New music Fridays are a thrilling, yet daunting prospect for any music lover.
It's essentially a weekly holiday where fan-favorite artists and fresh faces alike drop their latest offerings for all the world to hear, flooding streaming services and digital retailers with an onslaught of aural goodies. But who has the time to sit there and listen to everything before updating their playlists? There's just too much good stuff! (And, if we're being honest, usually a few stinkers, too.)
As it turns out, we do. Welcome to The MixtapE!
Ed Sheeran is donning a pink vampire suit and sinking his teeth into the music scene once again.
The British singer—and new dad to Lyra Antarctica—just dropped his first solo single since "Happier" from his 2017 album Divide. The catchy "Bad Habits" and its accompanying music video compare a vampire's thirst with thirsting after a late night hookup, in a video you have to see to believe.
Not to be outdone, TikTok sensation and three-time Grammy nominee Doja Cat released her third studio album with a star-studded lineup of featured artists.
Also coming through with new music this week are Rauw Alejandro, FLETCHER, Bastille, LANY and Tyler, The Creator. What follows are our picks for the best of the best.
Your playlist for the weekend of June 25-27 has arrived. Enjoy!
Ed Sheeran — "Bad Habits"
Ed essentially transformed into Edward Cullen for his latest music video, complete with glittering undead eye makeup and prosthetic fangs. He's on the prowl for his next guilty pleasure, singing, "Nothin' happens after two, it's truе, it's true / My bad habits lead to you."
After releasing the spooky single and vid, Ed is already teasing more music on the way. "Love all your reactions to Bad Habits too, the wheels are in motion for the autumn," the 30 year old wrote on Instagram. Obviously, we're left craving more.
Doja Cat and The Weeknd — "You Right"
It's Planet Her, and we're all just living in it.
The queen of TikTok smashes, Doja Cat (who was born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini) is welcoming us all into her dazzling world with her third studio album. Following the tone set by the lead single "Kiss Me More" with SZA, Doja enlists The Weeknd, Young Thug, JID and even Ariana Grande for Planet Her.
It seems Ari is returning the favor after tapping Doja for "motive" for her Positions album, and then a remix of "34+35" with Megan Thee Stallion. Fans now get to hear the dynamic duo reunite on the new "I Don't Do Drugs," in which they're "chasing that rush" and addicted to the drug of love, opposed a more nefarious substance.
But perhaps the "Say So" singer's biggest draw is the raspy "You Right" with The Weeknd. Doja, 25, channels a Greek goddess in the cinematic music video, set in a columned palace courtyard before she ascends into outer space. There, the Canadian R&B singer watches over her as a giant, omnipresent god (in a suit and shades, natch). Need we say more?
Tyler, The Creator — "JUGGERNAUT"
Tyler, 30, is ready for us to hear his sixth studio album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, which includes contributions from Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne, 42 Dugg and more. Following the singles "LUMBERJACK" and "WUSYANAME," "JUGGERNAUT" is one standout of the Grammy winner's latest album as it marks his fifth collaboration with Pharrell Williams.
However, Tyler took to Twitter on Friday to clear up one rumor about the track, which also features Lil Uzi Vert in a show-of-strength music video. After one fan claimed "JUGGERNAUT" was from a "scrapped" album from Pharrell and Uzi, Tyler set the record straight, saying, "idk who starts narratives but it is not from a scrapped p and uzi album, idk where you got that info from." You heard it here first!
Rauw Alejandro — "Sexo Virtual"
The Puerto Rican musician's sophomore album VICE VERSA celebrates the best of urban music. In Rauw's own words, "It's a highly personal record." In a press release, he admitted that it is "filled with contrasts, reflecting the roller coaster of emotions that I've experimented in recent times. I wanted to pour all those emotions into an album."
He turned up the heat for "Sexo Virtual" ("Virtual Sex"), from the steamy lyrics to the trippy music video about a futuristic virtual reality experience. "The video is truly mind blowing and fun," Rauw tells E! News exclusively. "We had a blast shooting it."
FLETCHER — "Healing"
FLETCHER, who was planning to tour with Niall Horan before the pandemic hit, reflects on an emotional journey toward recovery in this more mellow and dreamy single. "I've been feeling inside out in my feelings / Upside down on the ceiling / I'm finally breathing / The smoke ain't gone but it's clearing," she sings in "Healing."
As the artist explained on social media, "i have always placed value in everything externally — thinking i needed everything and everyone else to be alright. and my healing was realizing that everything i have ever needed was already right here. i'm waking up to that power."
Earlier this year, Cari Elise Fletcher released the empowering single "On Fire Again" for a little-known Netflix movie called To All The Boys: Always and Forever. You'll also surely recognize her biggest bops "War Paint," "Bitter" and "Undrunk."
LANY — "dancing in the kitchen"
A taste of LANY's future, the first single from the trio's next album has arrived. A lowkey love song, "dancing in the kitchen" is perfect for late night summer drives, as it recognizes all the mundane yet intimate moments you cherish together.
"And it doesn't matter what we do / We could have nothing at all and still feel like nothing's missing," proclaim the Los Angeles band, which dropped "I Quit Drinking" with Kelsea Ballerini earlier this month.
Bastille — "Distorted Light Beam"
If you were obsessed with "Pompeii" in 2013, allow us to introduce you to Bastille's new sound. Described by the label as a "retro-futuristic pop song," their "Distorted Light Beam" is the first number from their fourth studio album, expected later this year.
"When I'm dreaming tonight, I can be anyonе / So don't wake me up, don't wake mе up," the English rockers sing, while background dancers in red cloaks (à la Handmaid's Tale) circle around actress Remmie Milner (of Save Me fame) in the music vid.
Adding to your teenage nostalgia? "Distorted Light Beam" is co-written and co-produced by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder.
Happy listening!