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
Album no. 4 is a heavy one for the Atlanta, Georgia indie rockers
6.5
A band that have found their sound, are comfortable in their skin, and improving rapidly Read Review
Despite its flaws, Simple Math went Top 30 in the US. The infinitely superior Cope might expand their reach further. Print edition only
Though they’re still mining the same vein they have for a decade, they’re still churning out gems too Read Review
More than just the sound of a band getting by; it's the sound of Manchester Orchestra at their best Read Review
Cope is all about the brutal force of dirty, meaty guitars, and lots of them Read Review
The songs are fast and short; the energy throughout the album is infectious and continuous Read Review
Sustained power and little in the way of variety can make for quick fatigue, but at just 38 minutes long ‘Cope’ has hooks and energy to spare Read Review
Has the feel of a band playing it safe on their first self-recorded, self-produced album Read Review
The best part of Hull’s songwriting is still present: the razor-sharp lyrical hooks that can be sung over and over again Read Review
This album sets lyrics about shaky adulthood to meat-and-potatoes guitar rock (think MMJ via Foo Fighters Read Review
Manchester’s Orchestra’s success highlights an ability to create heavy rock moments that don’t drag their audience down Read Review
Plaintive emo vocals, grungy riffs and Pixies-style stop-start dynamics, all put together deftly and embellished by punchy, bright production Read Review
It's becoming pretty clear that the genre in which Manchester Orchestra resides has more untapped potential than the band itself Read Review
With this album and previous album Simple Math, the band has completely abandoned their delicate, softer arrangements and gone in a direction that doesn’t really set them apart anymore Read Review
Exhilarating if unrelenting. Print edition only
Roll over video for more options
Manchester Orchestra: Cope
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