25 August 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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Knoxville five-piece indie pop / rock outfit's debut album
The exuberance of this album befits the first flush of spring. Read Review
The fact they know their way around a sequencer saves this Knoxville five-piece from drowning in Jack Daniel's and Walkmen comparisons. Read Review
Royal Bangs: We Breed Champions
L’Rain fata morgana
fata morgana never quite lets its feelings settle into one shape. A song can be funny until it isn’t, intimate until it becomes abrasive, beautiful until another layer of sound threatens to swallow it whole Northern Transmissions
Closing a quadrilogy that began with her 2017 self-titled debut, L'Rain’s latest is built almost entirely from things slippery enough to avoid efforts to define them Spectrum Culture
While her arc culminates somewhat open-endedly, Cheek’s fluid inner world is always fascinating to behold No Ripcord
On fata morgana, L’Rain continues to move in a lane all her own The Skinny
Co-produced with frequent collaborators Ben Chapoteau-Katz and Andrew Lappin, along with appearances from other musicians including Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda, the album often feels dreamier and more nebulous than other L'Rain albums All Music
The experimental Brooklyn project returns with a serene and spectral new album, using an ever-shifting musical backdrop to explore themes of illusion and doubt Pitchfork
A hard album to grasp initially, fata morgana might be much, much more visionary than people will initially realise, precisely because the language to describe it is still inconceivable to many Beats Per Minute
Taja Cheek constructs sonic realms that feel both tactile and freeform, a melding that assumes the spectral character of an optical illusion Paste Magazine
Westside Cowboy It Goes On
With It Goes On, Westside Cowboy have truly arrived, and something tells me they’ll be sticking around for a while No Ripcord
Hovvdy Big World
There is still almost nothing here to actually dislike. It’s obvious thar Taylor and Martin understand each other deeply as songwriters, the record’s warmth feels genuine and could make for the perfectly pleasant soundtrack to a slow Sunday morning Clash
Brandon Flowers Thrasher
‘Thrasher’ pulls off the impressive trick of being both remarkably emotional and poignant and also heaps of fun Clash
Weezer Weezer [Gold Album]
Not all of 'Gold' shines so brightly, but when the four members sound like they’re playing for the love of making a racket it feels like bumping into an old friend Kerrang!
Spurred on by producer Kenneth Blume, Weezer get back in a room together to write rock songs that wallow, reminisce, and, very occasionally, wow Pitchfork
I’m not going to pretend that this is their best album, but it is a strong showing that will give longtime fans what they’ve been craving Sputnik Music (staff)
There’s no denying that the Weez stick to what they do best on The Gold Album, but their insistence on returning to their musical roots feels increasingly played out No Ripcord
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