New Music Friday – August 1, 2025
It’s New Music Friday and this week’s most noteworthy releases come from two modern pop superstars. Read on to view a complete list of the most highly-anticipated singles, EPs and albums out now. First, here’s an in-depth look at the biggest releases this week.
The Best of New Music Friday:
Chappell Roan – “The Subway”
On Thursday evening, Chappell Roan released her second single of 2025, titled “The Subway.” It’s a thoughtful and serious ballad where Roan discusses the idea of moving away from an ex. The song debuted at Governor’s Ball 2024. Fans have been asking for a studio version to be shared since.
Roan has written deep lyrics for “The Subway” and delivers a passionate vocal performance. “It’s just another day // And it’s not over ’til it’s over,” Roan sings. “She’s got, she’s got a way // She’s got a way, she’s got a way,” she repeats on the outro by stretching her words across the song’s finish line. Instrumentally, “The Subway” is driven by big pop-forward drums, a charmingly fast acoustic guitar and orchestral string performance.
“The Subway” comes a few months after Roan dropped “The Giver,” which soared to the top of the pop charts. Before that, Roan shared the single “Good Luck, Babe!,” which took her to superstar status last year following the release of her 2023 album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
Fans are excited to have yet another single from Roan, who is one of the largest icons in pop music. Roan will soon perform pop-up shows in Los Angeles, Kansas City and New York City. “I love these three cities so much + wanted the chance to do something special before going away to write the next album. I truly cannot wait to see you,” she wrote in a July 2025 Instagram post.
Reneé Rapp – Bite Me
Admired and critically acclaimed singer Reneé Rapp has shared the highly-anticipated new album Bite Me, which began with a playful and fun record rollout in May 2025. Rapp had repeatedly shared a link to the website BITE.ME, urging fans to “sign a hundred non-disclosure agreements.” The site and Rapp both offered hints about the new project.
To get her listeners prepped for this full record, Rapp shared the single “Leave Me Alone.” She threw punches at both the cancelled HBO Max series Sex Lives of College Girls and her record label for always demanding she supply new music. “Signed a hundred NDAs but I still say something // Leave me alone, bitch, I wanna have fun // Took my sex life with me, now the show ain’t fuckin’,” she sings over a rocking instrumental section. “Can I tell you a secret? // I’m so sick of it all.”
Rapp is all attitude on Bite Me. “She asked me how I like my breakfast // I told her ‘hot on the bedroom floor,’” she sings on “Kiss It Kiss It.” There’s rarely a moment on this record where Rapp doesn’t hook fans with one-liners or brow-raising innuendos.
On “Shy,” a new song Rapp recorded with Towa Bird, she sings, “Don’t handle me with care when you’re pulling my hair.” This song is about how Rapp feels bashful, but she still has the courage to share her most honest of romantic and physical thoughts. “Come on and cross my heart and hope to die // I’m thinking somewhere in between your thighs.”
It’s this tell-it-like-it-is spirit that Rapp has continuously showcased throughout her career. She relies on her fiery emotions, though there’s hardly ill-will in how vicious Rapp comes off. Her lyrics are straightforward, which is why fans are enamored. Rapp says things a lot of people might think but don’t always have the courage to say. If there’s one thing Rapp builds for her career and within her fan’s minds on Bite Me, it’s that confidence is key.
New Music Friday Top Picks:
The Armed – The Future Is Here and Everything Needs to Be Destroyed [Sargent House]
The Beths – “Mother, Pray For Me” [ANTI-]
Snooper – “Worldwide” [Third Man]
Debby Friday – The Starrr of the Queen of Life [Sub Pop]
The Voidz – Megz of Ram [Cult]
Wisp – If Not Winter [Interscope]
Xaviersobased – Once More EP [Atlantic]
Yeat – Dangerous Summer [Lyfestyle Corporation/Field Trip/Capitol]
Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you add to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!
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