Year: 2022

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 the Dreamville squad come through with a compilation and Harry Styles turned in a “song of the summer” contender. 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.

Dreamville — “Stick” With JID Feat. Kenny Mason, Sheck Wes, and J. Cole

J. Cole and company put on their Dreamville Festival this weekend, but ahead of the event, the fest’s namesake label put out a whole new project, D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape. Dreamville collaborations are always, well, collaborative: The tracklist kicks off with “Stick,” which includes contributions from Cole, JID, Kenny Mason, and Sheck Wes.

Harry Styles — “As It Was”

Summer is coming and based on the sound of Harry Styles’ new single “As It Was,” he’s ready for it, as the track is full of warm, happy vibes. Fans all over were ready for the song, too, as they’ve listened to it so much that it’s broken multiple Spotify records. So basically, it’s going to be a very Harry summer.

Kehlani — “Up All Night” Feat. Justin Bieber

Kehlani recently confirmed their upcoming album Blue Water Road is coming out later this month and it is a personal look. Joining Kehlani for part of that journey is Justin Bieber, who features on the new single “Up All Night.” Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez notes of the tune, “Kehlani sings of love and infatuation over a cooing, thumping groove, offering a throwback vibe that still manages to feel ahead of its time.”

Vince Staples — “Rose Street”

Staples treated his fans to a quick taste of Ramona Park Broke My Heart last week with “Rose Street,” and it certainly is quick: The track runs for under two minutes and almost half of that time is a sample. Once he actually gets into rapping himself, though, Uproxx’s Danielle Chelosky notes, “Against a trap beat and booming bass, he spews quips about his devotion to his friends over his romantic relationships.”

City Girls — “Top Notch” Feat. Fivio Foreign

The last time JT and Yung Miami came together on a City Girls song was 2021’s “Twerkulator,” which was a TikTok hit last year. Now, though, the pair is back with its first new single. It’s an upbeat tune fans are surely hoping signals an anticipated follow-up to City Girls’ third album, 2020’s City On Lock.

Willow and Siiickbrain — “Purge”

Willow’s pivot to pop-punk has been a tremendous success, as it has yielded some popular tunes on which Willow shows she really has what it takes to succeed in the genre. She deviates from that slightly on her latest, though, as the Siiickbrain collaboration “Purge” skews more in a dark industrial direction.

Toro y Moi — “Déjà Vu”

Toro y Moi has long found himself comfortable floating between genres, and on his latest single, “Déjà Vu,” he finds himself in guitar-driven psych-rock territory with a Jeff Tweedy-esque vocal delivery for good measure. The song is the latest from Mahal, which will be his first LP since signing with Dead Oceans.

Angel Olsen — “All The Good Times”

Angel Olsen has kept busy over the past couple years with singles and various projects, but now she has a full-blown new album on the way, as she announced Big Time last week. That comes out in June, but ahead of then, she shared “All The Good Times,” an alt-country tune that’s full of moments both slow-burning and anthemic.

Freddie Gibbs — “Ice Cream” Feat. Rick Ross

Freddie Gibbs is heading to Coachella for a performance in a couple weeks, but ahead of that, he’s linked up with Rick Ross for a fresh collaboration, “Ice Cream.” The instrumental is a take on Raekwon’s 1995 song of the same name and Uproxx’s Adrian Spinelli notes, “Kenny Beats’ homage is subtle, but once you hear it, it’s a worthy nod to the classic, and as the track comes to a close, the melody is more noticeable. ”

Red Hot Chili Peppers — “These Are The Ways”

John Frusciante left RHCP after 2006’s Stadium Arcadium, but now with Unlimited Love, he’s on his first album back with the band. On the day they shared the album, the group also dropped a video for “These Are The Ways,” which finds the Chili Peppers in a space they occupy well, moving back and forth between soft and intense moments.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Folk-rock stalwart Father John Misty is releasing his new album Chloë And The Next 20th Century, the follow-up to 2018’s dark God’s Favorite Customer, at the end of this week. After teasing the record with cryptic Instagram clips and then unveiling singles like “Q4” and “Goodbye Mr. Blue,” Josh Tillman is giving us another last-minute glimpse into the album with the new single “The Next 20th Century.”

This song is a nearly seven-minute visceral opus with intricate storytelling and diverse soundscapes that involve searing electric guitars and an enchanting orchestra. The words gradually become more dismal and existential, with Misty lulling in a detached baritone, “Even their romance made us masters and slaves / And now things keep getting worse while staying so eerily the same.”

Last month, Misty gave a powerful performance of “Goodbye Mr. Blue” on The Late Show, giving the twangy single its late-night television debut. He also played the Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles in February and brought other singles “Funny Girl” and “Q4” to life for the first time.

