12 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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Fourth solo album from the Houston rapper featuring guest appearances from Bon Iver, Sampha, Drake, Playboi Carti, Beyoncé, 21 Savage, the Weeknd, Yung Lean, Young Thug, James Blake, Kid Cudi, Bad Bunny, Future and SZA
6.2
UTOPIA sees Scott stay true to his style, his preferences, and his principles, going against the grain of the tendencies in the viral-hungry world that is 2023 ra Read Review
Lead single ‘K-POP’ remains a titanic moment, but its immediacy is perhaps a misnomer on a record dominated by misdirection, about-turns, and sudden revelations Read Review
The album operates less as a cohesive body of work and more as a series of show-stopping set pieces Read Review
The Houston rapper's first album since 2018 teases a brave new sonic world, but has little to say about what might happen if we get there Read Review
In an attempt to give the world a true blockbuster rap album, the Houston rapper delivers a shiny, empty spectacle loaded with pop superstars who rarely make an impact Read Review
The reality is that while Scott is a masterful curator, he’s just an OK rapper. Those two realities are discordant for too many moments on Utopia Read Review
Returning with a long-awaited fourth album in the wake of the Astroworld disaster, Scott’s rhyming isn’t strong enough to distinguish him from his A-list guests Read Review
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Overmono Pure Devotion
Dance music for the body and the soul Dork
Man/Woman/Chainsaw Cannonball
Each track brings something different, making the album feel varied without losing its identity Northern Transmissions
Ariana Grande petal
Petal doesn’t suggest an artist running out of ideas; it suggests one reluctant to trust them Northern Transmissions
FLO Therapy At The Club
On album two, it’s fair to say, FLO have found their flow state XS Noize
The Strokes Reality Awaits
Competent rather than captivating, it is a respectable addition to the catalogue, but one that is unlikely to rank alongside the band’s finest work XS Noize
'Oh my God, I'm fucking sweating' in flat London tones rings out, and adds so much character The Arts Desk
With Man/Woman/Chainsaw you get the sense that anything could happen next, from any one of their six members, in any style or genre. Rev that chainsaw up and cut a swath in the music landscape God Is In The TV
Phoebe Bridgers Lost Weekend
The beloved singer and songwriter reemerges into the spotlight with an ambitious album that finds her exploring new ground to exhilarating effect Rolling Stone UK
Shaboozey The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales
Some might say Shaboozey's 10-gallon hat is half empty. Really, it's half full Exclaim
Two years after his breakout hit, the country star returns with an ambitious concept album whose strongest moments place him in a deeper conversation with his genre Pitchfork
An ambitious concept, combining storytelling with a country/hip-hop blend PopMatters
The country hitmaker takes a major swing with his new Wild West concept album, and mostly connects Rolling Stone
On his conceptual fourth album, the country-fusion star is weather-worn and tougher than before NME
Beneath the Hollywood narrators, Pink Floyd-y interludes and accompanying comic books lies songwriting that proves the Tipsy singer’s breakout success was no fluke The Guardian
Nia Archives Emotional Junglist
Few artists can convey the pain of going through it with such rawness as Nia Archives does in Emotional Junglist No Ripcord
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