“Selfish,” Justin Timberlake’s first new solo song in six years, covers similar thematic ground to Nick Jonas’ hit “Jealous” (2014), but trades that tune’s bravado for a muted melancholy. “So if I get jealous, I can't help it,” Timberlake sings, in a flatter approximation of Justin Bieber's most successful forays into mid-paced R&B. “I want every bit of you, I guess I'm selfish.” A fun, lightly carbonated beat keeps things moving; perhaps the only element of the song aware that it is not as deep as Timberlake believes. – LINDSAY ZOLADZ
The melodious, understated guitars and thumping bongos of Dominican bachata often convey songs of contained regret. But salsa singer Marc Anthony is not one to hold back. In “Punta Cana,” named after the Dominican resort city, he is a rejected boyfriend who bitterly monitors the happy photos posted by his ex, a scenario like that of Maluma's hit “Hawái.” From the first verse, he works in heartbreaking rasps, trying to convince himself that a kiss would win her back, and finally deploys a trumpet section as his desperation grows. No wonder he keeps his distance. – JON PARELES
Tierra Whack, a kaleidoscopically imaginative musician from Philadelphia, returns with some minimalist funk on “Shower Song,” a fun ode to cleanliness, pondering wild ideas, and singing like no one else can hear. “I sound great when I sing in the shower,” declares Whack on this single from his upcoming album “World Wide Whack.” “Soap and water give me power.” As usual, it's accompanied by a wildly colorful, “Pee-wee's Playhouse”-style music video that showcases the uniqueness of Whack's world. -ZOLADZ
Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote delights in musical games such as shifting time signatures, angular harmonies and jumping, zigzagging melodies, drawing skillfully from jazz, funk, rock and psychedelia. “Everything's Beautiful” is true to form: structurally complicated, but ultimately just a game, still joyfully funky above its underlying mathematics. — PARELES
Ice Spice has a way with a hilarious, monosyllabic insult thrown like a blunt instrument. First there was “Munch.” Now, more specifically: “Fart.” An insistent, skronky beat from producers RIOTUSA (who goes by Riot), Synthetic and Venny inspires the bewildered Ice to attack harder than usual: “I've got my foot on their necks, I can't leave it,” he raps venomously. . “She was all on the floor and he told her 'get up'.” — ZOLADZ
Jade Bird sings about trying to leave behind human and digital memories on “Burn the Hard Drive,” singing, “There's nothing left to do but erase moments one by one.” A snappy, triplet-driven track full of nervous energy, masterminded by producer Mura Masa, it has instruments that appear and disappear like those stubborn, unwanted thoughts. — PARELES
The Pillow Queens are a four-woman rock band from Ireland who may sound chiming and consonant, but not on this song. Fuzzy-toned guitars create a sonorous, churning sound as Pamela Connolly sings about a decisive breakup with someone who lied and took her for granted: “I was in your top five things to do,” she remembers as she moves on. She now gloats, “I'm someone else's problem.” — PARELES
River Shook matter-of-factly depicts the turmoil of mental health on “Revelations,” a minor-key roots rocker laced with vibrant guitar lines and steel guitar. “Good morning I levitate off the ground / Some days I can’t get out of bed,” they sing, later adding “baby, I can barely get through each day.” There is no happy ending, only perseverance and a steady pace. — PARELES
At age 71, veteran musician, songwriter and producer John Leventhal, who has worked with Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn, Sarah Jarosz and with his wife, Rosanne Cash, released his first solo album, “Rumble Strip.” On “That's All I Know About Arkansas,” Leventhal built a string band with mandolin in the studio to support an Appalachian-tinged modal melody. Cash joins him on vocals and shares a laconic narrative about a woman who simply “took her dress and the shoes she wore” and left Arkansas behind, perhaps to become a singer; The outcome is unknown, but the music is stoic and confident. — PARELES
Rising country upstart Megan Moroney receives a disturbing phone call in the middle of the night from a troubled ex about the heartbreaking and well-written “No Caller ID,” which finds her struggling with her own reaction. “Why do I want to do it? I shouldn’t want to,” Moroney sings with warmth, determination and a self-deprecating sigh. -ZOLADZ
Country-rooted indie rock singer-songwriter Matthew Houck, also known as Phosphorescent, went silent after 2018 album “C'est La Vie.” His Return, the title track from an upcoming album called “Revelator,” stays true to his form: slow, layered, desolate but resigned. “Hey, I told you before, I needed you more,” he sings, “but you couldn't even turn around.” The track places a string section behind a country band topped with pedal steel guitar, while Phosphorescent remains serenely inconsolable. — PARELES
El Perro del Mar, the recording name of songwriter, singer and electronic producer Sarah Assbring, questions a self-destructive obsession in “Between You and Me Nothing.” She lays down weightless electronic tones and distant vocal harmonies as she asks herself, “Why do I keep returning to something that no longer exists?” The sound is meditative; the mood is both analytical and helpless. — PARELES
Tuareg electric guitar music, from the nomadic North African people who live on the other side of the Sahara, has long been known as “desert blues.” Texas bluesman Gary Clark Jr. reinforces the connection on “Maktub,” which is Arabic for “it is written”; is from their new exploratory and stylistic EP, “Jpeg Raw.” The distorted, six-beat guitar riff echoes Tuareg musicians like Tinariwen and Mdou Moctar, and Clark sings and raps lines about being chased and mobile: “We have to move in the same direction,” the chorus declares. — PARELES
