A new year means new music, and I think it’s safe to say that with all the recent events, music is a very important part of who we are as a society. Whether it’s a wedding, the Super Bowl Halftime Show, or you’re just taking a walk with your headphones in, music serves as a way for us to connect with others when we can’t find the words to do so otherwise.
Now that we are all settled into 2026 and the Grammys have come and gone, artists have started making a wave of new album announcements. Harry Styles is set to make a major comeback in March with his fourth studio album, Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally. Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide is set to release in April and Charli XCX’s Wuthering Heights is coming mid-February. I wanted to reflect on some of my personal favorite albums that I think you should add to your playlists in 2026.
Death in the business of whaling – searows
This album is the newest addition to the Searows discography. The folk album came out late this past January, and I haven’t stopped listening to it since. It’s such an emotional and deep album, with the title taking its influence directly from Moby Dick by Herman Melville; it’s the perfect album to listen to if you’ve never gotten over anything ever.
Capacity – Big thief
Released in 2017, Capacity delivers such a beautiful, melancholic vibe that I find to be really calming when I want to listen to a little music in the background towards the end of my day. Adrianne Lenker, the lead vocalist and songwriter of the band, has a truly unreal voice that I really feel stands out against other indie artists, and this album really showcases that in my opinion.
Willoughby Tucker, I’ll always love you – Ethel Cain
There is truly no one who tells a story the way Ethel Cain does. This album is completely gut-wrenching as it follows Cain’s character and her journey of loving and losing her lover, Willoughby Tucker. I find this album to be perfect for the colder winter months. If you want to fully understand the story embedded in the album, I recommend listening to Cain’s first album, Preacher’s Daughter; however, if you are just here for the vibes, I promise no one can touch your soul as this album can.
Melodrama – Lorde
If you know me personally, you know that I am Lorde’s biggest fan. I’ve never heard a song by her that I didn’t enjoy, but this album really takes the cake for me. I’ve never listened to something that encapsulates the teenage girl experience quite like Lorde has in this album. I will forever be amazed by how a 20-year-old could put out something so perfect, but that being said, it makes complete sense because only a 19-year-old girl could write something like this.
nothing happens – wallows
This is the first Wallows album I ever listened to, and it made me completely fall in love with their music. This is such a dance-worthy album, and I feel like it is very nostalgic of the 2019 pre-lockdown era, which makes it one of my favorites.
brat – charli xcx
I’m sure you’re aware of the cultural phenomenon that was Charli XCX’s BRAT over the summer of 2024, but if you haven’t gotten around to listening to this album yet, I highly recommend it. I really appreciate the upbeat vibe that the album offers, while also remaining real, raw, and vulnerable.
Twenty Twenty – Djo
Many people know Joe Keery from his time in Netflix’s Stranger Things, playing Steve Harrington, and though he’s a great actor, he’s also an excellent musician. Twenty Twenty is Djo’s first studio album, released in 2019, and critics often compared it to the work of Tame Impala. The album is considered “psych-pop,” which is a genre I wouldn’t say I was familiar with before this album was released, but I certainly am now.
Stick Season (Forever) – Noah Kahan
The third version of Noah Kahan’s album Stick Season, Stick Season (Forever), adds six collaborations that were previously singles and two new collaborations that were not previously released. It also includes Kahan’s long-awaited song “Forever.” This folk album is one I had on repeat during my transition to college, and it really helped me accept that leaving my life to start a new one didn’t have to be a bad thing. Kahan and all his collaborators put so much raw emotion into this album, I can’t recommend it enough.
Noelle – Nep
This album was suggested to me by Spotify based on other albums I listen to, and I am so grateful for that. This is another album that just radiated teenage girl to me, and I find it to be so raw and relatable in a time where a lot of pop music is very deliberate. The album is a sort of love-hate tribute to her hometown of Daytona that gives it a very coming-of-age feel that I find a lot of albums lack lately.
I can’t let go – suki waterhouse
Suki Waterhouse’s debut album, I Can’t Let Go, came out in 2022 and holds a very strong Hollywood feel to it that I can’t get enough of. With influence from Lana Del Rey and Fiona Apple, Waterhouse has described the album as deeply personal, making it what I can only describe as human. There are some great danceable songs on this album, as well as some that are a bit gloomy, which is great diversity that I find I really enjoy in an album.
With all that being said, I hope I have inspired you to take some time this year to listen to these albums if you haven’t before, and if you have, I hope I encouraged you to give them another try.