26 May 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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Fifth album from the Seattle grunge act, and second following the death of singer Layne Staley in 2002
6.9
This is the Alice in Chains we know and love, and grunge is certainly not dead Read Review
The bitter melodies are as dirty as ever Read Review
Brooding, doomy riffs usher in soaring two-part harmonies which reiterate that, against some odds, Cantrell has found a worthy foil in co-vocalist William DuVall Read Review
Alice in Chains have returned to the top of their game, confident and back on firm ground Read Review
A rock solid record that sees Alice In Chains settling in the confines of their own style Read Review
They may never recapture their ‘Dirt’-era majesty, but AiC’s second act is turning out very nicely indeed Read Review
There’s no comeback, lineup reconfiguration, or memorial to be found here, only reminders of why an album from this band will always be welcomed Read Review
The album is solid; in fact, there’s something very reassuring that Alice In Chains’ second act is nearly as vital as its first Read Review
There's an indomitability about their mix of Sabbath vintage and 1990s Seattle scowl, but there are also water-treading workouts Read Review
Alice in Chains are now firmly entrenched in their middle age and settling into what they do best Read Review
Sabbath-indebted sludge rockers' return continues. Print edition only
Nothing sounds new, and yet it has no parallel in the old Alice catalog, because they were just so much weirder than we remember Read Review
Dinosaurs is a testament to how 90s alt-rock angst can translate meaningfully to middle age Read Review
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Alice in Chains: The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Ed O’Brien Blue Morpho
‘Blue Morpho’ offers a reminder that, as he and his other bandmates have repeatedly proved, O’Brien boasts a wholly-uninhibited approach to how rock and pop music is arranged, resulting in works that move and grow like the building blocks of life itself Clash
Kevin Morby Little Wide Open
Represents a musical homecoming for Morby to the Americana that is central to much of his work No Ripcord
Lykke Li The Afterparty
On a purportedly final album, the Swedish electro-pop singer’s disenchantment takes shape around sparkling synth and light-touch disco beats Pitchfork
Paul McCartney The Boys of Dungeon Lane
A richly nostalgic trip that proves this legend is still as creative as ever Rolling Stone
Tori Amos In Times Of Dragons
Her vocals have rarely sounded better. A husky tone has slowly emerged, giving her a Patti Smith croon to her words of scorn. Anyone who has followed Amos’ career to date will relish this addition to her cannon. It might, hopefully, attract new fans too Under The Radar
Full of wonder, full of creativity, and possibility, fully realized and here for our delight. Like the album as a whole this is a truly excellent piece. It features lyrics full of thankfulness as we “feel the grace in all of life, thank you for this time.” What a great note to end a special album on Under The Radar
The Coral 388
By the time the rocksteady sway of “Spirit Catcher” and the effortless pop beauty of “Crossing The Sands” close the album, The Coral seem firmly back in the swing of creating music again. Hiatus done and dusted XS Noize
Every choppy guitar line and snaking Hammond or Farfisa lick form hooks in their own right The Arts Desk
By reconnecting with their past, The Coral have found the essence of who they are now - and it's pretty magical Mojo
It's an utter delight, an album that touches on all those influences [rocksteady, doo wop, soul, ska and 2-Tone] but still sounds like nothing but The Coral. Print edition only Record Collector
It’s a lucky number thirteen for fans – The Coral remain a band to cherish Clash
Despite an unorthodox release pattern that harks back to an era before streaming, the Wirral outfit's 13th album is one of their most accessibl musicOMH
Broken Social Scene Remember The Humans
While Remember the Humans aims to recapture something of vintage Broken Social Scene, the key aspects of their old sound simply can’t be reproduced by this version of the band Spectrum Culture
The singer/songwriter makes a valiant pivot into rock, though he lacks the backbone, grit and conviction to make it work Spectrum Culture
The guitarist’s second solo outing – but first under his actual name – offers mindfulness via a widescreen prog-folk trip NME
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