These are all of the new releases from 2026 so far that I would highly recommend sorted by genre:

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Alternative pop

• Shhugar - Baby Nova

  • APG

• Girlfriend - Grace Ives

  • Capitol Records

• Cruel World - Holly Humberstone

  • Interscope Records

• So Much Has Changed - Maro

  • Secca Records

Explorative alternative

• Jean - Yebba

  • RCA Records

• Petal Rock Black - Willow

  • Gamma

• In Times Of Dragons - Tori Amos

  • Universal Music Group

Chill indie

• Oda - Daniela Andrade

  • Crooked Lid Records

• Death In The Business Of Whaling - Searows

  • Last Recordings On Earth

• Some Things Never Leave - Annabelle Dinda

  • Independent

• Memory Be A Blade - Waterbaby

  • Sub Pop

• Devotion - Sunday 1994

  • Arista Records

Dance pop

• Big Disgrace - Haute And Freddy

  • Atlantic Records

• My Ego Told Me To - Leigh-Anne

  • Virgin Music Group

Alt rap and hip hop

• I Am - Lexa Gates

  • Capitol Records

• To Whom This May Concern - Jill Scott

  • Blues Babe Records

Alt folk and country

• Your Picture - The Sha La Das

  • Daptone Records

• Nellene - Deloyd Elze

  • Concord Records

• Graceland Way - Mikaela Davis

  • Kill Rock Stars

Pop rock

• Squish - Gretel

  • Concord

Alt electronic pop

• Worst Girl In America - Slayyter

  • Columbia Records

Full Playlist: Best Albums of 2026

‘My Ego Told Me To’ is a collection of 15 catchy pop songs with reggae rhythms honoring her Jamaican heritage. There are also some softer pop moments, a bit of rock guitar and some electronic pop production. In some ways these different production styles add a bit of confusion to the otherwise very cohesive vision but I understand their purpose. They add variety to peak interest and serve as a soft introduction to her sound to fans of other genres. They also work as interludes throughout the collection. Her lyrics are an honest expression of female empowerment and self empowerment. She also shares love for her family and origins especially on the interlude ‘You ARE a star’ in which her grandparents share supportive words about the trajectory of her career. The final track, ‘Heaven’, concludes with her two children singing showing her strong family ties. There is also a good deal of flirty energy in her lyrics making it an uplifting expression of a largely fun and happy life.

The lack of discourse about this album is shocking. Why is she not receiving the same recognition as Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall, the other members of Little Mix, upon releasing their own solo projects?

JADE - THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! PERRIE - PERRIE

I can only assume that people didn’t press play because I could not stop listening after I heard the direction of the opening track, ‘Look into My Eyes.’ One song later I felt the direction solidify on ‘Dead and Gone’ one of the most reggae heavy songs on the album and simply one of the catchiest songs I have encountered all year. I am so excited for you to hear this album if it hasn’t graced your ears yet. If you like pop, reggae, or electronic music this one could be for you. More specifically if you’re a fan of music by Rihanna or Tyla you should definitely give this one a spin. Here are a few of my favorite songs to get you started:

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Starting with singles:

The first one you need to hear is Yellow Eyes By Yebba.

This woman is unbelievable, her crisp and agile vocal is so unique on this mellow pop song. I’ve been obsessed with her since she released Evergreen in 2017.

Luckily her sophomore album Jean, comes out March 6th.

Let’s Do It Again by The Last Dinner Party and War Child Records.

The instrumentation here is so well thought out the pacing of the track is wonderful. It has a bit of a swing energy coupled with rock and pop.

Casual Lady by flowerovlove.

This song was my introduction to this artist and I’m obsessed. Her personality comes through so clearly and I think she’s going to fill the void for more Chappell Roan music with her playful pop presence.

Okay there are more good singles but you’ll have to check the playlist for those

I want to talk about albums now because that’s what I’m most excited about this week.

First a complete and utter surprise: My Ego Told Me To by Leigh-Anne is my favorite album of the week.

She sounds SO different than she did in her girl group, Little Mix and the reggae production here is incredible. She’s really leaning into her Caribbean roots. It’s so beautiful to see her making the music she wants to. This album is so catchy I’m going to be listening to this a lot.

