23 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
12th album of melancholic pop / folk from Canadian singer-sonwriter
6.6
The Canadian's struggles reflect in the darker moods and pithy lyrics that underpin an otherwise uplifting collection of twangy guitars and lovely pianos Read Review
Surfeit of classy, comforting songs. Print edition only
Every bit as superb as its predecessors. It's what's come to be expected, given Sexsmith's standards Read Review
Enough rich, fertile and well-crafted pop songs here that will, in an ideal world, win Sexsmith a host of new admirers Read Review
Few modern soft-rock troubadours are capable of something as catchy and touching as “Michael And His Dad,” Read Review
Some may find the record a little too lush Read Review
His gentle, simple melodies make for pleasant, unobtrusive listening Read Review
Expertly constructed, sunny-sounding but dark songs. Print edition only
This music has a nice shiny surface. That may be enough for some people. But most people’s tastes run deeper and darker Read Review
Brilliant songs; but they simply remind us of too many who got there first Read Review
Sexsmith sounds more polished and commercially viable than he ever has Read Review
Sexsmith is a talent who shouldn’t be resting on his laurels. It’s time to start exploring that dark side, Ron Read Review
Sexsmith is happiest when whispering soft-centred romance, and songs Heavenly, Miracles and the model ballad Love Shines fit that bill well Read Review
While the album’s polished and pristine, it also feels dated and somewhat lacklustre, any true inspiration placed on hold Read Review
Ron Sexsmith: Long Player Late Bloomer
Ladytron Paradises
Ladytron have produced an album that, from its inception, sought to invoke the same spirit that the band had 25 years ago Far Out
Gorillaz The Mountain
The strongest case in years that Gorillaz can still make records that matter as records Dork
Kim Gordon Play Me
'Play me' doesn’t try to comfort. It tries to provoke, energise and outlast the scroll Dork
The Orielles Only You Left
These songs come from months of demo-hoarding and forensic listening, the band archiving every practice-room spark before lovingly picking through the results Dork
James Blake Trying Times
Blake sounds energised by the room he has carved out for himself Dork
Harry Styles Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.
This isn’t an album built like a straight line from hook to hook. It moves in waves, often favouring texture and atmosphere over immediate release Dork
Underscores U
It’s technical excellence as a musical product cannot be overstated. For a pop album to be this busy yet possess a pocket as deep and rich as underscores displays here is simply amazing Sputnik Music (staff)
Indie rock icon Kim Gordon acerbically wrestles with the state of the world over hip-hop and industrial beats on Play Me PopMatters
The former electro-pop enfant terrible swings big on her latest album, compressing all her split personalities and eclectic tastes into a high-gloss, high-stakes gamble to remake pop on her own terms Pitchfork
On U, she finds a clearly-defined, rounded-out identity in her music for the first time, and she delivers the most immediate and the most robust work of her career The Line Of Best Fit
Performing, writing and producing everything herself, April Grey pares back her hyperpop electronics for an LP in thrall to 90s pop-R&B, with songs that big stars would die for The Guardian
April Harper Grey’s latest hits all the beats of a classic pop record — a choreo-primed single, a power ballad, a post-breakup closure anthem — without overstaying its welcome Paste Magazine
A tour-de-force of production chops that cements April Harper Grey as a key auteur in the future of the genre NME
Alexis Taylor Paris In The Spring
Paris in the Spring is a gem of a record which, while never over-reaching its ambition, sparkles with electronic ingenuity as it takes in all seasons of human experience Spectrum Culture
It's a beautiful collection of genre-hopping songs. Print edition only Uncut
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