Listen to the stunning, immersive track “The Next 20th Century” above.

Chloë And The Next 20th Century is out 4/8 via Sub Pop. Pre-order it here.

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert’s kind-of the master of showing off her lack of detailed (and lawmaker-relevant) knowledge through tweets. One need only witness her recent Russia-Ukraine tweet to see how little she understands about international relations. Before that her voting-rights tweet showed how confused she was about the American Revolution, and now, she’s showing off similar vibes about the investment strategies and the stock market.

The latest Boebert missive arrived after news that Tesla CEO Elon Musk nabbed a 9.2% stake after a string of events. First off, Elon loves to troll (and send stock prices up and down in the process) on Twitter, and secondly, the SEC leashed him in 2018 by requiring him to get approval for “material” tweets about Tesla. So this purchase is something, alright, and perhaps it’s the ultimate billionaire-troll move that’ll do nothing.

Musk is now the biggest shareholder of Twitter, which sent Twitter stock soaring up to 26%, and it’s an odd move after he appeared to question the “free speech” platform. And some believed, after these tweets, that he was mulling over starting his own social media platform.

Boebert seems to think that Musk’s shareholder status will end “political censorship” on Twitter, so maybe she’s all upset about the repeated bannings of her pal, Marjorie Taylor Greene, as well as Donald Trump.

Boebert doesn’t seem to notice that Musk purchased passive shares, so he’s investing in Twitter, sure, but he’s got zero control. Naturally, people had comebacks for Boebert.

Tony Bennett was a winner from last night’s Grammy Awards before they even started. When the nominees for the 2022 ceremony were announced last year, he became the oldest artist to ever be nominated for an award in the general field thanks to his nomination for Album Of The Year, for his Lady Gaga collaboration Love For Sale.

Overall, Bennett and Gaga got six nominations: Album Of The Year; Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album; Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (all for Love For Sale); Record Of The Year; Best Pop Duo/Group Performance; and Best Music Video (all for “I Get A Kick Out Of You”). They did well at yesterday’s ceremony, as Bennett and Gaga ended up winning for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

With those wins, Bennett is the second-oldest person to ever win a Grammy, at 95 years and 243 days old. As The Los Angeles Times notes, the only Grammy winner older than Bennett was Mississippi blues pianist Pinetop Perkins, who won the Best Traditional Blues Album award for Joined At The Hip in 2011. He was 97 years and 221 days at the time of his victory and he died the next month, on March 21.

Meanwhile, Gaga offered a special performance in honor of Bennett during the show. While Bennett has retired from performing and therefore did not join Gaga on stage, he did introduce her in a brief pre-taped video.

Find the full list of this year’s Grammy nominees and winners here.

In space, no one can hear you scream, “April Fools!” Unfortunately for Tyrese Gibson, he’s back on Earth, and the Fast & Furious star apparently fell victim to an April 1st prank.

On April Fools’ Day, Twitter user @Lynchreborn tweeted a quote supposedly said by Martin Scorsese, who made a lot of Marvel Cinematic Universe fans angry when he didn’t call Thor: The Dark World the greatest movie of all-time, or whatever. “I was aghast to find out [Morbius] was based on a comic book. This is the truest height of cinema and even I cannot top it. A wise man admits when he is wrong and I was wrong, I apologize to all comic book movies,” the quote reads, along with the hashtag #MorbiusSweep and a photo of the Oscar-winning director at the Morbius premiere.

Scorsese, needless to say, did not say this. He also did not attend the Morbius premiere (it would have been awkward when he and Bella Thorne wore the same outfit). But Tyrese — who played Simon Stroud in the surprisingly successful Sony’s Spider-Man Universe movie — shared the tweet on his Instagram, apparently believing it was real.

“Wow wow wow I can’t believe what just happened whoa… Cheers and hats off to you [director Daniel Espinosa] this is so amazing King! This is the KING of KINGS of cinema Martin Scorsese this is huge,” Gibson wrote in a post that has since been deleted after he was clowned on by, oh, pretty much everyone. This is his Joker origin story.

Tyrese needs to invite Scorsese to Gibsihana as an apology for spreading misinformation.

Olivia Rodrigo didn’t break any Grammy records at last night’s awards show (at least none that I’m aware of), but she did literally break a Grammy. A red-carpet photo from after the ceremony shows the aftermath of Rodrigo apparently dropping one of her three Grammy trophies, which was left worse for wear after the impact it sustained.

The photo at the top of this post shows Rodrigo’s reaction to dropping and breaking the Grammy, which is one of pure shock as her mouth is agape and her eyes are full of astonishment. For formatting purposes, we had to crop the image, so you can’t see the broken trophy in shambles. So, here’s the original photo, which shows the trophy on the floor, the gramophone horn snapped off from the rest of the statue:

Ultimately, it’s probably no big deal, as this is something the Recording Academy has likely dealt with before and they’ll presumably get a replacement trophy for Rodrigo. This could also actually be a bit of a humblebrag for Rodrigo: She had so many Grammys that she had a hard time holding them all.

