Discover Weekly Reviews of the newest music.
Written by Brendan Gieseke, Every Sunday.Check Out This Week’s Newest Hits
Our Rubric
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10-9
Lyrically sharp, evocative, and cohesive. Every line feels intentional, with emotional or thematic depth that elevates the track.
8-7
Strong writing and solid storytelling or imagery, even if not groundbreaking. Lyrics effectively support the song’s tone and message.
6-5
Decent lyrics which are serviceable, but not especially memorable. May rely on clichés or familiar phrases.
4-3
Shallow or inconsistent writing. Some moments work, but others feel forced, vague, or filler.
2-0
Lyrically empty or confusing in a way that detracts from the song. Minimal thought or effort is evident.
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10-9
Impeccable sound design where every detail feels deliberate. Mixing, mastering, and arrangement are clean, dynamic, and emotionally tuned.
8-7
Polished and well-balanced production with minor inconsistencies. Still highly listenable and sonically engaging.
6-5
Functional but unremarkable production. A good foundation, but lacks depth or distinctive texture.
4-3
Messy or underwhelming production with clashing sounds, poor mixing, or generic beats.
2-0
Distracting flaws or amateur-level production that severely impact the song’s quality.
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10-9
Perfectly achieves what it sets out to do. Whether it’s a club banger or a tearjerker, it nails the intended mood and audience response.
8-7
Very effective with minor misses, but the track’s purpose is clear and mostly successful.
6-5
Mixed execution. You can tell what the artist aimed for, but it doesn’t fully land.
4-3
Confused or inconsistent in intent. The mood, lyrics, and production don’t feel aligned.
2-0
Fails to communicate or achieve any cohesive idea; feels directionless.
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10-9
Inventive and fresh. Pushes boundaries, redefines genre expectations, or offers a unique artistic perspective.
8-7
Distinct within its lane with a familiar style written with personal flair or creativity.
6-5
Solid but conventional. Works well within genre norms but doesn’t surprise.
4-3
Derivative or overly trend-chasing. Feels like a copy of existing styles.
2-0
Entirely unoriginal, repetitive, or indistinguishable from countless others.
What Is It?
Every Friday, the internet is swarmed with new tracks (even 1.4 million on Spotify), each promising to define your weekend mood. But which ones actually deliver? Welcome (or welcome back) to the weekly Arts & Culture column of Ongaku Magazine, New Music Friday Reviews! Step inside this section of Ongaku Magazine to a world where music is discussed as the key to representing our modern-day culture, that is, like music, arguably evolving with every passing minute. Covering genres of music from Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B, Rap, Jazz, Alternative, Rock, and so much more, the goal of this column is to provide insight not only on how masterful today’s top-emerging art is, but to give you, as the reader, the deliberate declaration to an everlasting question with any song: is this worth the listen?
So, yes, while as a reader, you may be currently intrigued in discovering which music is truly the zeitgeist of the week, month, year, or era, you must be wondering; what even is “a” New Music Friday? You might have seen the Spotify or Apple Music algorithm recommending this New Music Friday playlist to you, but are these playlists solely several new songs released on the day before a restful weekend? While cursorily, this may be the case, the act of publishing new music on a Friday has been the official global standard since 2015 (and the reason why you’ve never heard of a New Music Tuesday: “ball out to the new, say, The Weeknd album while unwinding, getting ready for sleep, prepping for a meeting, and being ravenously joyful to survive yet another ‘Hump Day’ at school tomorrow!”) In addition, since the releasing of music on Friday also limits international piracy, boosts chart performance, sales, and aligns with the start of the weekend, the international music industry generally came to the consensus that Friday was the unanimous music-release day. And the rest becomes history.
To preserve what has been made of this largely positive history, though, this column aims to highlight the essence of genuinely good (or bad) music through critical analysis and a one-to-ten point ranking system of top New Music Friday songs from a list of categories: Most Streamed, Lyrical Standout, Sonic Standout, Hidden Gem, and Personal Feature (this one is dependent on if I find songs that I’d like to highlight). Where the song selected for each category will be evaluated by the rubric provided below, the song selections and the responding commentaries will be parallel with the most recent New Music Friday releases. Together with me, I encourage–and hope–that you’ll follow me on my weekly endeavors to discover the best music and harshly criticize and inquire the pools of music, or even my critiques!
ENJOY the MUSIC.
Week of February 20, 2026
This week’s New Music Friday picks feature Twenty One Pilots’ “Drag Path,” Lana Del Rey’s “White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter,” and “Song of the Future” by U2.
Week of February 13, 2026
This week’s New Music Friday Valentine’s Day picks feature Charli XCX’s “Always Everywhere,” Brent Faiyaz’s “butterflies.” and a hidden gem from Sarah Kinsley.
Week of October 31, 2025
This week’s New Music Friday features Rosalía, Tyler the Creator, Florence + The Machine and more. Full reviews, ratings, and hidden gems inside.
Week of October 24, 2025
This week’s New Music Friday reviews Joji, HAIM, Tame Impala, Of Monsters and Men, and Cortex. Discover the best new songs and hidden gems now.
Week of October 17, 2025
This week’s New Music Friday features Daniel Caesar, Mac Miller, Leon Thomas, Hayley Williams, and Jessie Murph. Full reviews and top new songs inside.