5 February 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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Fifth album of rap and pop from the Trinidad-born MC from Queens, New York with guest appearances from J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Tate Kobang, Drake, Lourdiz, Lil Uzi Vert, Skillibeng, Skeng and Future
6.6
While similarities to her 2010 original may run only name-deep, this sample-heavy – and sometimes emotional – material certainly holds its own Read Review
Refusing to be hemmed in, it’s a record of real ambition, an example mirroring fan-pleasing tendencies with actual artistic growth Read Review
Stepping away from Barbie-Girl pop towards her strengths as a rapper, this is the sound of a more mature artist in fierce command of her talent Read Review
The sound of Nicki Minaj cracking her knuckles and getting her hands dirty again. It’s the purest distillation of her uniquely feminine bravado Read Review
Pink Friday 2 is a long album, and it’s going to get longer Read Review
Thirteen years after her landmark album Pink Friday, the pop-rap superstar aims to conjure and build on that moment with an ambitious 22-song statement that is a very mixed bag Read Review
The pop-rap phenomenon is back with her first album in five years Read Review
While some moments of interpolation are more inspired, the musician’s increasing reliance on recognisable samples can start to feel like cruise control Read Review
Unlike its predecessor, the album doesn’t leave much of an impression. Read Review
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Sébastien Tellier Kiss The Beast
He has come up with another pop subversion that works on every level Beats Per Minute
Mandy, Indiana URGH
URGH exists in its own lane, moving steadily, unconcerned with who’s alongside it or who’s fallen behind. There is no climax. The music simply stops dead, like someone cut the power mid-thought God Is In The TV
The second album from the noise-rock band doubles down on their abrasive assault The Skinny
The Manchester noise rock band take their sound to thrilling new places on an exploratory second album Rolling Stone UK
‘URGH’ sees Mandy, Indiana once again defy any pigeonholing DIY
Ratboys Singin' To An Empty Chair
At a time when country-tinged indie rock is by no means in short supply in America - Wednesday, Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman all spring to mind - Ratboys have earned their seat at the top table DIY
Ari Lennox Vacancy
Vacancy serves as a testament to Ari Lennox’s skill while simultaneously exposing the pitfalls of the modern R&B assembly line Spectrum Culture
Joyce Manor I Used to Go to This Bar
In a scant 19 minutes, I Used to Go to This Bar taps into the allure and the danger of living in the past, as well as the runaway joy and fear of living in the present Spectrum Culture
Comfortably the most accomplished and self-assured Ratboys album to date Exclaim
With the hooks, heart, and heaviness packed into Singin’ To An Empty Chair’s 50 mins, their time could well be now The Line Of Best Fit
The album frames intimacy as a risk worth taking regardless of the outcome Slant Magazine
Ratboys have definitively made one of 2026's first brilliant albums. Print edition only Record Collector
Lucinda Williams World's Gone Wrong
The ten tracks on Lucinda Williams’ World Gone Wrong are heavy. This ain’t no party record. There’s too much pain going around in the world PopMatters
Cast Yeah Yeah Yeah
Judging by Yeah Yeah Yeah, it seems Cast’s vinyl collection consists solely of Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, and The White Album PopMatters
Not all of Kiss the Beast's risks pay off, but by letting his creativity run wild, Tellier defies the expectations of anyone who thinks they know his music inside and out All Music
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