For eleven years, I've used the Fourth of July weekend as my annual opportunity to share my favorite music of the year so far and while I'm a little late for this edition, it's not because we've been hit with a drought of new music options. In fact, it's been quite the opposite. I've listened to over 100 new releases (including some live albums, EPs, and reissues) in 2026 and narrowing down the best has proven to be a real challenge. If an album isn't on the list below, that's not because I necessarily didn't enjoy it, but because I had to cut things off somewhere. I usually look at this list as a working rough draft for my final year-end list in December, but also try to include some albums that I think may be overlooked elsewhere. Regardless, I hope you'll find something new to enjoy!
01 JOSHUA IDEHEN | I know you're hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try
Splicing spoken-word poetry with deluxe IDM beats, this album hit out of nowhere and has become a force to be reckoned with over the past few months. Moments of total elation are balanced with thought-provoking rhymes that call you back for repeated listens that always presents something new.
02 OVVEN | Gnawing at the Cord
Fuzzed-out guitars and some of the year's best double-entendre lyrics might have you playing things back a second time to make sure you really caught what Owen Burton is saying in these bountiful, full-blown American tracks, perfect for long drives with the windows down.
03 BOARDS OF CANADA | Inferno
Returning thirteen years after their last record and the duo known as Boards of Canada have made one of this finest works to date. The IDM pioneers dive further into dystopian vibes with their eerie, analogue production still the ace up their sleeve.
04 OLIVIA RODRIGO | you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love
Olivia Rodrigo's third album may not contain bangers like her first two records, but this time around she doesn't need those anthems. Rodrigo, instead, uses this release to make some of her biggest, boldest, and most mature statements of her career on her most cohesive LP yet.
05 LOUKEMAN | sd-3
On his third release in a trilogy, Loukeman finds his groove with glitch-pop and folktronica elements popping up all over his sprawling and engaging album of quirky blips and steady beats. The album is a journey, weaving through joyful rhythms and blossoming melodies that make for an all around pleasing experience from the moment you hit play.
06 AVALON EMERSON & THE CHARM | Written into Changes
Since making a pivot to dream-pop and bright, shoegaze textures, Avalon Emerson (now backed by the Charm) has made wistfully delightful tunes that swirl with wistful pastel hues that make for infectious gems of pure pop pleasure that are ready to carry you across a dance floor.
07 ICEAGE | For Love of Grace and the Hereafter
Watching Iceage evolve from a bold and bruising post-punk band with hardcore tendencies to a steamy cow-bunk group inflicted with twang has been one of the most rewarding track records in indie rock over the past two decades. Their latest record continues to find the band upping their swagger for more revved-up anthems that pack the heat and let loose.
08 GREG MENDEZ | Beauty Land
As a solo, singer-songwriter playing an acoustic guitar, it's probably easy to cast Greg Mendez as just another copycat singer of a favored '90s icon, but his intimate and introspective lyrics over these carefully crafted pop tunes should make him an immediate favorite for anyone who has ever loved heartbreaking or vulnerable music.
09 WIDOWSPEAK | Roses
Widowspeak emerged in Brooklyn with a sound that already felt fully formed, their dusky dream-pop tunes hitting with some weathered folk, but as time has passed, they've somehow found new ways to elevate their lovely, distinct sound. It's hard to believe that Roses could perhaps be their best album in an already rich discography.
10 RATBOYS | Singin' to An Empty Chair
As this year's entry in the alt-country punk rock category, Ratboys have found their footing on Singin' to an Empty Chair, an album that feels primed for the big leagues with its massive hooks, instantly enjoyable choruses and some pretty sweet sing a long moments mixed with ragged guitar work.
(11-30 in alphabetical order)
ANTHONY CALONICO | Spacious Heart
APRIL + VISTA | Traditional Noise
APPLEBLIM | Neolithic Neon
BILL ORCUTT | Music in Continuous Motion
BILL ORCUTT | Music in Continuous Motion
BOSSE-DE-NAGE | Hidden Fires Burn Hottest
DAUGHN GIBSON | Lake Mary not mysterious
DOUBLE GEOGRAPHY | Bad Landscape
GREGORY UHLMANN | Extra Stars
JANA HORN | Jana Horn
JUMP SOURCE | Fold
KIM GORDON | Play Me
THE MESSTHETICS / JAMES BRANDON LEWIS | Deface the Currency
MOMOKO GILL | Momoko
ROBYN | Sexistential
SETTING | Setting
THE THINKING OF THE WORLD BEGAN POUNDING IN OUR EARS THE MOMENT WE HIT SHORE | The Thinking of the World Began Pounding In Our Ears the Moment We Hit Shore
TRUCK VIOLENCE | The weathervane is my body
THE THINKING OF THE WORLD BEGAN POUNDING IN OUR EARS THE MOMENT WE HIT SHORE | The Thinking of the World Began Pounding In Our Ears the Moment We Hit Shore
TRUCK VIOLENCE | The weathervane is my body
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