning a love lost. The way she fills space is incredible, and her flow in the song's second half is one of the project's numerous jaw-dropping moments.—Graham Corrigan

Who knew Oneohtrix Point Never had what it takes to make such a brilliant off-kilter pop record? Fresh off composing the foreboding, lurching score for Good Time, OPN's Age Of is his most expansive and ambitious work so far. Prominently featuring his own vocals and something that often resembles traditional songwriting structure, it's a more accessible, but no less experimental showcase of his compositional expertise.

"The Station," alongside pre-release single "Black Snow," is one of the most outwardly pop moments on the whole record, and it's a gorgeous example of where he can push his sound when faced with crafting something a little more restrained. There's still flashes of the obtuse, but they're flourishes and nothing more. At the core of "The Station" is a haunting pop song that presents the most exciting evolution of OPN's career so far.—Joe Price

Ever since he's been on our radar, J Hus has made it very clear that he understands how to make a catchy record without bending to any mainstream rules. He released the surprise Big Spang EP this week, showcasing his range and versatility over three tracks while delivering yet another instantly infectious summer bop, "Dark Vader." 

"Dark Vader" stands out for how effortlessly cool it feels. The intricate Jae5 production introduces new orchestral parts as the track builds—trumpets, trombones, and marimbas eventually join in, and it's hard to sit still when it starts, even if all you're capable of is a two-step and head nod.—Adrienne Black

Okay Kaya's debut album Both was released today. It's the end of a three-year road for the Norwegian artist, and the resulting 14 tracks are an appropriately ambitious distillation. Kaya is moving beyond the guitar and voice setup into something more ambitious, electronic, and layered—"Glitch" is a serious accomplishment, a weird, bewitching pairing of Matrix-inspired lyrics and saintly strings. By song's end, her voice is as clear and confident as it's ever been, doubtlessly emboldened by a backing choir of vocal clones and the transcendent atmosphere. It's a moment. "Glitch" is below, and you can listen to Both here.—Graham Corrigan

Watch our short video feature with Okay Kaya here.

At this point, Mac Miller has been famous for long enough to know that a lavish lifestyle has a way of shrinking your world, not expanding it. “Small Worlds,” one of three new singles he dropped this week, is a jaded look at prolonged exposure to the spotlight, but thanks to Mac’s considerable charisma and dreamy production from TDE affiliate Tae Beast, it never turns maudlin.

Mac’s bars start off droll and detached, but the song’s third act allows them to crystallize into something more human. Miller has a knack for mid-song beat switches, and the wistful piano is a gripping twist away from the preceding waves of sunny guitars. “Small Worlds” ends on something of an optimistic note, as Mac closes the loop and takes us on a complete journey.—Grant Rindner

A precious moment. Rex Orange County wanted to cover Randy Newman's Toy Story classic, Spotify brought them together, and now we have a Rex Orange County and Randy Newman duet. Sadly, they skipped any and all falsetto harmonies, but the resulting cover is a charmer, and effectively brings back fond memories of Pixar's third-best film ever. If one and two aren't obvious I suggest you revisit all 19.—Graham Corrigan

Early on in both of their careers, Suicideyear and Yung Lean really solidified what made them special with "Hurt." The song was an early indication of Leandoer's ability to craft mumbled melodies that linger, and further proof that Suicideyear's production was some of the most unique out. 

With "Spider Feet," their first collaboration in five years, they've joined forces once again without skipping a beat. It's considerably more dark than "Hurt," but just as powerful. Further proof of how great of a team these two make when they allow their idiosyncratic sounds to meet somewhere in the middle.—Joe Price