22 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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Second album of jangly indie pop from the Sheffield quartet
6.6
Not a second on these 33 watertight minutes are wasted. Print edition only
If you have a passing interest in placing your arms in upwardly turned right angles and doing the invisible hoola hoop, this album will pay furious dividends. Surely there can be no higher praise? Read Review
The Crookes have managed to create a homogenous and varied album that might have fit better into the 60s but is nonetheless utterly listenable with its characteristically retro feel, abundance of jangly guitars and soaring vocals Read Review
The Crookes are rare in that they’re neither pretentious nor cynical. They’re using old-school approaches to write high calibre pop with unquestionable flair Read Review
They’re all decent, but the songs lack a bit of depth until the Buckley-ish ‘Sal Paradise’ lands Read Review
Toe-tappers, one might call them, if they could be relied upon to twitch one’s extremities. But so familiar do the songs feel, even on a first listen, that digits only comply half the time Read Review
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The Crookes: Hold Fast
Courtney Marie Andrews Valentine
The singer-songwriter’s ninth album is an earnest, aching set carried by dazzling vocal performances and rich, chamber-folk production Pitchfork
A$AP Rocky Don't Be Dumb
While the relatively strong finish suggests he’s not a spent force, it is ultimately insufficient for me to recommend Don’t Be Dumb as a whole album. Rescue the highlights and move on No Ripcord
He sounds comfortable in his skin and aware of where he stands culturally The Arts Desk
Rocky’s long-delayed fourth album is uneven and overstuffed, but its flashes of menace, glamour, and genuine weirdness prove he’s not just a fashion relic Paste Magazine
Now a father of three and burgeoning actor, Rocky finally comes back to music with his strongest album since his 2013 debut – though there’s plenty of flab The Guardian
Don’t Be Dumb isn’t quite the cultural leap Rocky was hoping to make, but it is a step in the right direction. He’s still that pretty motherfucker — but to have a lasting legacy in hip-hop, he needs to be more Consequence Of Sound
Rocky’s fourth album is flawed but sharp, and contains enough moments of ingenuity to argue that he’s still an essential part of the rap ecosystem Pitchfork
Don’t Be Dumb is an album about presence. It doesn’t shy away from Rocky’s past, nor does it pretend he’s finished glancing sideways into the future. It’s a return and in an era where many rappers chase reinvention or retreat into nostalgia, that alone feels like its own kind of statement Beats Per Minute
With rap sliding away from the Billboard charts, it’s crucial, headline-making releases like this that keep the sound prominent, while still sneaking in underground ideas – once more, A$AP Rocky is one of the best out there Clash
Madison Beer Locket
The singer’s third album flits between dark siren synth-pop, ‘90’s r&b slow jams, and crunchy 8-bit glitches. It’s her strongest, most focused work yet — and also her most fun Paste Magazine
Locket is a slow-and-steady evolution of Madison Beer’s best features. It’s a highly satisfying, seductive, heartbreaking, heartbroken pop opus PopMatters
An icon-in-waiting no more, she’s ready for her moment on ‘Locket’ Rolling Stone
The US pop singer navigates the trauma of early fame and the pain of a recent breakup on this sultry, bold third album The Independent
The album captures an artist in the act of creative expansion, moving decisively beyond the expected. Intrinsically Madison, the album asserts a clear sense of authorship, grounding her identity in confidence and purpose Clash
Robbie Williams Britpop
Robbie Williams is finally channelling his love of Oasis into his music with this enjoyably superficial tribute album The Irish Times
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