NYC veterans Interpol provide new and exciting moments and ideas on their eighth studio album, This Mirror Weighs a Ton, without shying too far away from their signature, meat and potatoes sound. Listeners wanting a newer reinvention or outlook from the band will have to wait on a future release. Partisan - 2026 Very few bands have the credibility that Interpol have. An institution that originally started nearly thirty years ago, NYC's very own Interpol have and still co

Yard Act still feel like they have plenty to prove on their third album, where the decision to record live in the studio together for the first time results in a livelier, more raw release. Island - 2026 Yard Act are a band from Leeds who came out of the late 2010's post punk movement in the UK. I've covered the scene many, many times over the years and have covered Yard Act before. The group stands out in particular with frontman James Smith's narrative, rambling vocals

Reality Awaits, the new seventh album from The Strokes, is ugly, garish, and appalling. It's a truly bad album that doesn't deserve your time or energy. RCA - 2026 The Strokes. You know them. I know them. We all know them. The classic New York indie rock band came out of the 2000's with a vengeance and a resilience that very few bands could even think to muster. 2001's Is This It and 2004's Room on Fire are timeless, certified classics, both having cemented the band as o

SML's chemistry and playing throughout are absolutely phenomenal and mesmerizing. Spontaneous Music Live is one of the most essential albums of the year. International Anthem - 2026 SML is a group of jazz instrumentalists who have each stood out in their own right within the Chicago experimental and avant-garde jazz scene. Meaning "Small Medium Large," SML features Anna Butterss on bass, Jeremiah Chiu on synths, Josh Johnson on sax, Booker Stardrum on drums, and Gregory

My New Band Believe, the debut solo project from black midi's Cameron Picton, is packed with folksy, experimental and psychedelic wonder. It's dramatic, fiery, and gorgeous. Rough Trade - 2026 There was no other band like black midi. The UK trio combined elements of prog, noise, jazz, and post punk into a whipped up frenzy throughout three excellent studio albums. In 2024, the group went on infinite hiatus, resulting in the trio going their separate ways. Drummer Morgan S

Croz Boyce, the new project from Animal Collective members Avey Tare and Geologist, goes back into the nature-focused psychedelia and acoustic work of their past. The album's immersive, rich, heightened sound will keep you wanting to come back for more and more. Domino - 2026 Animal Collective are always flourishing inside and outside of their group, whether it's coming from the band or from a combination of the members themselves. The psychedelic, experimental Baltimore

Baltimore's Horse Lords return with new vocals, effects, and instruments on Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive!, an album where the group's risk taking pays off in thrilling ways. RVNG Intl - 2026 Baltimore natives Horse Lords have a knack for rhythm, groove, and experimentation. They collaborate on a deep, tightly knit level to where their performances are so detailed and complex, they sound like they're coming from a well oiled machine. The quartet initially peaked my

YouTuber and musician Gabi Belle's debut album City Girl is a joyful homage to the city pop genre. It has a bubbly, colorful vibrancy that's fun and charming to listen to, despite its technical shortcomings. Gabi Belle - 2026 The YouTuber to musician pipeline has been well documented at this point, so I won't give you a history lesson here... but there's a new album that caught my attention from the likes of YouTuber, commentator, singer, and musician Gabi Belle. Belle h

Event Beat sounds like the Toronto group are still doing their sound justice after all these years, full of trippy, heavy, electro laced dance rock with a huge emphasis on groove. Satellite Stories - 2026 Holy Fuck! That's not just what I would shout out loud directly at the gods if I accidentally stubbed my toe. No, it's also the name of the Toronto based band consisting of Brian Borcherdt, Graham Walsh, Matt "Punchy" McQuaid, and Matt Schulz. Holy Fuck have been around

The debut, self-titled album from Setting is both remarkable and entrancing, where play and free flowing collaboration is key between the trio. Thrill Jockey - 2026 Setting are a band based out of the North Carolina / Piedmont area, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Jaime Fennelly, Nathan Bowles, and Joe Westerlund. Setting are also a supergroup of sorts, consisting of members who have been in groups like Califone, Mind Over Mirrors, Sylvan Esso, and Pelt to name a fe

