The Best New Music of the Week

You're going to notice something a little different about our roundup of the best new music of the past week today. That's because, instead of our usual all-staff roundup, it's just me, Brennan Carley, an entertainment editor here at GQ, making the case for why this particular week in music is the best seven days for pop music in 2019, period. Maybe that's a bold claim, but think about it: can you picture a better week for drops than this one? This was the year so many of our biggest artists returned from hiatus and didn't make any noise at all. This was the year the new artists—the hungry ones—rose to the top of the ranks. But this? This was the week that both new and returning musicians put out some of the best new music of the year. Let's dive in.

Jessie Ware, "Mirage (Don't Stop)"

It's been two years since the British singer Jessie Ware put out her most recent album, Glasshouse, and eight months since she released her most recent single, "Adore You." This new one, "Mirage (Don't Stop)," starts slow: "Last night we danced / And I thought you were saving my life," Ware sings as a muted guitar strums quietly behind her. But things pick up quickly; the production builds, the mix intensifies, a drum machine kicks in, synths start shimmering, Ware's restrained vocals waver between a whisper and a coo until—wham—that chorus kicks all the way in. It's the best of both worlds, and it's quintessential Jessie Ware. More please!

Miranda Lambert, "White Trash"

I always say I'm not a country music person, but then Spotify spits out its yearly listening trend reports to me every December, and they're always overflowing with country—Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, and Miranda Lambert are heavily represented year after year. The latter's new album, Wildcard, is her best start-to-finish body of work to date—a feat, considering her deep, diverse output over the past decade-plus. Wildcard kicks off with "White Trash," a steely, flippant ode to her roots that's really just a Top 40 hit in joyful country drag. It's a song that sounds rich and lush at every turn—ironic, considering its lyrics. But nobody subverts expectations quite like Lambert can; that's what makes everything she does so damn good.

Dua Lipa, "Don't Start Now"

More than three years ago, I watched as a small audience gathered in a dusty Texas lot to see Dua Lipa's short set at that year's South by Southwest festival. Today, Dua is headlining arenas and releasing instant classics like her new single, "Don't Start Now," an ode to disco that is—and this was a near-impossible task, considering the strength of "New Rules" and "One Kiss" and... I could go on—the best thing she's ever released. Produced by Ian Kirkpatrick, "Don't Start Now" is all about that bass, that cowbell, and that Dua Lipa delivery. There's no doubt in my mind that she has the strongest voice of her generation; "Don't Start Now" proves it and then some. I cannot wait to hear this song on repeat for the rest of my life.

Melanie C feat. Sink the Pink, "High Heels"

If I ever for a single second catch you besmirching a Spice Girl, I promise I will cut you out of my life faster than a speeding bullet train. That includes Melanie C—Sporty, if you're lucky—who's capped her record-smashing year (reuniting with the girl group who made little gay boys like me feel like I had a place in the world) with a new solo effort, "High Heels." The song is as close to a 2010 Robyn smash as any track could hope to be; it earns its final, explosive chorus more than any other single released this year. It's a self-empowerment anthem that preaches loving yourself over anybody else. Can I get a goddamned amen?

And our .5 of the week...

Sam Smith, "I Feel Love"

Whichever Target executive commissioned this literally perfect Sam Smith cover of Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder's queer classic for the company's new holiday campaign deserves the Christmas bonuses of all bonuses. Smith's towering, staggeringly sharp vocals prove an equal counterpart to the reverent production courtesy of Guy Lawrence (of Disclosure!). For once, I won't fast-forward past the ads on my TV screen this winter.

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The thinking man’s pop singer talks to GQ about writing songs for other artists (like Minaj and Britney Spears) and learning to strip down her music to the naked truth.

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Crafting pop music is hard work. So what do you make of someone like Dua Lipa, who struck gold so quickly with her contralto girl anthem "New Rules"? Well, you watch her write Album Number Two.

Originally Appeared on GQ