Blink-182, Charlie XCX and Sam Smith, Rolling Stones – Billboard

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to Friday’s biggest releases—the key music that everyone will be talking about today and that will dominate playlists this weekend and beyond.

This week, I think it’s Blink-182 coming of age, Charli XCX and Sam Smith have a night on the town and The Rolling Stones make a triumphant return to the studio. Check out all of this week’s new releases below:

Blink-182, Again…

“Aging gracefully” was never a logical outcome for Blink-182, a trio of pop-punk geniuses who built their live shows on scatological humor and turned their album titles into dirty jokes. However, harrowing life experiences, especially Mark Hoppus’s battle with cancer in 2021, have given Blink-182 a new sense of appreciation and Again…, the first album with their classic line-up since 2011 carries a sense of seriousness that confirms how much Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker care about each other in midlife. It doesn’t Again… however, it’s a gritty affair: from early single “Edging” to the powerful opener “Anthem Part 3” to the radio-ready “Dance With Me,” Blink-182 have found a way to deliver chewier tunes in between soulful moments. .

Charlie XCX and Sam Smith, “On the Town”

“This song is about finding the people you really love and connect with during wild nights and parties in magical places,” Charli XCX says in the press release for her charming new single with Sam Smith, “In The City.” Ten years after the party kicked off with songs like “Take My Hand” and the Icona Pop hit “I Love It,” Charlie offers a more reflective evening (“I never thought I’d find this / But I found what “for,” she sings), while Smith’s soulful vocals and flickering synths support the song, giving “In The City” a sense of clear connection at the heart of the collaboration.

Kid LARUA, Jungkook and Central Cee, “Too Much”

Jungkook and The Kid LAROI know how to create lasting pop hits, and songs like “Sprinter” and “Let Go” have established British rapper Central Cee as an overseas chart heavyweight; By joining forces, the three have created a moody, undeniably memorable collaboration that looks set to become ubiquitous as the weather gets colder. “Too Much” features another solid hook from Jungkook after “Seven” and “3D,” as well as a tough middle verse from Central Cee, but LAROI sounds more upbeat on the track, lifting the rhymes and melodies with an ease that’s reminiscent of his hit “Stay” with featuring Justin Bieber.

Rolling stones Hackney Diamonds

What should a new Rolling Stones album sound like in 2023? First full length new Legends material since 2005. Big Bang years in the making, he doesn’t have an ounce of anything left to prove – and that lack of expectations works in his favor as Mick, Keith and Ronnie deliver a rowdy registration that should translate well to the stadium stage. A mix of iconic guests (Paul McCartney, Elton John and Lady Gaga) and meat-and-potatoes rock grooves (“Mess It Up” and “Whole Wide World” are a couple of mid-album highlights) help find Hackney Diamonds as the best case scenario for the group in their sacred position.

21 Savage feat. d4vd, “Call me Revenge”

The fact that “Call Me Revenge”, the new collaboration between 21 Savage and d4vd, was launched at the same time as its upcoming release Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III helps explain the lyrical slant – after all, d4vd is easier to unpack by singing, “I’m here to collect all your sins, I’m coming!” in the context of a first-person shooter. However, “Call Me Revenge” allows both artists to have fun striking their most menacing poses, especially 21 Savage, who sounds downright gleeful with staccato boasts and endless ad-libs.

Editor’s Pick: Jane Remover Census appointed

You won’t hear an album like this again. Census appointedJane Reviver’s second effort this year or most years: a singer and producer who has changed her sound (and also come out as a trans woman) since her 2021 debut. Weakness, has mastered a unique blend of shoegaze, noise rock, pop melodies and indie ballads in these 10 tracks, while also producing her personal evolution and personality. Parts Census appointed work best when listening on headphones late at night, while others sound from car speakers; Conceptually, the album begins at sunset and ends at dawn, but Jane Remover’s latest album will touch you in any setting.