Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Linkin Park leaps back into view, Tate McRae does not want conversation, and Shawn Mendes bares his soul. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Linkin Park, From Zero
With new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer/co-producer Colin Brittain in the fold, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, turntablist/producer Joseph Hahn and singer/rapper/producer/sonic architect Mike Shinoda have revived Linkin Park, and From Zero imagines a new beginning for one of the biggest bands of the past few decades in a way that any fan can appreciate. Click here for a full review of the new album.
Tate McRae, “2 Hands”
“Want your two hands on mе / Like my life needs savin’,” Tate McRae sings on her sensual new single, her desperation for physical touch animating another rhythmic pop delicacy that will delight fans of hits like “Greedy” and “Exes.”
Shawn Mendes, Shawn
With his new album, Shawn Mendes has paused what’s been a whirlwind career thus far — from viral Vine clips to global arena performances — and looked inward, returning with a rustic folk-rock sound, prodding self-examinations and the most intimate album of his career.
Shaboozey, “Good News”
While “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” continues to set Hot 100 history, now as the longest-running No. 1 song by a solo artist, newly minted best new artist nominee Shaboozey is not resting on his laurels, offering “Good News” as a somber refraction of his smash hit’s clap-along formula.
Jin, Happy
Years after BTS crossed over to top 40 radio in the U.S. with bright, bubbly pop anthems, Jin’s first solo album leans in to similar positivity, as Happy functions as both an injection of cheeriness and a lovely showcase for another one of the group’s talented members.
Gwen Stefani, Bouquet
Working with a live band at Smoakstack Studios with producer Scott Hendricks, Gwen Stefani hints at a full-blown country crossover on fifth solo album Bouquet — but more than any genre-hopping, the pop great’s voice sounds fuller when surrounded by expert instrumentation.
Rauw Alejandro, Cosa Nuestra
Puerto Rican superstar Rauw Alejandro opened up his Rolodex for his fifth studio album, with Bad Bunny, Pharrell Williams, Feid and Romeo Santos all stopping by — but the greatest strengths of Cosa Nuestra rest on Alejandro’s shoulders, his airy voice powering the most magnetic hooks here.
Lil Nas X, “Light Again!”
Lil Nas X’s flow sounds more effortless than it has in years on “Light Again!,” which applies his knack for enormous choruses to throbbing dance music and relies on his effervescent persona to maintain the listener’s attention.
Sam Fender, “People Watching”
Produced with The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel and serving as a tribute to a late friend and mentor, “People Watching” allows Sam Fender to dive into his big Boss influence while showcasing his emotional slant on anthemic pop-rock; this one could be big.
Editor’s Pick: 070 Shake, Petrichor
WIth Petrichor, the unbridled greatness of 070 Shake has fully emerged: unconfined by sonic boundaries and unafraid of addressing heavier topics, the singer-songwriter gets psychedelic, toys with hip-hop ideas, covers Tim Buckley alongside Courtney Love (!) and generally pours her entire being into her art, in a way any music fan must respect.
