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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Debut full-length effort of dark and strange pop from the California singer-songwriter
6.2
If 2011 doesn’t belong to Sea of Bees, something will have gone very wrong indeed Read Review
Print edition only
Possessed with a voice that squeaks incomprehensibly like a low-budget Kate Bush. Print edition only
Succeeds through Baezinger's singing and storytelling Read Review
The control of the arrangements and the withholding of her voice’s upper range that makes Sea of Bees an intriguing prospect Read Review
A heart-warming, heartbreaking introduction Read Review
Her efforts to ensure that each song is sincerely crafted culminate in an honest and likeable first album Read Review
Wears her heart on her sleeve; her lyrics are infused with romance and cover more bases than one Read Review
Country-folk with indie leanings. Print edition only
With overdubbed vocals and multiple aqueous, shifting instrumental layers, the more intricate textures of bands like Sigur Ros are brought to mind Read Review
A fine introduction to an artist who will definitely be sticking around for a while longer Read Review
Her lyrics read like a teenage diary, solipsistic and sometimes startling in their innocence Read Review
Her voice will initially turn heads, she has the Kate Bush wail and range, her intonation is quirky – and she knows when to slur and when to sing the words. Read Review
Everything here threatens to launch into the stratosphere, but fails to get as far as the tree tops Read Review
Agreeable enough and nicely produced but not nearly as involving as it ought to be Read Review
Surprisingly one dimensional Read Review
A similar mix of emotional openness and affinity for the natural world as Laura Veirs, with something of Veirs's inquistive approach to musical textures, too Read Review
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Sea of Bees: Songs for the Ravens
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
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