New Music Friday Guide: Olivia Rodrigo, Lana Del Rey and More

Olivia Rodrigo leads this week’s Billboard Friday Music Guide with the release of “Drop Dead,” the first single from her upcoming third album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, scheduled for release in June 2026.

The song, despite its title suggesting a continuation of her earlier heartbreak-themed singles like “Drivers License” and “Vampire,” is described as a lush and swoony love song about first-night infatuation, drawing inspiration from The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” which Rodrigo has previously covered.

Music critics note that the track represents a shift in tone for Rodrigo, blending emotional depth with a more buoyant, pop-rock sound that signals a new chapter in her artistic evolution.

Also featured in this week’s guide is sombr’s new single “Potential,” which debuted during his Weekend One Coachella performance and continues his exploration of disco-influenced sounds, building on the success of his earlier hit “12 to 12.” The song includes vocoder effects reminiscent of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories and references his 2025 breakthrough.

The collaborative project Nine Inch Noize — formed by Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize — has released their self-titled album, which captures their live Coachella performance. The record includes reimagined versions of Nine Inch Nails classics such as “Closer” and “Copy of A,” fan favorites like “She’s Gone Away,” and a cover of Soft Cell’s “Memorabilia,” closing with “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” from the TRON: Ares soundtrack, a track that gained radio airplay in 2025.

Lana Del Rey contributes “First Light,” composed as the theme for the new Bond video game of the same name. Though no film adaptation is currently in development, the track features orchestral strings, trumpets, and dramatic lyrics, with Del Rey engaging playfully with the video game motif through lines such as “Dying just to know whether you’ll play your life like a game” and the repeated question “Will you play?”

Additional highlights include a collaboration between Tyla and Zara Larsson on “She Did It Again,” which has drawn comparisons to the Shakira and Rihanna duet “Can’t Remember to Forget You” due to its transcontinental pairing and flirtatious music video, and a digital reissue of Rosalía’s 2025 album LUX, titled LUX (Complete Works), which adds three previously physical-only tracks and a “Francotidora” version of “Dios es un Stalker,” including the Sicilian-language song “Focu ‘Ranni.”

The Billboard Friday Music Guide serves as a weekly curated overview of the most significant new music releases, highlighting tracks and projects expected to dominate cultural conversation and streaming platforms in the coming days.