Radiohead, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake: Grading the week's best (and worst) new singles

Every Friday, EW’s music staff takes a hard listen to the biggest new tracks and offers up our unfiltered opinions. Read on for reviews of new tracks by Radiohead, Alicia Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more.

Radiohead, "Burn the Witch"
In this very-real age of Big Brother, no art-rock band perfectly captures the world's collective anxiety and dread with such beauty quite like Radiohead. And on their comeback single, the guys are back with one of their most pristine songs ever, powered with little more than pizzicato strings, rumbling drums—and Yorke's aching falsetto, as ear-worm-y as anything on Top 40 radio. Interestingly, Radiohead reportedly started working on "Burn the Witch" around 2006's game-changing In Rainbows LP—yet Yorke's nightmarish tale of persecution feels more relevant than ever now. A --Kevin O'Donnell

Alicia Keys, “In Common“
Keys gives Drake a run for his money on this “Take Care”-esque comeback single, which finds the R&B superstar staring at a cell phone, navigating a relationship in serious need of a DTR: “Maybe later on I’ll text you, and maybe you’ll reply,” she sings. It’s not her most anthemic track, but if every song on her upcoming album is this sparkling, we’ll take her calls for sure.B —Nolan Feeney

Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Dark Necessities"
For their ninth studio album, the alt-rockers rebooted: they've replaced longtime producer Rick Rubin with Danger Mouse and Nigel Godrich. And The Getaway’s first single, "Dark Necessities," easily outclasses cuts from 2011's I’m With You. Bouncing pianos set the scene for Flea's funkiest bass riffs since 2006's Stadium Arcadium and singer Anthony Kiedis economically blends his zaniness ("Like ice cream for an astronaut / That's me looking for weed") with an earnest chorus. B+ --Eric Renner Brown

James Blake, "Modern Soul"
The most arresting track on the electro-R&B phenom's surprise new album proves he's a master at crafting syncopated grooves from disparate elements: "Modern Soul" rides along plucky pianos, glitchy atmospherics, and other industrial-percussion sounds. But it's Blake's high, keening croon that cuts the deepest. A stunner. A --Kevin O'Donnell

Aretha Franklin, "Purple Rain"
Beyoncé covered it. Bruce Springsteen covered it. Pink Floyd's David Gilmour covered it. But they can't hold a candle to the Queen of Soul. In the wake of Prince's untimely passing last month, Aretha Franklin delivered her version of his signature anthem "Purple Rain" during an International Jazz Day event at the White House. Franklin imbued the song with warmth, charisma, and tenderness — the only flaw was that her version clocked in at barely over a minute. (Her cover begins at the 1:14:20 mark in the video below.) B+ --Eric Renner Brown

Tegan and Sara, "U-turn"
Tegan and Sara are pros at crafting catchy jams, but “U-turn” makes that more apparent than ever: The synth-heavy second single off the upcoming Love You to the Death brings the ‘80s back with an energetic, sunny sound that doesn’t lose its fun, even during the relatively slowed-down bridge. B+ —Ariana Bacle

Mitski, "Happy"
Despite what Pharrell’s 2014 hit of the same name might tell you, happiness is often a quiet emotion — a truth that’s reflected in the restrained, calm, and, yes, happy start to Mitski’s latest. By the time a saxophone introduces the second verse though, the cheeriness is gone, and the volume is turned way up. Between the St. Vincent-esque vibes and pretty melodies, “Happy” makes a case that sometimes disappointment isn’t so bad. A- —Ariana Bacle

Local Natives, “Past Lives”
The L.A.-based indie rockers have earned a cultish, if moderately sized, following since debuting back in 2008. That should change with their latest. Thanks to swirling guitars, propulsive synths, and a stadium-sized hook, it's their most reach-for-the-rafters anthem yet. B+ —Madison Vain

Anderson .Paak, “The Season / Carry Me / The Waters” video
On his “The Waters” slash “The Season / Carry Me” double feature, Anderson .Paak brings to life the quirky cover art that adorned his excellent sophomore LP, Malibu. Across a sequence of surrealist, old-style frames, the California rapper descends into a skeleton-ridden Hell’s Kitchen, flees from a trash pile plastered with Donald Trump’s face, and glides among a weird, undulating mass of black fabric. It's bizarre aesthetic is oddly spellbinding, but too perplexing to piece together any semblance of a storyline. Maybe that's the point.B –Dana Getz

Mutual Benefit, “The Hereafter”
Like much of Mutual Benefit’s music, “The Hereafter” is quietly stunning: it couples lush, Asian-influenced strings with Jordan Lee’s sweeping falsetto. It’s the third, and perhaps best, single to come from Benefit’s forthcoming Skip A Sinking Stone, and while the track is nowhere near revelatory, Benefit has never claimed to be. Instead, “The Hereafter” settles effortlessly into Lee’s orchestral expanse, perfectly content with being a sparse, heartbreaking ballad. B+–Dana Getz

Baio, “Don’t Fight Fate”
CHVRCHES, Haim, and Tegan and Sara have masterfully employed 80s-style synths on recent records, and with “Don’t Fight Fate,” Vampire Weekend’s Chris Baio tries his best to hop on the revival. But his effort backslides through breathy vocals and an awkwardly twitchy stop-and-start beat. C-Dana Getz

Run the Jewels, "Crown" VR 360 music video
This track is the reflective break near the end of rap duo's breakneck sophomore album, Run the Jewels 2. The experimental video realizes Killer Mike and El-P's meditation of life as a guilt-ridden dealer and dedicated soldier. With director Peter Martin's work, all sides of the vignettes — from the two MCs to the recovered drug addict to the war-hungry private — are shown with a resigned emotion. And viewers can jump to any perspective they want. Like "Close Your Eyes," it's another installment in the group's striking music video catalogue. A- —Will Robinson

Kehlani, "24/7"
Kehlani's year has been marked by reports that she was hospitalized for "attempting to harm herself," and with her new single, she addresses the idea of being imperfect, even as a pop star. "It's OK to not be OK," she sings over a drowsy synth-beat. Produced by DZL, it's a blunt, honest look at acceptance, a reminder that feeling insecure is a universal emotion. She reaches for high notes, and lets her voice go raw when singing lyrics like, "I don't know nobody who thinks that they're somebody 24/7." B+--Jessica Goodman

Justin Timberlake, "Can't Stop the Feeling
After a three year absence, the pop star returns with a new song he penned for the animated movie Trolls. Fittingly, the track is G-rated, feel-good fun—"I got that sunshine in my pocket," he croons—but it also has a sweet disco-funk strut, Timbo's unmistakable falsetto (welcome back!), and bright blasts of brass that are irresistible as Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough." It's the kind of pop song that's destined for a few killer, darker remixes from a superstar DJ or two. A- --Kevin O'Donnell