25 September 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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Solo album from TV On The Radio guitarist and producer David Sitek with contributions from David Byrne and Karen O
7.4
Maximum Balloon’s hip-shaking revolution is an unequivocal success Read Review
The list of guest singers is a perfect snapshot of his well-connected self-contained world. Print edition only
By no means a perfect album, but there are some fantastic performances to be found Read Review
A charming diversion that bodes well for Dear Science's follow-up. Print edition only
Maximum Balloon really about a great producer/songwriter exhibiting his considerable talents free from the pressure and expectation of his day job Read Review
The nerd in the background is the real star Read Review
As instant gratification goes, it's pretty perfect Read Review
The Karen O-starring "Communion" picks up where It’s Blitz! left off, using one of her most restrained, lovely vocals (it could be the third part of a "Maps"/"Hysteric" trilogy) Read Review
Recruiting pals Karen O and David Byrne to sing over synthed-up disco-rock that's brighter and bouncier than his main band's anxious throb Read Review
Never feels anything other than a TV On The Radio album with a few guest vocals. No bad thing, but it’s nothing earth-shaking either Read Review
This is music boffin one-upmanship, perhaps, [and] that stops Maximum Balloon being a truly great record Read Review
Dave Sitek adds schwing to his smeared synths and swarming guitars Read Review
These snappy songs burst out the speakers with force and vitality Read Review
Not your typical TVOTR tour de force. But it doesn’t aspire to be. What it simply seeks is to make your ass shake Read Review
Bright, colourful, carefree and neon - quite a leap for someone whose day-job band has been describes as 'post millennial' and 'dystopic urban jams'. Read Review
An album of songs that sound like leftovers from the Dear Science sessions. Print edition only
A fine, fidgety edge to a quirky dancefloor soundtrack Read Review
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Maximum Balloon: Maximum Balloon
Blondshell Violins
This is an artist widening her frame without losing her bite. It’s confident, a little wistful, and often loud in all the right places Northern Transmissions
On her third album, Sabrina Teitelbaum fights to strike a balance between savage beauty and jagged home truths NME
Everything great about Blondshell is present on ‘Violins’, but it feels sharper, more adventurous and more assured then ever before Clash
LA alt-rock singer Blondshell trades plain-speaking lyricism for something more abstract, while Irish rock band Gurriers cut through the noise with their ambitious second album The Independent
While trying to find and assert herself, the song has her imagining walking down the aisle to Beethoven's Für Elise, even though no one, including her, would pick it as a wedding song All Music
An often-delicate inward vision that pairs frustration with beauty DIY
It's in her ability to take the everyday experience and turn it into an epic noise that Violins finds its sweet spot The Line Of Best Fit
It would be unfair to call Violins Blondshell’s finest work to date, given the strength of her previous albums. What’s clear, though, is that it’s every bit as good as what came before Under The Radar
Protomartyr Hotel Usona
The album is more eerie in tone than its predecessors, like a distant alarm sounding, trying to amplify the sounds we cannot hear Northern Transmissions
It’s a bleak listen, sure, but Protomartyr haven’t ever been the comforting types. In fact, they’ve chosen the perfect time to double down on their righteous anger and despair, and if everything were to come to a catastrophic end right now, you’ve got the perfect soundtrack for it Far Out
For newcomers, it's a perfectly moody entry point. Hotel Usona is the sound of a band settling into their own skin, creating a space that's uniquely theirs and generously sharing the key Exclaim
From singer Joe Casey’s handmade album artwork to drummer Alex Leonard’s impish, kinetic inversions of classic post-punk rhythm, the Detroit band crafts an austere, unflinching record as bleak as it is cathartic Paste Magazine
This is not a hotel you'd want to stay at any time soon, but it's a remarkable record to spend time with. Print edition only Uncut
Under dim hotel lights, Casey’s lyricism appears foreboding and alien in a way it never has before The Line Of Best Fit
Ezra Collective Here Because of Hope
Arguably the biggest jazz band in the country return with an album that shows off both their exuberant and more reflective sides musicOMH
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