New Music Friday: 7 albums to hear this week

070 Shake first appeared, as if from nowhere, back in 2018, a 20-year-old singer from New Jersey whose haunting voice illuminated Pusha T’s incredible Daytona and Kanye West’s uneven ye. Although she stole the show with her appearances on these records, it also left her typecast as a supporting singer, a role she seemed to be stuck with over the next two years, sharing space with artists like DJ Khaled, Jessie Reyez, and Nas. Her debut album Modus Vivendi sees 070 Shake break out of this role, wisely foregoing guest features entirely and putting the singer centre-stage. She dives further into the dark themes that her music has explored before (addiction and dependency, death and suicide, etc.), but the stellar production and musicianship gives the album a radiant sound, like light breaking through grey clouds.

This week, we’re also highlighting new albums like Halsey’s Manic, Mac Miller’s posthumous release Circles, Spanish trap artist La Zowi’s Élite, and more. Take a listen below.