26 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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Third studio album from the Athens, Alabama soul rock quartet and first since 2015 produced with Shawn Everett (Kacey Musgraves, The War on Drugs, The Killers)
NEW The founding trio of vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell still have their old wily chemistry as they assemble thorny grooves from anything within reach. Print edition only
NEW The idea of a third Alabama Shakes album briefly felt like fantasy; I Must Be Dreaming works so well because it squares up to reality. Print edition only
NEW From musicianship to introspection, immersive production to well-timed political critiques, I Must Be Dreaming is the long-awaited Alabama Shakes follow-up fans have been dreaming of Read Review
NEW The trio’s long-awaited comeback is a paean to domestic bliss and a lament for Trump’s America, though it works better as the former Read Review
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Alabama Shakes I Must Be Dreaming
The idea of a third Alabama Shakes album briefly felt like fantasy; I Must Be Dreaming works so well because it squares up to reality. Print edition only Mojo
The founding trio of vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell still have their old wily chemistry as they assemble thorny grooves from anything within reach. Print edition only Uncut
The trio’s long-awaited comeback is a paean to domestic bliss and a lament for Trump’s America, though it works better as the former NME
From musicianship to introspection, immersive production to well-timed political critiques, I Must Be Dreaming is the long-awaited Alabama Shakes follow-up fans have been dreaming of Exclaim
The Afghan Whigs Soft Control
Anyone expecting an aging band to recapture the intense majesty of their youth will be disappointed, but if you’re looking for leather-jacketed slow soul, Soft Control will fill that role well Spectrum Culture
Julia Holter Materia
Julia Holter finds a dizzying array of new ideas from the bones of a track first included on 2024's Something in the Room She Moves The Quietus
Brandon Flowers Thrasher
Brandon Flowers’ melodies are largely airy, ebullient, even life-affirming. Articulating the troubles we face, he also, and perhaps ultimately, pays homage to our resilience PopMatters
The Durutti Column Renascent
The Durutti Column’s Renascent is a superb snapshot of their late period, with sounds and textures creating gorgeous soundscape PopMatters
The seven-track companion to 2024’s Something in the Room She Moves blends new songs with reshaped versions of previously released material to offer a new glimpse at the L.A. musician’s creative process Pitchfork
Dinosaur Jr There Near
While it ticks all the boxes with undeniable proficiency, there are virtually zero surprises. Print edition only Record Collector
Shows no sign that the band's demons - or their better angels - are thinking about clocking off, each of these songs a spectacular unspooling of tensions, a high velocity triangulation between J Mascis, Lou Barlow and drummer Murph. Print edition only Mojo
It might be the very best of that excellent 21st-century run, fighting it out with 2009's Farm for bragging rights at the top of the Dino tree. Print edition only Uncut
Mike D 5D Thank You
Delivered vocally in a manner that borders on a stream of consciousness, it’s almost as if he has his eyes rolled back in his skull, lost in the memories, overwhelmed by feeling. As the song fades to silence, the tears of grief have finally given way to a smile. It’s a masterstroke from an unretired MC Kerrang!
Diamond has nothing to prove nowadays, which helps explain why this minor late-career coda mostly feels like a fun hobby project, good natured but lightweight. Print edition only Uncut
The pace slackens in the final third, but at its best - as on True Colors, in which a psych-soaked guitar solo is poured over clattering Dyke & The Blazers-style drums- Thank You effortlessly hauls you along. Print edition only Record Collector
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