What is a big deal, though, is that she won three Grammys in the first place. She had seven nominations and ended up winning a trio of awards: Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance (for “Drivers License”), and Best Pop Vocal Album (for Sour).

Find the full list of 2022 Grammy winners and nominees here.

By now, you’ve heard just about every take on this year’s Oscar debacle, wherein Will Smith hauled off and smacked Chris Rock, who had made a GI Jane joke about Jada Pinkett, who struggles with alopecia. In a late-breaking Friday announcement, Smith resigned from The Academy (following his own weepy speech while accepting the Best Actor award for King Richard), yet the takes shall continue.

Some of the more notable entries include Daniel Radcliffe declaring himself to be “dramatically bored” with the situation, and noted hothead Alec Baldwin bringing up the Jerry Springer Show. Then Mel Gibson tried but didn’t succeed at giving his take, but the worst take, perhaps, comes from someone who shouldn’t be talking about smacking anyone. That’d be O.J. Simpson, and Oliver wasn’t gonna let that absurdity slide:

“Nope, not you O.J., not you. No one wants to hear from you on this, especially, when you seem to be coming live from the COVID patio of a Senor Frog’s. You can just sit this one out. Think of this situation like a rowdy bachelorette ordering a mimosa: We want as little Juice involved here as humanly possible.”

Simpson had tweeted (of Will), “He was wrong but I understand the sentiment.” He then posted a video, in which he further declared, “It was unfortunate. I think Will was wrong.” And more: “Look, I understood the feeling.”

Yup, that’s a big yikes. And it’s the take that no one wanted, hands down.

Multiple times per week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts and ratings) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

10. (TIE) Slow Horses (Apple TV+ series)

This different kind of spy drama (although not completely bonkers like Killing Eve) will suck you into the world of dysfunctional MI5 agents and their less than agreeable (not to mention gassy) boss, played by Gary Oldman. Together, they’re maneuvering around the smoke and mirrors of England’s espionage realm while trying to keep it together. Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden co-star, and this chess game airs weekly, so keep that in mind while you watch the story unfold.

10. (TIE) Fresh (Searchlight Pictures film on Hulu)

The single life will look like complete paradise after you watch this movie, in which Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) endures multiple dates from hell, including one that ends with her in the far-too-persuasive clutches of Steve (Sebastian Stan). These leads are both riding career highs, and that’s particularly the case with Stan, who’s having a blast with his non-MCU characters, including Tommy Lee and that nude-Vespa riding role in Monday. This film, disgusting as it as times, is still a palatable cautionary tales of dating that will make you sigh with relief at dodged bullets.

9. Halo (Paramount+ series)

Gamers, gather ’round to watch the Master Chief in live-action form. He’s portrayed by the ever-morphing Pablo Schreiber, who frequently plays the sinister bad buy or even the goofy baddish guy, as in the infamous Pornstache character of Orange Is The New Black fame. Here, he’s the most valuable weapon in humanity’s arsenal while fighting an alien invasion. Sure, this show’s saddled with some sci-fi tropes, but that’s also part of the requisite makeup. Settle in and watch mankind attempt to ward off “The Covenant.”

8. Deep Water (Hulu movie)

If you’ve been longing for a shamelessly sleazy movie, then you’re in luck because Ben Affleck plays the alpha cuck to Ana de Armas’ temptress. Adrian Lyne makes his triumphant directorial return here in a movie that’s not unlike his Unfaithful and Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal outings. This film’s not only steamy but, at times, freaking funny to watch, and I have to wonder how these characters have so much time to party. Also, those snails, man.

7. Servant Of The People (Kvartal 95 series on Netflix)

Russia’s war on Ukraine continues while President Zelenskyy’s helping to defend his country. He’s now a folk hero of sorts and standing firm with the people of his country, all after he began his career as a comedian and satirist. There’s a reason why people keep referring to him as the Ukrainian Jon Stewart, after all, and this show’s ultimately a very comedic watch that brings some wistful hope to mind while watching an accidental politician make the best of things.

6. Atlanta (FX series on Hulu)

Van’s pushing people into pools, which can only mean one thing: Donald Glover’s brainchild is back, and it’s ready to sharply criticize the world we live in while masterfully entertaining at the same time. It’s truly one of the best shows on TV, which is quite an accomplishment with all of the competition these days. The principal four Earn (Glover), Darius (LaKeith Stanfield), Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), and Van (Zazie Beetz) — are going to Europe, so expect a different twist on the cultural critique here.

