Friday Favourites: The Best New Tracks of the Week 17/07/26

There’s so much new music being released in the world today that it’s hard to keep up. Even if you consider yourself a music nerd, it’s impossible to listen to the hundreds of new tracks dropping every week. That’s why we are here to help.

The crew at The Note are constantly listening to music, from local emerging artists right through to your global superstars, and we want to make sure you stay ahead of the curve, so every Friday we are collating a list of our favourite tracks of the week.

This week’s list features new music from and more.

Beabadoobee ‘Switchblade’

Following the announcement of her upcoming fourth studio album, Pylon, out Friday 18 September via Dirty Hit and Interscope Records (pre-save/pre-order here), beabadoobee has shared new single, ‘Switchblade’.

Eschewing the indie pop of previous single ‘Sun Has Set’, Beatrice Laus’ latest is a downtempo guitar number, with her upcoming album shaping up as another genre-spanning release exploring everything from anger, isolation, depression, and deep, pathologically in love.

Mastodon - ‘Snakes For Dinner’

Many fans wondered what would become of Mastodon after the departure and death of guitarist Brent Hinds. Well, they needn’t have worried, with the band’s latest single ‘Snakes For Dinner’ a pulsating, riff-tastic blast of prog-rock.

The track also features Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, marking his first appearance on a Mastodon recording since his contribution to ‘Colony of Birchmen’on 2006’s Blood Mountain.

‘Snakes For Dinner’ follows the new fan favourite ‘Your Ghost Again’, with both tracks taken from Mastodon’s upcoming record MarrowDeep.

Julia Jacklin – ‘I Wish’

One of Australia’s great songwriters of the past 15 years, Julia Jacklin can do no wrong. Her latest single, ‘I Wish’, is a glorious duet with Elsie and Maggie Rigby of Australian folk duo The Maes. Combining soaring harmonies with a gentle guitar riff, ‘I Wish’ is everything you want from a Julia Jacklin track. Brilliant stuff.

Empire of the Sun feat. Danny Ocean – ‘Llego’

Electronic duo Empire of the Sun have caught football fever. Joining forces with Latin superstar Danny Ocean for their first-ever collaboration, 'Llego' is set to feature on the Official FIFA World Cup 2026™ Album (Closing Ceremony Edition).

It's exactly what you'd expect from Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore, with Ocean's vocals giving the track an added boost.

Fenne Lily – 'Thank You Sorry'

She might not be a household name in Australia, but Fenne Lily is one of the brightest voices to emerge from the UK in recent years. As the Brooklyn-based songwriter gears up for the release of her fourth studio album, Win Win, she has shared new single, 'Thank You Sorry'.

This one is for fans of Julia Jacklin, Phoebe Bridgers and Angel Olsen, with Lily showcasing her continued growth as a songwriter on a track about the downfall of a relationship.

Alex Lahey feat. Slowly Slowly – ‘Let’s Go Out’

Alex Lahey has re-released her debut EP, B-Grade University (Reunion Edition), and one of the highlights is a reworked version of 'Let's Go Out' featuring Slowly Slowly. This single is just fun. Ripping riffs, catchy hooks and some stellar harmonies from Lahey and Slowly Slowly's Ben Stewart make this one you want to turn up loud and jump around to.

Queens of the Stone Age – 'Easy Street'

Fresh from announcing their Australian return, desert rockers Queens of the Stone Age have shared new single 'Easy Street'. The band's first release in three years is an acoustic chamber featuring guest vocalist Nikki Lane

'Easy Street' is accompanied by a music video directed by Tony Wolski and Christopher Gruse, in which QOTSA frontman Josh Homme runs from a bunch of crazy neighbours.

Naomi Keyte – 'Hand In Hand'

Local singer-songwriter Naomi Keyte has shared the calming new single 'Hand In Hand'. Accompanied by nature sounds (running water, bird sounds), Keyte's breezy voice floats over the light instrumentation, making for a gorgeous track to soundtrack your lazy weekend afternoon.

Brandon Flowers – 'Paradise'

The Killers frontman continues his country obsession with new single 'Paradise'. Following the Bruce Springsteen-esque ballad 'Plans', this latest track of Flowers new album Thrasher is rooted in the classic country sound of yesteryear. This one has an organ, harmonica and banjo, with Flowers' transformation into an outlaw country star almost complete.