Best New Tracks: The Weeknd x Playboi Carti, NIGO x Young Thug and More
Dive into the weekend with these 10 music projects.
As the week in music comes to a close, Hypebeast has rounded up the best projects for the latest installment of Best New Tracks.
This week’s lineup is led by The Weeknd x Playboi Carti, NIGO x Young Thug and Peggy Gou, who released the singles “Timeless” and “Dope Boy,” and the project I Hear You – Bonus Tracks Edition, respectively. Also joining this selection are offerings from Justice with Tame Impala, Lady Gaga, Ovrkast., Tee Grizzley with J. Cole, Saweetie, Leon Bridges and TOMMY RICHMAN.
The Weeknd x Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
The Weeknd and Playboi Carti reunite for “Timeless,” their newest collab following “Popular” with Madonna. Produced by Pharrell, Ojivolta, Mike Dean and Twisco, the track fuses Carti’s subtle rap style with the XO Records head’s melodic chops, resulting in a sultry and cohesive offering that brings out the best of both artists.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
NIGO x Young Thug – “Dope Boy”
NIGO links up with Young Thug for “Dope Boy,” which features production work from Wheezy. The short but strong cut clocks in at only a minute and a half, and hears verses and a chorus from Thugger.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Peggy Gou – I Hear You – Bonus Tracks Edition
Peggy Gou is revisiting her debut album I Hear You with its expanded edition. The new project includes all the previously-available remixes created by Koreless and Jex Opolis, the “Nanadub” version of her viral hit “(It Goes Like) Nanana” and new remixes from two of the DJ/producer’s personal favorite producers: fellow South Korean artist and Gudu Records alumni Mogwaa, who puts a techno-fused electro spin on “Lobster Telephone,” and Berlin-based producer Spray, who remixes “1+1=11.”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Justice x Tame Impala – “Neverender”
Justice and Tame Impala deliver the accompanying music video for their Hyperdrama collab, “Neverender.” The visual is helmed by Masanobu Hiraoka with Kota Iguchi and Armand Beraud and produced by Cekai, and is billed as a “fantasmagoric journey” through the minds of the two artists as they explore the universe of Hyperdrama using an animation style that fuses classic Art Nouveau aesthetics with vintage Japanese anime.
Watch: YouTube
Lady Gaga - Harlequin
Lady Gaga prepares for the premiere of Joker: Folie á Deux with her accompanying album, Harlequin. Speaking to Zane Lowe, she says, “I think that for me, this idea of dual identities was always something that was a part of my music making. I was always creating characters in my music and when I made Lee for Joker, she just really had this profound effect on me. The film had so much music in it, so much music that I love, and I was able to discover the character through the story, through the music that we did live every day as well as dance and the costumes and the makeup. So I kind of had this deep experience with the character and she just didn’t really leave me creatively and I decided I wanted to make a whole album inspired by her. She’s a really complex woman and I think, particularly as a woman in music and a female producer, it was really fun to go, ‘This album will be and I will be what I want, when I decide, whenever I feel like it. If I want it to be blues, it’ll be blues. If I want it to be funk, it’ll be funk. If I want it to be soul, it’ll be soul.’”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
TOMMY RICHMAN - COYOTE
TOMMY RICHMAN officially releases his debut studio album, COYOTE. He says of the album, “COYOTE was a concept that I came up with about two years ago while I was making ALLIGATOR. This is the 2nd installment of the animal trilogy. It’s a story that tells the tale of mental illness, representing itself in the form of a wild coyote in the outskirts of Beatty, Nevada.”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Tee Grizzley x J. Cole – “Blow For Blow”
Tee Grizzley announces his upcoming album Post Traumatic (out October 11) with the release of his J. Cole-assisted single, “Blow For Blow.” The pair’s first collaboration features production from Pi’erre Bourne as well as an interpolation of a classic The Notorious B.I.G. hook.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Saweetie – “Is It The Way”
Saweetie shares her latest single in the form of “Is It The Way.” The cut features production from J.White and hears a sample of Jill Scott’s “The Way.”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Leon Bridges – “That’s What I Love”
Leon Bridges officially drops “That’s What I Love” following its premiere on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside The Roots. The cut is set to appear on his upcoming self-titled album, out October 4. “This track is a special one for me—it’s a reflection of my journey, the places I’ve been, and the things that truly bring me joy. It’s about celebrating the little things that make us who we are. It’s a tribute to the warmth of family, the charm of Texas, and the nostalgia that ties us all together,” he says in a statement.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Ovrkast. – “CUT UP”
Ovrkast. releases his latest single “CUT UP” and announces his collaborative KASTGOTWINGS EP with CardoGotWings, which drops October 4.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
