After a Slow Holiday Season, New Music Is so Back

Like the rest of the world, the music industry mostly spent the final stretch of the year laying low, leaving only a handful of notable drops to hold us over while we reset. Now, with 2026 finally underway, Still Hit Monday is clocking back in, too. We’re bending the rules (slightly) this week to catch up on the last few Fridays and make sure nothing worthy slipped through the cracks. The wait is done. Let’s get into it.

Sault, “Protector” + Chapter 1

Producer: Inflo

One thing about the British music collective Sault is they’re going to release a new album what feels like every 30 business days. Just when you think you’ve wrapped your mind their last release, here they come with another project. Their new offering, Chapter 1, continues the group’s run, folding jazz, reggae, and soul into something that feels like an elevated jam session. The song stretch, breathe, and shimmer while continuing to sound like lived-in, communal, and spiritual music. If this is what consistency sounds like, we hope they never, ever slow down.

The Kid Laroi, “The Moment” + Before I Forget

Producer: Andrew Aged + Nick Weiss

Afte scrapping an entire album in the aftermath of his public breakup with Tate McRae, The Kid Laroi resurfaced with Before I Forget, an album that’s far more musical and textured than anyone was braced for. Laroi is surprising vulnerable on the album, with sleep pop, alt-R&B and left-of-center production that nods to Justin Bieber and Mk.gee. This surprising cohesion has a clear standout, though, with “The Moment," a collab with Clara La San. The R&B vibe feels effortless and intimate, and will no doubt end up being my most played track from the project.

Big YBA + Finesse2tymes, “Love of the Money”

Producer: Big YBA

In an music era when a recognizable sample can either elevate a track or drag it straight into nostalgia hell, Big YBA and Finesse2tymes land on the right side of history with their new join “Love of the Money.” The song flips Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “Foe tha Love of $” with intention, preserving the eerie urgency of the original while updating it with present-day grit.

Choker, “Proof”

Producer: Choker

Singer-songwriter Choker is back, so it’s time to get excited. After more than five years without new music, one of indie’s hidden secrets reemerges sounding refreshed, focused, and fully in his bag. “Proof” is just a taste of what we’ll get when Choker drops the new album Heaven Ain’t Sold on Feb. 20. “Proof” is breezy, jazzy, and bouncy, stitched together by skittering drums and Choker’s unmistakable yearning vocals. I’ve already got the melody of the chorus stuck in my head.

Jordan Ward, “Champion Sound”

Producer: Lido + Zach Ezzy

Jordan Ward is in his reflective bag on “Champion Sound,” a new song ahead of his forthcoming album Backward, out Jan. 30. Over a nearly four-minute runtime, Ward traces the full arc of his story, from being broke to touching money to losing most of it. Yet he lands somewhere steadier and more self-assured. What makes the track hit isn’t just the honesty, but the way Ward delivers it with a rap-sung cadence that never sounds too try-hard, just effortlessly cool.

Sexyy Red, “If You Want It”

Producer: Kyuro + Vladimir Laurent + Egonbeup

Not gonna lie…Sexyy Red’s “If You Want It” is exactly why we had to bend the rules this week with the column. Doubt was never really on the table, but this one, which dropped the day after Christmas, is undeniable, and anyone disagreeing is simply NO FUN. Flipping a slick Amerie sample in the chorus, Sexyy does what she does best: talking her vulgar talk with zero shame, dragging us straight to Magic City in the process. It’s raunchy, catchy, and has automatic replay value. Say what you want, but this song’s been hitting for weeks now.

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