First Listen: New Releases for 20 March 2026
Album: U
Quick Thoughts: I remember reading some piece last year about how the hyperpop moment had passed, and I don't know if that's true or not. I do know, however, that underscores didn't get the memo and has provided us with a fully evolved version of it with this album. "The Peace" sets the tone at the outright, and "Do It" could be a radio hit if the stars aligned a certain way. Especially given that BTS is likely to take up a lot of the pop space in the next couple months, it's worth giving this a listen for that reason alone.
Songs of Note: "The Peace," "Music," "Lovefield," "Innuendo (I Get U)," "Do It"
Album: No Need to Be Lonely
Quick Thoughts: Augusta Koch, lead singer of Gladie and former lead singer of Cayetana, has quietly become one of the best indie frontwomen in the United States due to her delivery and her lyrical stylings. The Jeff Rosenstock-produced third album of this band is likely to broaden their appeal that much more, and for good reason. There's not a miss on this record, and songs like "Brace Yourself" and "Fix Her" flex some musical muscles that most bands never quite reach, and we're all the better for it. One of indie's best kept secrets just put out one of the best albums of the first quarter of this year, make sure you give it some time.
Songs of Note: "Brace Yourself," "Fix Her," "Lucky for Another," "I Will If You Will," "Unfolding"
Album: Path of Totality
Quick Thoughts: I'm a sucker for a well-produced, roots-tinged folk record. It doesn't hurt that The Montvales remind me a lot of the Wolff Sisters, but what strikes me the most about this particular record is that the melodies are outright infectious and so many of these songs just stuck in my head and wouldn't let go - don't miss "Funeral Singer," in particular, which nails a number of themes perfectly. It's a great album in a week of great albums, but you really shouldn't skip this one if you have any affinity for rootsy albums.
Songs of Note: "Hellbent on Colorado," "Loud and Clear," "The Wicked," "Plains of Ohio," "Runaway Horse," "Funeral Singer"
Album: sentence structure in the country
Quick Thoughts: I've always been drawn to ambient and ambient-adjacet music, and I tripped up on More Eaze due to her collaborations with claire rousay, but what's striking about this in particular record is how it feels as much like a twitchy ambient mix as it does a deconstruction of many of the sounds and concepts it plays with. Between the cut-up, autotuned vocals, the harsh strings, the broken-up band instruments? This is an album with songs that reveal something a little different every time you hear it. If Eno-style minimalism is more your scene, this might be too busy for you, but for me, this is perfect. It's weird and it's wonderful.
Songs of Note: "crunch the numbers," "biters," "sentence structure in the country," "move"
Album: Tirakat (Habibi Funk 034)
Quick Thoughts: Wanted to make sure I highlighted this delightful, cross-cultural genre mashup. One of the more enjoyable listens of the week, it feels like the soundtrack to a 1970s foreign film in all the best ways. "Ombak, Ombak" in particular is a highlight, so check it all out.
Songs of Note: "Abaday," "A Ladder on the Balcony," "Ombak, Ombak," "Pekojan Funk"
Of Note:
* Mega Fauna - softmore (Solid indie folk.)
* Green-House - Hinterlands (If you like ambient instrumentals, this is worth your time.)
* Black Beach - Mail Thief
* The Lasso - Tears of Sound / Midnight Choppers
* Bikini Mutants - Let's Mutate
* Medicina - Las formas de ondas
* Solitary Dancer - SDIII
* Avalon Emerson and The Charm - Written Into Changes
* Sean Thomas Gerard - Stay in Your Light
* Otracami - Runoff
* Joshua Burnside - It's Not Going to be Okay
* Sure Sure - Soft Landing
* Ringing - Another Cycle in the Cosmic Wash
* JVK - Pop Culture Affair
* Challem - Dyade
* Ellie O'Neill - Time of Fallow
* Xylotol - Blumenfantasie
* Ladytron - Paradises
* Brendan Moeller - Shadow Language
* Inara George - Songs of Douglass and Littell
* Isa Gordon - 8men
* Masahiro Takahashi - In Another
* Colleen - Libres antes del final
* Planet of Souls - Lumiere
* Suitor - Saw You Out With the Weeds
* The Poor Luckies - Wrongway
* Girl Scout - Brink
EPs:
* Cigarettes for Breakfast - Colour Wheel
* Model/Actriz - Swan Songs
* Dropkick Murphys and Haywire 617 - New England Forever
* Dylan Brady - Needle Guy
* Madame Gandhi with Gender Amplified - Love Letters from Brooklyn
* Sloe Noon - Principles in the Way of Progress
* mclusky - i sure am getting sick of this bowling alley
* Mizery - Mizery
* Samara Cyn - Detour
* ZENA - TEMESGEN
Live Albums / Compilations / Reissues:
* The Dandy Warhols - Pin-Ups (Collection of cover songs from over the years.)
* Asian Glow - 01101100 01101001 01110110 01100101
* Alessia Cara - Love or Lack Thereof
Also Out:
* BTS - ARIRANG
