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. This week we've got new songs from Trippie Redd, Ryan Hemsworth, Mitski, and more new music you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

Ryan Hemsworth and Joji make sense as collaborators, both internet savants who serve up memes and Twitter jokes alongside beautiful, heartfelt music. "Think About You" might be the gentlest, prettiest song that Joji has been part of, his voice turned into a hypnotic chant over Hemsworth's spacious production. This single arrives with the official announcement of Ryan Hemsworth's third studio album, Elsewhere, due out September 21. Hopefully this is not the last collaboration we hear from these two.—Alex Gardner

Last November, Col3trane's Tsarina came out of nowhere. It's up there with Choker's PEAK as one of the best debut projects in recent years, and the 19-year-old artist announced his return this week. The mixtape is called BOOT, and it's out next Friday. The single is two singles, and a video that shatters any doubts about Col3trane's artistic ambitions. "Fear & Loathing" is followed by "Britney," a gonzo trip in the desert encouraged by acid and huge swells of synth. The English artist made BOOT between London and L.A., working with talent like Cadenza and Rogét Chahayed. It sounds like they got along fine.—Graham Corrigan

Ever since "Love Scars," my favorite Trippie Redd songs have been the melodic ones. Trippie's signature wailing has always had a special place in my heart, but from the start he's made it clear that he's a versatile artist. In our uncut interview with Trippie from last year, he told us that he doesn't want to be pigeonholed into doing one thing, and his debut album Life's A Trip makes that clear. The emotional rock-flavored "How You Feel" was an early standout, but "Missing My Idols" is the opposite—it's Trippie flexing his lyrical ability and more straightforward rap skills, and while it might not be the biggest hit from the project, it's good to see Trippie carrying out his mission of never sticking to the script.—Jacob Moore

Watch Trippie Redd: 24 Hours in Miami here.

With a new studio album on the way, Mick Jenkins announces his reemergence with a hailstorm of quotable bars on a track that needs replay after replay. "Can't nobody come for me except Kendrick...and I hope you offended" is the line that will get people talking, but the whole track is a heater. Mick back.—Alex Gardner

Houston's Don Toliver came through with one of the best guest verses on Travis Scott's ASTROWORLD when it dropped last week, and that's no easy task when your company is as star-studded as it is. Striking while the iron's hot, Toliver delivered his debut mixtape late last week, and it's abundantly clear what La Flame saw in the rapper. "Diamonds," the tape's opening track, lets Toliver's melodic talents shine through with an anthemic chorus that would've fit perfectly on ASTROWORLD.—Joe Price

Mitski has experimented with different sounds in the lead-up to her new record, Be the Cowboy, going neo disco on “Nobody” and arena-sized alt rock on “Geyser.” Her new single is an achingly blue ballad replete with somber strings and deep electric piano chords. It’s a song about two people who shared a spark as kids coming back together, but as with any of Mitski’s work it skirts cliches from the opening lines: “Does it smell like a school gymnasium in here? / It’s funny how they’re all the same.”

“Two Slow Dancers” is Mitski at her best as a songwriter, imbuing a situation any of us could find ourselves in with a touch of surreal, off-kilter humor that makes the whole thing feel more relatable. Through three tracks, Be the Cowboy is sounding like Mitski’s most lush and diverse record to date, but it’s clear her songwriting skills are sharp as ever.—Grant Rindner

Much of the talk surrounding the release of Nicki Minaj's fourth studio album Queen today centered on the seemingly messy rollout and various purported beefs and dramas. Although the album seems a little long, on first listen it sounds polished and precise, with Nicki showing off the versatility that has made her a huge pop star. On early standout "Chun Swae," Metro comes through with a sparkling beat and Swae Lee floats on yet another hook, while Nicki races through various flows with ease.

Aphex Twin has experienced such a storied career partly thanks to his habit of completely bewildering listeners. But that has been achieved without coming at the cost of his songwriting talents, unlike a lot of his "IDM" peers. It's never easy to craft music both technically impressive and absolutely gorgeous, but with the first single from his Collapse EP, "T69 Collapse," Aphex has just effortlessly reminded us what makes him so special with five minutes of chaotic brilliance.—Joe Price 

The final track on OMB Peezy’s debut, Loyalty Over Love, sees the Alabama rapper breathlessly recounting his whirlwind of a career over cascading keys and bass from DrumDummie. Peezy’s gift has always been conveying the pain and sobering reality of the streets without glorifying the trials and tribulations he’s been through, and on “Mind of Overkill” he offers chilling snapshots: trapping through the night to avoid a harsh home life, time spent in jail, and being forced to teach himself hard life lessons. Peezy’s gift has always been the immediacy of his music, and “Mind of Overkill” is an exhaustive glimpse into his psyche right here and now that you won’t be able to pull yourself away from.

Read our interview with OMB Peezy here.