Throughout the week, we're updating our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, whether it's a single that preceded an album release or a newly unveiled deep dive. And every Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins Monday and ends Sunday night) in this best-of-new-music roundup.
On this week's list we have the gorgeous “16 Wagons,” the more subtle of Beyoncé's two new songs; Vampire Weekend's “Gen-X Cops,” one of two singles from the band's new album, is the most distorted, upbeat yet eccentric song; Jessica Pratt's sweeping, bright “Life Is,” which headlines the singer-songwriter's fourth album; The lead single from DIIV's first album in five years, “Brown Paper Bag,” turns depression into a slow, defiant burn; Waxahatchee's swaggering, upbeat new song “Bored”; “I'm a Man,” an icy, abrasive new song from Kim Gordon, this time deconstructing toxic masculine traits by embodying them; “baethoven”, the propulsive and riotous new single from Ekko Astral, who describe their sound as “mascara moshpit” music; Hana Vu's mysterious and emotional new song “Care”; and Sam Evian's laid-back, laid-back “Rollin' In.”
Best New Songs: February 19, 2023
Beyoncé, “16 Gigs”
Vampire Weekend, “Generation X Cops”
Song of the week: Jessica Pratt, “Life Is”
DIIV, “brown paper bag”
Waxahachie, “Boredom”
Kim Gordon “I'm a Man”
Astral Echo, “Beethoven”
Hannah Fu, “Who”
Sam Evian, Rollin N