The explosive, wacky, and mysterious duo known as Angine de Poitrine are back with a second album. Capitalizing on their recent successes, Vol. II is a bubbly, thrilling collection of complex musicianship, absurdities, and playfulness. Angine de Poitrine - 2026 Who would've guessed that two anonymous Canadian musicians with painted polka dots all over their bodies and papier-mâché masks would amass a cult following in 2026? Not me, exactly, but the mysterious duo known a

Creature of Habit is an excellent, playful, energetic return for Courtney Barnett. It highlights what makes her one of indie rock's standout artists and singer songwriters, resulting in her best album since her debut. Mom+Pop - 2026 Melbourne's very own Courtney Barnett has been kicking it with her direct approached indie rock for over a decade now. Believe it or not, but it's been eleven years since her debut studio album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just

Experimental comedian Eric André's new BLARF album delves into imaginary film scores ranging from elegant sci-fi epics to coked out Tchaikovsky. It's exactly what we need in 2026. Stones Throw - 2026 Eric André, the comedian, musician, and wacky prankster, cannot be pinned down. You may have seen his antics from his long running show on Adult Swim, The Eric André Show, his pranking on the Jackass inspired film Bad Trip, or his standup. What you may not know about André a

Flea's first ever solo album fully embraces his love for jazz and for his first choice of instrument, being the trumpet. He's greeted by an all star lineup of jazz musicians and guests, including both covers and originals. Nonesuch - 2026 Flea, one of the most iconic bassists and musicians over the past few decades, is returning to the instrument he loved first: the trumpet. Growing up listening to jazz music with his family and being idolized by famous trumpeters like D

Gorillaz travel to India with The Mountain, their ninth studio album. It's a transportive, immersive experience that excites and surprises, making it their best release in over fifteen years. Kong - 2026 Gorillaz, the virtual project of Blur's Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, took to India for their new album, The Mountain. Before the making of their ninth studio album, the duo each lost their fathers and were looking for enlightenment and a way to grieve their los

Fifteen years later, Manchester's WU LYF return with a second album. A Wave That Will Never Break is anthemic, triumphant, moving, and one of the year's best releases. WU LYF - 2026 "World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation" is what the acronym of the Manchester-based musical group, WU LYF, translates to. Pronounced "woo life," WU LYF magically appeared and dissipated both within a short span of time. Initially formed in 2008, the band seemed to appear out of nowhere years l

On Play Me, Kim Gordon's third solo album and collaboration with Justin Raisen, Gordon's bold direction with hip hop beats, sample heavy instrumentation and industrial noise is pushed even further and has become even more solidified. Matador - 2026 Kim Gordon is one of the most celebrated and notable guitar shredders, poets, and fashion icons to come out of the 1980's and 1990's with her major contributions to Sonic Youth. Since Sonic Youth's disbandment in 2011, Gordon

The Tuareg group's new tenth album, Hoggar, continues to be a delightful collaborative effort that highlights what makes the Tinariwen still so great and essential. Guest contributors include Sweden's José Gonzalez and Sudan's Sulafa Elyes, among others. Wedge - 2026 The musical collective known as Tinariwen originated from parts of Mali and Algeria almost fifty years ago and are still cranking out fantastic records to this day. They first started releasing studio albums

20 years later, Nate Ruess and Sam Means reignite The Format with Boycott Heaven . The songs are punchy, larger than life, and instantly fun. Vanity Label - 2026 The Format are a duo consisting of multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Sam Means and Nate Ruess. They initially started in the early 2000's, making power pop and indie rock music with sharp aims towards the strife and unfairness within music industry, hence The Format's name and their first single, titled "Th

On his fourth studio album, the electronica and dance tropes that Harry Styles pulls from come off as both watered down and dull, lacking punch or vibrancy. Columbia - 2026 Harry Styles, the British singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and fashion icon, has been quite the intriguing figure in pop music over the past decade. Ever since he decided to go solo due to the boy band One Direction's demise, he's been by far the most talented and successful one of the group