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24 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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New

Westside CowboyIt Goes On

"What an undeniable rock inferno this band has unleashed, where even the quiet parts will swallow or split you" (10/10 - Paste). "A debut that proves to be more than worth the hype" (10/10 - Rolling Stone UK)

New

LambchopPunching The Clown

"Lambchop's 17th album is a thing of spine-tingling hymnal beauty" (9/10 - Uncut). "Its bold confidence to be unapologetically hymnal in the chaotic year of 2026 is fresh and commendable" 8/10 - Far Out)

New

Brandon FlowersThrasher

"Even a couple of bafflingly misguided social commentary songs can’t detract from the joys of Flowers’ classically full-throated commitment to the Nashville bit" (8/10 - The Guardian)

Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

Laura VeirsTemple Songs

"Recorded produced and performed entirely on her own, this gorgeously crafted album serves as a soothing balm in turbulent times" (8/10 - musicOMH).

Charli XCXMusic, Fashion, Film

"How do you follow up the album that made you a star – and a caricature? In classic Charli style: with a pivot to guitar and a meta masterpiece about the instability of identity" (10/10 - The Guardian

Yard ActYou're Gonna Need A Little Music

"A deliberate retreat from their role as commentators; here, their medium has become the music" (10/10 - NME)

mary in the junkyardRole Model Hermit

"A magnificent feat in angry, sad and fantastical folk-rock" (10/10 - The Skinny). The complex instrumental layerings and weaving storylines will entrance you (8/10 - Clash)

Vince StaplesCry Baby

"An urgent manifesto against American injustice and complacency" (9.1/10 - Consequence of Sound). "The Long Beach lyricist delivers his most passionately political release to date" (8/20 - NME)

Boards of CanadaInferno

"The elusive Scottish electronic duo return after over a decade away with an immersive, multi-dimensional album that is both evocative and ambitious" (10/10 - musicOMH)

PopMatters : recent releases

The ADM rating is a weighted average from our survey of more than 50 sources , taking into account the number of reviews

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9.0
ADM Rating

Lambchop

Punching The Clown

Latest release from Kurt Wagner's Nashville alt country outfit featuring a contribution from Justin Vernon and produced by Gayngs founder Ryan Olson

Added: 20/08/2026
9.0

Nia Archives

Emotional Junglist

Second full-length studio release from the Bradford-born jungle producer and DJ featuring guest appearances from Sampha and Jorja Smith

Added: 28/07/2026
8.0

Jungle

Sunshine

Fifth album of modern soul from the London-based collective led by electronic producers Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland

Added: 17/08/2026
8.0

Arca

XXXXX

Ninth studio album form the Barcelona-based, Venezuelan electronic producer

Added: 11/08/2026
8.0

Shearwater

The New World

Latest release from Jonathan Meiburg's Austin indie/psych rock band featuring contributions from Leo Abrahams, Laurie Anderson, Mamadou Kouyate, Moctar Kouyate and Doug Wieselman

Added: 30/07/2026
8.0

Charli XCX

Music, Fashion, Film

The latest album from the English electro pop star featuring contributions from A. G. Cook, David Cronenberg and Finn Keane

Added: 27/07/2026
7.0

The Mountain Goats

Days

Album number twenty-four from the lo-fi indie folk band led by John Darnielle

Added: 12/08/2026
7.0

Shaboozey

The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales

Fourth Studio album from the Country / hip-hop artist featuring contributions from Leon Bridges, Sam Elliott, Jamie Foxx, Gunna, Kehlani, Orville Peck and Teyana Taylor

Added: 05/08/2026
7.0

Shania Twain

Little Miss Twain

Seventh album from the Canadian singer-songwriter produced by Zach Dawes and featuring collaborations with Tanya Tucker, Josh Homme and The War and Treaty

Added: 03/08/2026
7.0

Tricky

Different When It’s Silent

Fifteenth studio album from the English trip hop artist featurung guest appearances by Marta, Radana, Run Red and Mitch Sandersfrom

Added: 27/07/2026
6.0

The Strokes

Reality Awaits

Seventh album and first in six years from the New York indie rock band produced by Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Eminem, Kanye West)

Added: 05/08/2026

Latest Reviews

The Afghan Whigs Soft Control

Soft Control would be a great place to dig in if you’re new to the Afghan Whigs, but it is also another rewarding collection for devotees PopMatters

The Afghan Whigs Soft Control

For those concerned that they’ve lost their guitar-driven swagger, fear not, as Soft Control features some of the band’s most fiery and uplifting material that fuelled classics like 1965 and Gentlemen No Ripcord

The Afghan Whigs Soft Control

The brooding "Duvateen" builds to an epic finale that's testament to a band who've only got better with age. Print edition only Mojo

More reviews

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Fresh stuff

Massive Champion by Getdown Services

"A ridiculous triumph" (9/10 - DIY). "The buzzy Minehead-via-Bristol party-starters shake off the 'joke band' label and face up to doubt on nuanced album number two" (8/10 - NME)

JungleSunshine
"Over a decade and still churning out albums like this. Jungle seem completely incapable of putting a foot wrong at this point" (10/10 - Far Out). "A summer smasher" (8/10 - Record Collector)

James Ellis FordLost In Another World
"Whether made in a hospital bed, a million-dollar studio or an abandoned warehouse, ‘Lost In Another World’ is raw, rare and radiant — regardless of the world one is lost in" (8/10 - Clash)

ShearwaterThe New World
"Fans and newcomers alike will be entranced by the beauty of Jonathan Meiburg and co's stately creation – assisted by an astonishing supporting cast" (9/10 - musicOMH)

The Durutti ColumnRenascent
"Now a keen point of reference for lone bedroom listeners and stadium-fillers alike, Vini Reilly begins a new, starlit chapter" (9/10 - musicOMH)

Ariana Grandepetal
"petal may have stemmed from a place of unfiltered rage, but the end result is a gorgeous bloom" (9/10 - Sputnik). "Rage is all over the pop superstar’s eighth LP, Petal — and it suits her " (8/10 - Rolling Stone)

The StrokesReality Awaits
"Allying the crackpot strangeness of Julian Casablancas’ side projects with his band’s gift for pop minimalism, the New Yorkers are on playful, joyous form" (8/10 - The Guardian)

Robyn HitchcockThe Confuser
"Hitchcock is still at the peak of his powers, nearly sixty years on from The Soft Boys. ‘The Confuser’ is a testament to that, with each song bemusing and mystifying in their own unique way" (8/10 - Clash)

Nia ArchivesEmotional Junglist
"Another powerful work from an artist who continually pushes jungle into new territory" (8/10 - All Music). "An album that breaks through the ceiling of her potential" (9/10 - DIY)

All-time top 10

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.

See full list