Petal Rock Black by Willow is also out.

I could also call this the best album of the week and for totally different reasons. Willow explores what feels like spiritual energies in her music and she isn’t afraid to make new sounds and a lot of noise. It is so fun to listen to what she creates.

Angie Angie Angie by Spill Tab is also amazing.

I’ve loved her for so long so I will be making a whole video about this album. Something really interesting I heard here was a vocal technique that gave a Billie Eilish essence to many of the songs. This album is beautiful and has something for every energy level.

U2 also dropped an EP called Days of Ash that came as a total surprise to me.

It is a commentary on the social and political unrest in the U.S. right now. Upon first listen I felt that they handled their sound and these topics really well on these 6 songs. I would definitely say they are worth checking out.

There are still more great releases from the week including Mumford and Sons, Larry June, and Lana Del Rey so go check out my playlist for the rest of the list!

1. Talkin’ bout a revolution - Tracy Chapman

To inspire the poor and working class to rise up and claim their right to equal opportunities.

2. War - Bob Marley and the Wailers

To destroy racism and guarantee equal rights for all oppressed people.

3. Where is the love - Black Eyed Peas

To remember unity and community and protest racism, terrorism, and consumerism.

4. The Times They Are A-Changing - Bob Dylan

To remind older generations to embrace societal change towards equality and acceptance.

5. Earth Song - Michael Jackson

A call for urgent environmental care and a plea to stop destruction of the planet.

6. Redemption Song - Bob Marley and the Wailers

A call to liberate the collective consciousness from oppressive systems.

7. This Is America - Childish Gambino

A wakeup call about the Black experience in America and Gun violence.

8. Freedom - Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar

A call to eliminate systemic racism and oppression and raise awareness for Black Lives Matter.

9. Which Side Are You on - Natalie Merchant

To inspire people to fight for workers rights against exploitative corporate systems.

10. HIND’S HALL - Macklemore

A reminder to stand on the right side of history and vocally protest against the genocide in Palestine.

My full playlist of songs like these “talkin bout’ a revolution” can be found here:

<3 zarasmixtapes

As we are already two weeks in to the year I already have a lot of new music to share with you. Without further ado here are the first recommendations of the year.

1. RATKING by Brimheim

For fans of Florence and the Machine and Magdalena Bay. This album was at the top of DJ Kevin Cole’s list from 2024. Simply cannot get enough of the track ‘Brand New Woman’ from this indie pop masterpiece.

2. The Big Feel by Lucky Lo

For fans of Caroline Polachek, Marina and the Diamonds and Brimheim. The lead singer has a unique tone and playful quality on this indie alternative pop album with some rock elements.

3. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan

For fans of Bob Dylan ;) I somehow have gone 25 years without taking a moment to fully appreciate this album. It took watching ‘A Complete Unknown’ to remind me of this revolutionary folk album. Timeless and required listening for all music fans.

4. Afterlife by Baby In Vain

For fans of Clairo, Wallows, Faye Webster and The Marías. This album feels like a calm summer day watching the clouds drift over. Dreamy indie pop.

If you are interested in the full list of albums I have listened to so far check out my playlist ‘An album a day 2025’ on Spotify :)

an album a day 2025

Listen to Midnights on Spotify

Personally, I have listened to Midnights more than any other Taylor Swift album since 2022. I believe it exemplifies some of Swift's strongest writing and catchiest choruses of all time. Its subtlety is its strongest feature and it only gets better with age. Swift's latest project, The Tortured Poets Department, was also primarily produced by Jack Antonoff. The 31 song album could have benefited from a few different production styles, most importantly more bass lines. I can’t help but hope that Swift will collaborate with another producer in addition to Antonoff for the re-release of her R&B pop album Reputation. Max Martin is the obvious choice as the original producer of the project but there are plenty of other options for a more hearty production style better suited to this reproduction. 

To celebrate the two years of Midnights I would love to share some of my favorite memories with the album. 

I listened to the whole album from start to finish with my best friend on the night of its release. Taylor was teasing another surprise later in the night but it was already midnight so we couldn’t imagine staying up much later. When my BFF went home we made a deal that if Taylor released any other new songs that night we would wake up and reconvene to listen to them. Three in the morning came around and all of a sudden we were woken up with seven new songs. We frantically texted each other in shock but agreed we were both too wrecked to drive across town at that hour but the three AM surprise made for such a memorable night. 

