Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to New Music Friday’s most essential releases each week — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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Last week, we featured Miley Cyrus, Raye, Charlie Puth and more.
This week, Jack White prepares for his gig on Saturday Night Live with a punchy two-pack, Arlo Parks shares her gorgeous third album, Ambiguous Desire, and Anne Hathaway — ahem, Mother Mary — continues teasing her upcoming role as an iconic pop star in the A24 film of the same name… plus much more. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Jack White, “G.O.D. And The Broken Ribs”
Released as a surprise two-pack alongside single “Derecho Demonico,” it’s possible these could be the two songs Jack White will perform as musical guest on Saturday Night Live come April 4. And “G.O.D.” certainly comes with a message, as White sings on the track, “Well, it’s the beginning of the world now/ And there’s nobody left… Let’s start again… Let’s do it all over again.” Musically, it’s not as electrifying or hard-hitting as some of White’s other material, but that’s where “Derecho Demonico” comes in as a perfect partner.
Arlo Parks, “Beams”
Released in tandem with the English singer-songwriter’s third album, Ambiguous Desire, “Beams” is a peak into the project’s gentle touch — a signature of Parks’ sound. Yet here, that gentle touch is a bit of a bandaid for an old wound, until eventually Parks realizes just how much healing has happened under the surface. The song is a delicate dance between that still-present ache and a soft assuredness that has crept in with time. As Parks shared in a statement: “It’s about the pain of feeling discarded, or feeling like the oldest hurt that you carry around like a stone is a burden not just to you but to everyone around you…But it’s also about trying to (slowly but surely) want better for yourself and realise that you are loveable as a whole.”
Anne Hathaway, “My Mouth Is Lonely For You (From Mother Mary)”
Come April 17, Mother Mary will make her debut when the A24 film of the same name premieres, starring Anne Hathaway as an iconic pop star making a comeback. Mother Mary: Greatest Hits will drop the same day, featuring seven original songs written and produced by Jack Antonoff and Charli xcx. Single “Burial” arrived first, showcasing airy vocals that feature even more prominently on “My Mouth Is Lonely For You,” which soundtracks the latest trailer for the film. Written by FKA twigs, the experimental influence is clear — and Hathaway more than delivers, arriving as a fully-formed pop artist before the movie arrives itself.
floweroflove, “American Wedding”
Rising pop singer floweroflove is preparing to make her Coachella debut and is pulling out all the stops for promoting new music — including a fake engagement. While teasing new single “American Wedding” on social media, the singer posted a selfie wearing an engagement ring, writing: “Wasn’t going to post this but I can’t hide it anymore. I’m so so so excited to announce that I’m engaged! To the money. American wedding comes out tomo.” While the song sounds as sweet as its sentiment (“I wanna have your babies/ I wanna be First Lady”) the guitar solo that crashes in near the end highlights the real twist of the track: her ex was never up for getting married. As she concludes of a wedding that never was: “It ended just like that.”
Sofia D’Angelo, “Time”
“Time” comes as the latest single from Sofia D’Angelo — perhaps better known as a member of New York indie-pop collective MICHELLE — who in 2024 started releasing solo material again for the first time in four years. The surging pop track packs powerful meaning about time passing by and wondering what you’ll remember; the music video plays into the theme, showing an elderly D’Angelo (thanks to makeup) speaking to the camera, reflecting on her simple life before concluding that every once in a while, “even grandma needs a good time.” What follows is the soundtrack for a contemplative night out, with D’Angelo prematurely wondering “if time was on my side.”