25 March 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.
Browse specific styles
Eighth studio album from the New Orleans-born rapper released while in jail in Rikers Island
6.8
He is so prolific he sometimes spreads himself a lil' thinly. Not here Read Review
Lil Wayne is pop's most reliable deliverer of unadulterated fun. He's also the greatest rapper alive Read Review
His languid, nasal style nods to his southern roots and the massive productions of the highlights Right Above It and What's Wrong With Them make the man who calls himself Weezy sound like the hip-hop grandee he's fast becoming Read Review
Weezy dominates every track and the end result is a lot stronger than Tha Carter III Read Review
Print edition only
The Lil Wayne who could make masterpieces out of autobiography...seems to be on temporary retirement Read Review
An interim album while he prepares to work on 'Tha Carter IV'. Print edition only
Wayne has already done better versions of almost every song on I Am Not a Human Being Read Review
Serves as a potent reminder that Wayne is still capable of both greatness and awfulness Read Review
Acts as a reminder to people that despite being behind bars he’s still here, not necessarily at the top of his game, but definitely present Read Review
Human Being is a primer for his planned post-prison album Read Review
The best tracks are those which pair Wayne with his protegé Drake, especially the single Right Above It Read Review
Though this is a flawed and scattershot project, Wayne remains an artist who makes music like a pâtissier--his songs are frivolous, delicious, and meant to be relished for just a moment Read Review
An average record that delivers and fails to do so simultaneously, while serving as a reminder that Lil Wayne is dedicated to his continued improvement as a premier MC Read Review
This is a fun record, but Lil Wayne at his peak was a world-beater. It would feel great to welcome that version of Wayne home again Read Review
This isn’t a terrible album, it’s simply a weak one; especially considering the heights Lil Wayne is capable of reaching Read Review
Roll over video for more options
Lil Wayne: I Am Not a Human Being
Fcukers Ö
Nothing about the album asks permission: it wants a dancefloor, a crowd and a slightly irresponsible amount of volume Dork
A swift album that’ll prove difficult to grow tired of DIY
Altogether, Ö feels like candy: addictive, sweet, glossy; the ultimate sugar rush. While it remains to be seen if there's a crash coming, Fcukers are undeniably the life of the party Exclaim
For a band sold as New York's next great party-starters, much of the debut album from Fcukers feels oddly undercooked The Skinny
It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it’s exactly what’s needed heading into summer. Fcukers know what they do best, and they are at the top of their game. Who’s ready to keep up with them? The Line Of Best Fit
Robyn Sexistential
After 2018’s meditative Honey, the Swedish star returns to her trademark skin-tingling electro bangers – but this time she’s unpicking her trademark fixation on romantic love The Guardian
Underscores U
This is a proper pop album, not in spite of its oddness, but because of it Dork
James Blake Trying Times
It’s not Blake’s most immediate album, and probably not his most consistent. But it might be one of his most honest, not because it says more, but because it leaves more unsaid Beats Per Minute
The Twilight Sad It's The Long Goodbye
Six albums in, they’ve delivered something that feels both intensely personal and completely universal. It’s The Long Goodbye doesn’t try to dress anything up or soften the edges. It sits with the reality of loss and lets it unfold in its own time XS Noize
The Black Crowes A Pound of Feathers
Chris and Rich Robinson didn’t twiddle their thumbs when putting together this bubbling cauldron of rock, blues, soul and funk – A Pound Of Feathers was done and dusted in just 10 days, and benefits from both discipline and spontaneity Record Collector
The essence of what has driven Robyn’s 30-plus year career DIY
Questioning everything about love, life and sex, Robyn takes us on a joyride that’s both serious and silly NME
BTS ARIRANG
After nearly four years, the world-conquering boyband are back, bringing with them new reflections on life and shining light on more facets of their cultural heritage NME
In so clearly seeking to recapture a certain kind of early-millennial energy in its production and songwriting, Sexistential perhaps forfeits the potential to be its own thing in a way that Honey indisputably was Exclaim
With the shackles of the majors thrown off, Trying Times seems like the most fun Blake has had in a while Spectrum Culture
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