Now that we’ve compiled a list of our top albums from 2025, it’s time to start planning for the upcoming year.
With bold and seductive experiments from FKA Twigs, DJ Haram, Jane Remover, and of course, Rosalía, this year has been a really good one in terms of new releases. Let’s hope the upcoming year brings more to be enthusiastic about.
The ten albums that we are most excited to listen to are the ones that are set for release in the first quarter of 2026. Additionally, we’ll be crossing our fingers for Raye, Radiohead, and Björk’s unconfirmed upcoming releases.
Dry Cleaning – Secret Love
Release date: 9 January
These days, especially following 2022’s “Stumpwork,” we’re major fans of Florence Shaw and her British post-punk outfit. “Secret Love,” their third studio album, was produced by the legendary Cate Le Bon, who is also one of our favourites. We are eager to hear what they have in store for us next, and based on the lead track “Hit My Head All Day” and the amazing album cover, which was created by Canadian artist Erica Eyres, it seems quite promising.
Sébastien Tellier – Kiss The Beast
Release date: 30 January
Sébastien Tellier, a French Touch synthpop artist, will make a comeback in January with his follow-up to 2020’s “Domesticated.” The album returns to “the format of a pop album” and explores new avenues, “from introspective French and English ballads to electro-pop groovy tracks,” according to his record label. We’re curious, particularly in light of the reports that Kid Cudi and Nile Rodgers are involved.
Lana Del Rey – Stove
Release date: TBA (end of January – hopefully)
Two names have already been changed for Lana Del Rey’s planned tenth studio album—”Lasso” and “The Right Person Will Stay”—and two release dates have been postponed. Fans closed the year without an LP, despite the fact that it was one of our most anticipated albums of 2025. I’m hoping 2026 will bring it. The artist has declared that the new work, which is now called “Stove,” will be a “classic country, American, or Southern Gothic production.” We’re expecting big things based on the already-released tracks “Bluebird” and “Henry, Come On.”
Robbie Williams – Britpop
Release date: 6 February
Given that Oasis and Pulp have both returned this year, it appears that Robbie is eager to join the Britpop comeback trend. His thirteenth album, which was originally scheduled for release in 2025, was apparently postponed in order to avoid competing with Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl.” Hopefully, the wait will be worthwhile. Nevertheless, it can’t be much worse than 2019’s “The Christmas Present,” which included some original songs and mediocre renditions of Yuletide classics, including one that famously featured boxer Tyson Fury. Up is the only option.
Charli XCX – Wuthering Heights
Release date: 13 February
With a bit of a wild card move, Charli XCX substitutes gloomy black for lime green for her first post-Brat project: a movie soundtrack. It’s for Emerald Fennell’s highly anticipated upcoming movie Wuthering Heights, which stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi and is based on Emily Brontë’s 1847 classic novel. We don’t know what’s going on with the movie itself, which has a “50 Shades of Brontë”-like appearance and a voracious appetite for zeitgeist-inducing memes. XCX’s soundtrack for the movie is far more emo than “Brat,” so hopefully it’s not as gimmicky as it seems on paper.
Bonus: Jeff Buckley – Live at Sin-é
Release date: 13 February
This isn’t exactly a 2026 release, but it’s still something to look forward to. Next year will see the full 4-vinyl box set release of Jeff Buckley’s incredible live record, which was first released as an EP in 1993. Edith Piaf’s “Je N’en Connais Pas La Fin,” Bob Dylan’s “Just Like A Woman,” Nina Simone’s “Be My Husband,” and early versions of “Mojo Pin” and “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” are all featured on this stunning and intimate live album, which was recorded at a small café in Manhattan’s East Village. An absolute must.
Peaches – No Lube So Rude
Release date: 20 February
In order to promote her new record, which is expected to be another blatant hit of bold electro-punk dance, Peaches will embark on another tour in 2026. You should be able to tell what to expect from the song titles “Fuck Your Face” and “Not In Your Mouth None Of Your Business.” The press release states that “No Lube So Rude” “exists at the intersection of the personal and the political, where the body serves as the front line in a battle for basic human rights, in addition to being a sexual and spiritual vessel.” Enrol us.
Bill Callahan – My Days of 58
Release date: 27 February
Bill Callahan, a solo artist and vocalist of Smog, will release “My Days of 58,” an album recorded with the band that accompanied him on tour in 2022, as a follow-up to his note-perfect folk album “YTI⅃A쎺,” which is among his best songs to date. Callahan has clarified that the horns will be relaxed and that the recording process was about assembling people he had on hand “instead of following a recipe.” The song has been dubbed a “living room record” (we’ll have to wait and hear what that means). Sounds good.
Gorillaz – The Mountain
Release date: 27 February
This year marked the 25th anniversary of the renowned virtual band led by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. For what was first intended to be the Blur frontman’s side project, it wasn’t too awful. Eight albums later, their latest work is another concept album that features songs in Yoruba, Hindi, Arabic, and English. This time, the cartoon misfits are set in India. With contributions from Bobby Womack, De La Soul, Idles, Yasiin Bey, Sparks, and Mark E. Smith, it also has a strong supporting cast. We are eager for the record, which Albarn called a “paradigm shift” and “very different.”
Bonus: Eels – Daisies of the Galaxy (25th anniversary reissue)
Release date: 27 March
This year marks the 25th anniversary of one of Eels’ greatest albums, and his third studio album, which includes hits like “Grace Kelly Blues,” “I Like Birds,” “It’s A Motherfucker,” and “Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues,” will be reissued on vinyl. This new edition will be a great addition to any record collection and a fantastic album to explore as we bid winter farewell. It is more sunny than earlier releases “Beautiful Freak” and the outstanding “Electro-Shock Blues.”
