29 January 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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Third studio album from the Washington DC R&B singer-songwriter
Eighth full-length release from the Liverpool indie rock band features a guest appearance by P.P. Arnold
Second album of indie folk from the Portland, Oregon singer-songwriter Alec Duckart
Debut album from the London-based indie rock band led by siblings Mathew and Issey Cartlidge
Sixth full-length album from the Oklahoma country artist features 25 tracks. An acoustic 24-track version was released three days later
Debut full-length release from Chilli Jesson's music project produced by Fontaines D.C.'s Carlos O’Connell
Third album from the Doncaster-born One Direction member working with producers Joseph Cross, Nicolas Rebscher and Mathias Wang
Sventeenth and final full-length studio release from the Los Angeles thrash metal band
Second extended play from the Manchester indie rock quartet who won Glastonbury's Emerging Talent Competition in 2025
Sixteenth studio album from the Grammy award-winning Americana legend working with producers Tom Overby and Ray Kennedy
Fourth studio album from the New York rapper featurubg guest appearances from Jon Batiste, BossMan Dlow, Gorillaz, Jessica Pratt, Thundercat, Tyler, The Creator and will.i.am
Third full-length release from the Jericho, New York pop singer-songwriter
Album number thirteen from the Stoke-born pop icon featuring guest appearances from Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi and Jesse & Joy
Debut full-length collaboration between the ambient musician Barwick and harpist Lattimore co-produced by Trevor Spencer
The ninth full-length release from the Nashville-based indie-folk singer-songwriter co-produced with Jerry Bernhardt
Second full-length release from Bill Schalda and his sons Paul, Will and Carmine produced by Thomas Brenneck
Debut full-length solo album from Let's Eat Grandma's Jenny Hollingworth
Album number thirteen from the Nottingham-based post-punk duo Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn
Ninth album of indie rock from the Jarman brothers is their first in five years produced by Patrick Wimberly (Solange, MGMT, Caroline Polachek)
Third album from the South Lodon post-punk quartet produced by Cate Le Bon recorded at Black Box Studios in the Loire Valley, France
Ari Lennox Vacancy
Neo-soul elegance and late-night vibes define the R&B star’s most inviting record to date NME
Lennox’s music often nods to the past, but her new album feels more in tune with the zeitgeist Slant Magazine
The singer’s first album for Interscope is honey-sweet, grown-up R&B that’s looking for a little something missing Pitchfork
Lennox balances jazz-soaked tradition with flashes of unruly humour and a surefire viral hit The Guardian
Jenny on Holiday Quicksand Heart
Feels more like a steady progression than a revolutionary rebrand No Ripcord
Megadeth Megadeth
Megadeth's self-titled swan song is weighted down by its own sense of importance No Ripcord
The Cribs Selling A Vibe
They're truly at their best when their tuneful choruses come paired with a raw, stripped-down treatment No Ripcord
Westside Cowboy So Much Country ‘Till We Get There
Island imprint Adventure Recordings appears to be giving Westside Cowboy a hefty push, and the early signs are that they have the chops to make the most of it No Ripcord
Cast Yeah Yeah Yeah
This is Cast sounding comfortable, confident, and settled. The songs are strong, the production is polished without being overworked, and the band sound like they know exactly who they are at this stage XS Noize
With as many albums in this century as in the last, ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ finds Cast building on the momentum of the previous two years with both confidence and quality. Refusing to trade solely on nostalgia, it’s a beefed-up version of their best selves. Long may their positivity last Clash
The Liverpudlians’ eighth album is the sound of a band determined to prove they’re more than a Britpop legacy act musicOMH
Power's voice is improving with age, especially confident and commanding on the closing, psych-baroque "Birds Heading South". Print edition only NME
The excellent PP Arnold featuring lead single Poison Vine is a good indicator of the move towards a very Stones-y type of uplifting soulful rock and blues; the swelling gospel rock of Don't Look Away is the most stirring thing they've done yet. Print edition only Record Collector
Instead of going out with a nuclear bang, Megadeth serves lean sides that won’t clog the final tour’s setlists Beats Per Minute
Louis Tomlinson How Did I Get Here?
The songs on the former One Direction member’s over-referential, sometimes uneven third album don’t shrink down for anyone, and he sells his disappointment and anxiety with nuance, refusing to bemoan his own celebrity Paste Magazine
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"With shades of Jeff and Tim Buckley, the Galway-born artist writes tunes so strong they seem as familiar as old friends" (10/10 - The Guardian). "The sound is entirely his" (8/10 - DIY)
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