We’re only three months into the year, and already things are looking pretty decent. In case you’ve been too busy with midterms, work-study or YouTube Shorts to listen to the first set of releases from 2026, I will act as your humble guide and recommend you only the best of the best from this year.
This isn’t Pitchfork. This is completely unqualified rambling.
“Icon”
In a nice sort-of-Valentine’s-Day release that dropped Feb. 13, Brent Faiyaz is in love and serious about it this time. With no more complicated relationships, no hate in Faiyaz’s heart and no features, this Brent album definitely lacks some of the key components of his last projects. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
This is a relatively surprising release from Faiyaz. He seems to be taking a different path from his earlier cynical works like “Larger than Life” and “Wasteland.” Instead, we’ve been given something closer to his debut album from almost ten years ago, “Sonder Son.”
If you’re a long-time fan of Faiyaz, you’ll love it. And if you’re a long-time hater of Faiyaz, you might still love it. I highly recommend “Icon” if you’re trying to be a more yearning, wistful guy this year. It’s definitely my favorite album from 2026 so far.
Must-listen tracks are “have to.”, “other side.” and “pure fantasy.”
“Nothing’s About to Happen to Me”
Released Feb. 27, the eighth studio album from Mitski did in fact live up to the hype and secured its place as my favorite project of hers from this decade.
To be totally honest, “Laurel Hell” and “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We” were not my favorites when they were released, and they took me a few listens to get into. But right off the bat, you can tell that there’s something special here.
As someone who has been a Mitski fan and complete dork since middle school, I feel a sense of unwarranted authority when talking about her, and I can say with confidence that this is a good ass Mitski album.
In an 11-track album, she’s got about 11 different genres she’s trying to tackle, and she is doing it pretty well. Even if “Dead Women” isn’t your favorite song, “Charon’s Obol” might be. I’m a sucker for a pedal steel.
Like the Mitski albums of old, we were fortunate enough to get her gut-wrenching lyrics and her spiraling crashouts. It’s definitely something to help you reopen the old wounds that your ex-situationship left you. God, I miss her.
Tracks to look out for include “I’ll Change For You,” “Cats” and “In a Lake.”
“Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge”
I know. A niche pick for a twenty-year-old college girl. But what can I say, I’m just that good. Released on Jan. 2, “Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge” is another top-to-bottom calming hit from Grammy-winning artist Van Morrison. Blues rock might not be your go-to genre (or maybe it is, and you’re just chill like that). Still, I think this is worth a listen, even if you’re just trying to lock in and study or walk around campus.
Morrison has had well over 40 studio albums at this point, exploring plenty of different genres like soul, jazz, rock and folk, but with features from Elvin Bishop and Taj Mahal, he’s definitely leaning into the blues here. And many of the songs are covers from legends like B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Fats Domino and Willie Dixon.
It would be a bit untrue to say that the content in this is completely new, but when something works, it works. It makes for an easy listen, or an album to shake things up if you’re looking for that.
Recommended tracks are “King For A Day Blues,” “Madame Butterfly Blues” and “You’re The One.”
What do we have to look forward to?
With confirmed albums coming up from American Football and Slayyyter and possibly something from Malcolm Todd, we still have a long way to go until the end of 2026. But don’t worry, I’ll be back in a few months to tell you how good “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA” is. If I make it that far.