5. Taboo (BBC One/FX series on Hulu)

Although this Tom Hardy-starring show surfaced in 2017, it’s currently riding streaming highs as people realize not only that it exists but also will (hopefully soon) have a Season 2. Jessie Buckley’s also on board while Tom portrays the non-prodigal son, or The Devil Delaney, who returns to claim his late father’s empire while also having the hots for a very off-limits woman. Shades of Shakespeare arrive while everyone wants to kill Tom Hardy, which is rude, sure, but this show is actually Hardy’s baby, so his hands are all over the creative cookie jar here.

4. Bad Vegan (Netflix series)

If you haven’t watched this how-can-it-possibly-be-real series, settle in and wonder exactly why a highly successful businesswoman and NYC restaurant darling could fall into the clutches of a terrible man, with whom she ended up a fugitive. That “bad” aspect of the “vegan” label takes a few turns, and let’s just say that subject Sarma Melngailis has pushed back at multiple Netflix moves (i.e., how they’re promoting the show). Ultimately, however, Sarma did stiff her investors and employees (although she says she paid this group back wages) out of $2 million while seeking dog immortality from a dude pretending to be a super-black-ops dude and pretty much being the exact opposite.

3. The Girl From Plainville (Hulu series)

Elle Fanning stars in this inspired-by-real-life story about Michelle Carter and the “texting-suicide” case. The series maps itself after Jesse Barron’s Esquire article, which detailed how Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy III eventually culminated in his death and her involuntary manslaughter conviction. The always fantastic Chloë Sevigny co-stars, and Fanning is riveting in her performance.

2. Moon Knight (Disney+ series)

Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke are in the MCU now as hero and villain, mostly, but those labels receive a lot more texturing in this adventure. The show’s fan-favorite character, so far, happens to be an Egyptian god who tells it as he sees fit. Oscar’s character is plagued by dissociative identity disorder, as well, while going through the paces as both a gift-shop employee and a mercenary. It’s wild and chaotic and unlike anything else in the MCU.

1. Bridgerton (Netflix series)

Step up and enjoy this Shondaland series, which is still going strong without The Duke. This time around, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) is seeking his own match, which isn’t as clear-cut of an affair as one would expect. Julia Quinn’s books should feed this show for several seasons to come (already, Netflix confirmed third and fourth ones), and it’s almost impossible to resist not binging this confection hard once you start, so plan your time accordingly.

Just as H.E.R. and Lenny Kravitz cleared the Grammys stage following an electrifying performance, Keith Urban grabbed the mic to announce the winner of the biggest yearly prize awarded to a single song. And yes, this is when we have to explain each year, that Record Of The Year awards the recording of the song (artists, producers, engineers), whereas Song Of The Year is about the song’s composition (songwriters). After Childish Gambino took home the prize in 2019 for “This Is America,” Billie Eilish won the award the past two years for “Everything I Wanted” and “Bad Guy.” But it wasn’t a three-peat for Eilish tonight.

Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open” took home the 2022 award for Record Of The Year and the duo of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars were over the moon. “We’re really trying our hardest to remain humble at this point. But in the industry, we call that a clean sweep!” .Paak told the audience, after the duo won Song Of The Year AND Record Of The Year, as well as the Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song Awards. “Drinks is on Silk Sonic tonight! We gettin drunk!” .Paak added. Silk Sonic also performed “777” earlier in the evening for the opening performance of the Grammy Awards show.

The Record Of The Year nominees included ABBA for “I Still Have Faith In You,” Jon Batiste for “Freedom,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga for “I Get A Kick Out Of You, ” Justin Bieber for “Peaches” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, Brandi Carlile for “Right On Time,” Doja Cat for “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA, Billie Eilish for “Happier Than Ever,” Lil Nas X for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” and Olivia Rodrigo for “Drivers License.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Winning any Grammy Award is a big deal, but there’s something extra special about picking up an honor in one of the four major categories. Now, one of this year’s big winners has been revealed and it was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night: Taking home the Grammy for Album Of The Year is Jon Batiste’s We Are.

That show-ending win capped off an amazing night for the Late Show bandleader, who came into the evening with a whopping 11 eleven nominations, which was one shy of the all-time record for a single year. He picked up four wins before the proper televised ceremony even started, and when it came time for the show, he pretty much dominated the evening. He gave a vibrant and energetic performance of “Freedom,” which ended up being one of the musical highlights of the show.

The category was crowded this year, as also nominated for the award were Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Love For Sale, Justin Bieber’s Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe), Doja Cat’s Planet Her (Deluxe), Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, HER’s Back Of My Mind, Lil Nas X’s Montero, Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour, Taylor Swift’s Evermore, and Kanye West’s Donda.

Find the full list of this year’s Grammy nominees and winners here.