Another best friend performed all of Bejeweled to her boyfriend at the time making sure he knew that she was a damn catch. Turns out he didn’t know how lucky he was so she had to move on. She also pretended to be going through a break up when Midnights was released to be able to really feel all of the songs. This is the kind of commitment I like to see and in this case was also major foreshadowing. 

Another best friend felt her long term relationship was so beautifully represented in the song Sweet Nothing. The type of gentle and steady love that is so comforting and so seldom represented in mainstream media as it is far less interesting to outsiders than relationships filled with turmoil. Taylor really made sure that all emotions were captured on this album. 

The best friend that I stayed up with on the night of the release found her favorite song on the 3AM edition. Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve became the anthem for her reaction to the actions of her first boyfriend. It came out years after they broke up but still had a huge part in memorializing that time of her life. 

My other best friend was in the group who felt that Midnights was very repetitive upon first listen but after listening to it constantly for a week it grew on her and she got to enjoy it live at Eras Tour. 

Personally, I saw myself so deeply in two songs from this album. Midnight Rain and Mastermind spoke intensely to my state of existence in 2022 becoming the ultimate sound tracks to my year. I was so lucky to get to see both of these songs performed live at the Eras Tour with my best friends two years later. Midnight Rain still remains one of my favorite songs of all time by any artist.

There are the obvious choices such as Ariana Grande, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift. Arguable three of the most prolific artists of this generation. Something that these artists have in common are discographies with more than one album that pushes boundaries and genres, defying expectations of them as an artist. They also produce a consistent quality of lyricism, production and vocal prowess that displays an above average level of musical talent. Additionally, their own musical artistry is their primary focus and what they are most well known for. They don’t practice other art forms or careers to remotely the same degree as their own music creation. This combination is really important because these aren’t necessarily the most talented vocalists or instrumentalist of our generation but they do have a combination of factors that separate them from their peers who simply have technical ability.

There is another type of artist who I would still consider highly relevant and successful but they have taken an alternate route of combining their music career with an additional pursuit such as acting, writing, hosting, or judging. Some names I think of in this category are Selena Gomez, Jennifer Hudson, and Kelly Clarkson.

Kelly Clarkson is particularly interesting in this regard with her affinity for covering others songs. She created a segment on her talk show “The Kelly Clarkson Show” called “Kellyoke” in which she sings a cover of another artists song on each episode. This series has taken the internet by storm with people claiming that Kelly Clarkson ‘owns a song’ after she covers it due to her ability to tackle every genre with ease and show off her elegant and powerful voice. One of the most famous examples of this is her cover of Billie Eilishe’s "‘Happier Than Ever.’ If you have yet to see this clip, check it out for yourself below.

Kelly Clarkson is known for nailing every cover of every genre she has attempted, putting her own spin on it with lyric and note changes and being incredibly respectful to the original artist. This likely comes so easily to her as she got her start on American Idol (which she won) winning the hearts of viewers by flawlessly covering songs. On the other hand, her own albums are nothing to write home about. They lack the quality lyricism and boundary pushing production mentioned before and instead fall into the mediocre pop category sung by someone with an outstanding voice. She is a perfect example of how vocal talent is not enough to be highly successful long term. This is not to say she has never released a good song, I’m sure many of us can name at least a few of her greatest hits but if she simply released albums with an occasional hit she would no longer have much cultural relevancy. Instead she and her team capitalized on her bubbly and relatable personality and her untouchable voice to create the ‘Kellyoke’ segment of her talk show. Covering everyone's favorite artists and doing it better than almost anyone else overshadows her inability to write consistently strong music and creates a genius publicity strategy.

In another post I would love to dive into the artists whose careers are dependent on their stand out creative persona such as Lady Gaga, Kesha, and Katy Perry. (Speaking of which, things are not looking good for the new Katy Perry album after her first single :/ ) But more on this later.

Here is a playlist with a diverse assortment of songs from the artists mentioned in this post.

Spotify Playlist

I would love to hear who else you think falls into these categories and if you agree with who I listed.

<3 zarasmixtapes

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