As if Fridays weren’t your favorite day already, Refinery29 will also be gathering the best new music out each week, and breaking down why each track deserves a spot on your weekend playlist.
You did it — you made it to another Friday! To celebrate, it's time to wind down to the musical stylings of some of the best in music.
On this week's installment of New Music, we're vibing. And the girls are doing something different this time around, charting unexplored territory with stunning new drops. Selena Gomez drops another Spanish banger, Disclosure a club-worthy spin on an old Doja Cat fav, and Blackpink's lead vocalist makes her official debut on the solo stage. Rounding out the lineup is yearning art-pop and fight songs fit for the revolution. Like I said, vibing.
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Ahead, the new music you need to know this week.
Shungudzo, “There's Only So Much a Soul Can Take”
Shungudzo isn't putting up with the bullshit anymore. In the funky new single, she fights back against the powers that be by rejecting the status quo of harm that marginalized people are too often subjected to.
"I try to be agreeable, I try to be a saint," sings the Zimbabwean-American artist. "But sometimes an upright middle finger is the way!" Damn right.
Genevieve Stokes, “Parking Lot”
Injected with tenderness and vulnerability, Genevieve Stokes' fresh new addition to the alt pop scene "Parking Lot" evokes forgotten memories of a love long lost.
Rosé, "On the Ground"
"Blackpink member Rosé’s solo debut, R, delivers the singer’s signature brand of sticky-sweet melancholy. Lead single 'On The Ground' is at once a sway-your-living-room-with-a-bottle-of-wine bop and a smash-the-windows-of-your-ex’s-car anthem — a necessary reminder that in our desperation to chase live’s highs, we can often forget to treasure what’s right in arm’s reach." -Natalie Morin, Entertainment Writer
Get all our recommendations. Listen to the full New Music To Know in 2021 playlist on Spotify:
Jorja Smith, "Addicted"
Love and obsession are often different sides of the same coin, but Jorja Smith wants them both. "Addicted," Smith's smooth first drop of the new year, sees the British singer longer for a lover who can't live without her.
"Streets," Doja Cat (Disclosure Remix)
"The Disclosure remix of Doja Cat's hit 'Streets' makes me seriously, seriously miss 2 AM nights out with friends. Doesn't this just sound like the taste of pre-gaming for a night out? I may have to finally buy some TikTok lights to create a nightlife vibe at home thanks to this vibey remix." -Morgan Baila, Supervising Editor
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"Vicio," Selena Gomez
"Selena Gomez's Revelacion is a smooth, effortless departure from her pop roots. One of the standout tracks on the seven track album is 'Vicio,' an electronic reggaeton jam about the singer's biggest vices." -Morgan Baila