Billboard's Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday's most essential releases — the essential music everyone will be talking about today and that will dominate playlists this weekend and beyond.
This week, Childish Gambino bows out, Stray Kids eat up their new material, and Jimin continues to innovate. Check out all of this week's picks below:
Childish Gambino, Bando Stone and the New World
Donald Glover will likely be around in popular culture for a long time, but his Childish Gambino alter ego is bowing out Bando Stone and the New Worlda bold 17-song project featuring a pro-hip guest list (Flo Milli, Jorja Smith, Yeat and Amaarae all stop by) and ensuring that a beloved hip-hop personality comes out with sonic gusto.
Stray children, ATE
The K-pop group's new mini-album continues to showcase their rising confidence as both hitmakers and studio technicians: the 8-song set, helmed by their in-house production team 3RACHA, is filled with effortless cool, particularly to the electro shock of 'Chk Chk Boom'.
Jimin, Muse
Jimin may have dominated stadiums alongside his BTS brothers and scored a No. 1 solo hit last year with “Like Crazy,” but he's not resting on his laurels as a sophomore solo project Muse offers meditations on love and creative inspiration while still serving up transcontinental potential hits like the jaunty rhythmic pop track “Who.”
Various Artists, Twisters: The album
What's more terrible than one Tornado? Multiple Twisters — and a big-budget soundtrack to accompany this weekend's epic natural disaster invasions, with superstars like Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Miranda Lambert starring in the country act (though Benson Boone also sneaks in, with the style of the genre -along with 'Death Wish Love').
Glass Animals, I love you so much
Following up a record like “Heat Waves” is no easy task on the charming new album either I love you so much, Glass Animals reject chart expectations while still crafting big hooks and harmonies across the 10 songs, particularly on “Show Pony's” opener, “whatthehellishappening?” and “Creatures in Paradise.”
Koe Wetzel, 9 Lives
The country-inclined Texas singer-songwriter's profile has risen rapidly, and the new album 9 Lives — with past hits “High Road” featuring Jessie Murph and “Sweet Dreams,” as well as new standouts like “Hatchet” and “Depression & Obsession” — arrives at an opportune time and with a more mature version of his rootsy storytelling .
Khalid, “Ground”
Khalid's highly anticipated third album, Sincere, gets another sumptuous jam, with “Ground” making the most of the singer-songwriter's velvety tone and hypnotic beat while leaning more towards traditional R&B. this is a headshot you don't want to end.
Alessia Cara, “Dead Man”
“If you really care, then why do I feel like you're slipping away from me?” Alessia Cara asks on “Dead Man,” as the former Best New Artist Grammy winner ushers in a new era with soulful jazz-pop, with mournful trumpets to match her voice and a fresh perspective to a tee.
Joe Jonas, “Work It Out”
A lifetime removed from his 2011 solo debut FAST LIFEjoe jonas sounds as rejuvenated on energetic new single “Work It Out” as the Jonas Brothers did on their comeback single “Sucker,” tackling his anxiety issues and nagging thoughts about a crazy late-summer streaming pop production.
Editor's Pick: JADE, “Angel of My Dreams”
“I didn't want to do a safe first single, that was really important to me,” Little Mix's Jade Thirlwall says of her solo debut in a press release. Don't worry about that ending: “Angel of My Dreams” is a shape-shifting opener, utterly thrilling that effervesces before collapsing and then rising again, and JADE handles all its wild moves with veteran skill.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/friday-music-guide-childish-gambino-stray-kids-jimin-1235735071/