26 August 2026
Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.
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Second album from the Melbourne singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist collaborating with Matt Corby and Dann Hume
7.1
A display of Tash Sultana's musical range, production and lyrical ability, and a refinement of all the things we love about their music Read Review
Their sound hasn’t evolved but simply bettered itself, and as per usual, finds its way around an extensive (and slightly absurd) range of instruments Read Review
If you thought it not possible for the psychedelic-alt rocker to produce a record more chilled out than the releases that have preceded it then you will be pleasantly surprised with this hypnotic catalogue of sound on Terra Firma Read Review
If this album could stand a bit of editing to make it more concise, it leaves no doubt they have the talent and vision to be an artist who is going to be around for a while, and it's fascinating to imagine where they can go next. Terra Firma shows where they are now is already pretty impressive Read Review
The flow of the album makes it feel effortless, and not as if it was crafted periodically and with every detail mapped out. And as Sultana welcomes us into their very own Garden of Eden and we absorb further into the grooves, their honed craft is revealed Read Review
Extraodinary performer lacks that on-stage wow factor Read Review
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Alabama Shakes I Must Be Dreaming
The idea of a third Alabama Shakes album briefly felt like fantasy; I Must Be Dreaming works so well because it squares up to reality. Print edition only Mojo
The founding trio of vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell still have their old wily chemistry as they assemble thorny grooves from anything within reach. Print edition only Uncut
The trio’s long-awaited comeback is a paean to domestic bliss and a lament for Trump’s America, though it works better as the former NME
From musicianship to introspection, immersive production to well-timed political critiques, I Must Be Dreaming is the long-awaited Alabama Shakes follow-up fans have been dreaming of Exclaim
The Afghan Whigs Soft Control
Anyone expecting an aging band to recapture the intense majesty of their youth will be disappointed, but if you’re looking for leather-jacketed slow soul, Soft Control will fill that role well Spectrum Culture
Julia Holter Materia
Julia Holter finds a dizzying array of new ideas from the bones of a track first included on 2024's Something in the Room She Moves The Quietus
Brandon Flowers Thrasher
Brandon Flowers’ melodies are largely airy, ebullient, even life-affirming. Articulating the troubles we face, he also, and perhaps ultimately, pays homage to our resilience PopMatters
The Durutti Column Renascent
The Durutti Column’s Renascent is a superb snapshot of their late period, with sounds and textures creating gorgeous soundscape PopMatters
The seven-track companion to 2024’s Something in the Room She Moves blends new songs with reshaped versions of previously released material to offer a new glimpse at the L.A. musician’s creative process Pitchfork
Dinosaur Jr There Near
While it ticks all the boxes with undeniable proficiency, there are virtually zero surprises. Print edition only Record Collector
Shows no sign that the band's demons - or their better angels - are thinking about clocking off, each of these songs a spectacular unspooling of tensions, a high velocity triangulation between J Mascis, Lou Barlow and drummer Murph. Print edition only Mojo
It might be the very best of that excellent 21st-century run, fighting it out with 2009's Farm for bragging rights at the top of the Dino tree. Print edition only Uncut
Mike D 5D Thank You
Delivered vocally in a manner that borders on a stream of consciousness, it’s almost as if he has his eyes rolled back in his skull, lost in the memories, overwhelmed by feeling. As the song fades to silence, the tears of grief have finally given way to a smile. It’s a masterstroke from an unretired MC Kerrang!
Diamond has nothing to prove nowadays, which helps explain why this minor late-career coda mostly feels like a fun hobby project, good natured but lightweight. Print edition only Uncut
The pace slackens in the final third, but at its best - as on True Colors, in which a psych-soaked guitar solo is poured over clattering Dyke & The Blazers-style drums- Thank You effortlessly hauls you along. Print edition only Record Collector
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Rosalía Lux
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Spiritbox Tsunami Sea
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Hayley Williams Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways