The Best Albums of 2026 So Far
We scoured the planet to find some of the best albums of 2026. As usual, our gaze is cast across many different styles, but some our very favorites mash-up genres.
Music
Features, reviews, interviews, and lists about music, covering the latest as well historical topics.
Dead Pioneers Seek to Unite and Fight on ‘Wagon Burner’
The performance-art punks Dead Pioneers create protest music that unites and inspires, just in time for the United States’ birthday.
Olivia Rodrigo Survives a Cruel Endeavor
Pivoting from the 2000s-inspired sound of her first two albums, Olivia Rodrigo’s third record uses 1980s synths to reckon with heartbreak.
Khun Narin Take to the Studio for Stunning ‘III’
While all of Khun Narin’s records have been masterpieces, III is their best shot at mass exposure. If there’s any justice in the music industry, it might just pay off.
Jacob Ungerleider Steps Out of the Shadows with Stunning Album
For someone who spent so long playing on other people’s records, Jacob Ungerleider is supremely confident and utterly charming, yet refreshingly relatable.
Electrosoul’s 2ŁØT Joins Guests for 2 Groovy New Songs
2ŁØT excel at guest collaborations, adding exceptional variety to their forward-looking music, while celebrating the deep richness of Black American music.
Jesse Malin’s Memoir Is the Tale of an Extraordinary Everyman
Jesse Malin’s adventures through NYC take Almost Grown‘s readers through hallowed music landmarks where he is found rubbing shoulders with legends with almost comic frequency.
CFCF on His Turn from Ambient Artist to Sleaze-Pop Superstar
Call it the Reverse Eno: beloved ambient-chill guy CFCF finds glam-pop success, but refuses to sell out his emotions along the way.
Low Cut Connie Provides a Soundtrack to the Struggle
Low Cut Connie’s Adam Weiner is angry, energetic and eloquent. So is his music. These Livin in the USA songs resist and inspire.
Ibrahim Maalouf Radiates Joy on ‘Trumpets of Michel-Ange Vol. 2’
Trumpets of Michel-Ange Vol. 2 finds Ibrahim Maalouf reaching out to a global family of fellow artists and lifting sounds of life and culture in Lebanon and beyond.
BottleRock 2026 Turns Napa Valley into a Musical Paradise
The annual Memorial Day weekend festival BottleRock Napa Valley triumphs again, with arguably the most diverse lineup of any major festival in America.
Paul McCartney Explores Childhood Memories in Sound
Paul McCartney’s newest EP, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, uses sound to vividly paint ordinary moments, both real and imagined, into memorable stories
