First Listen: New Releases for 24 April and 1 May 2026
Album: Romanticize the Dive
Quick Thoughts: A band like Metric, who rose during the 2000s indie era and are as loved for their own sound as they are for their adjacency to Broken Social Scene, is in some ways an institution as much as a band. They've been continually good-to-great for decades now, and Romanticize the Dive definitely reads as an album of a band doing their best versions of themselves. Production / instrumentation is very reminiscent of Fantasies for me, which is probably my favorite Metric record and why I like this album so much. "Victim of Luck" is a new classic, "Loyal" a soaring anthemic earworm, and the album is basically no skips. It would be worth your time in a busy week, but it's a great listen for a slow early spring release calendar too.
Songs of Note: "Victim of Luck," "Time is a Bomb," "Tremolo," "Loyal," "Antigravity," "Clouds to Break"
Album: Fear of God
Quick Thoughts: Penelope Scott is unique in ways a lot of artists aren't these days. A very Gen-Z aesthetic with a theatrical flair, she makes me think a lot of Dresden Dolls circa "Coin-Operated Boy" era. I find her to be truly compelling and songs like "Y2KBaby" are biting while still catchy, while "See You In Hell" borrows as much from hyperpop as it does a old-school caberet. This won't be for everyone, but it's definitely something I loved. Give it a listen.
Songs of Note: "Y2Kbaby," "Loser," "See You in Hell," "Dance Like Nobody's Watching"
Album: Small Achievements
Quick Thoughts: Ruby Fields is in a very congested musical lane, but the polished, often-rocking approach she takes with Small Achievements is anything but. There's a lot to love here, and the way she effortlessly jumps from musical idea to musical idea sets her apart. Definitely give this some time.
Songs of Note: "92 Purebred," "Stay," "Firepile," "Muscle"
Album: Middle of Nowhere
Quick Thoughts: While I fully get that Kacey Musgraves has "country music for people who don't like country music" on lock, I still think she's great. She's been on fire since Golden Hour, but this one is something a little more special for me. Between her unmatched ability to draw out an obvious metaphor and her quiet, yet arresting, approach, everything here works. Loved this album, loved nearly every song on it. A great listen.
Songs of Note: "Abilene," "Horses and Divorces," "Dry Spell," "I Believe in Ghosts," "Uncertain, TX," "Rhinestoned"
Album: Liar's Chair
Quick Thoughts: While Micah and the Mirrors aren't reinventing alt rock, this fairly straightforward approach really works well for them and I found myself thinking about this album long after I finished my first listen. "Liar's Chair" has all the hallmarks of a alt-radio winner, and songs like "After I Die" could grab a lot of those indie folk bands. Give this one a spin.
Songs of Note: "Liar's Chair," "You'll See," "After I Die," "Hungry Hungry Heart"
Album: The Grievance
Quick Thoughts: The 20s are turning out a bunch of great female-fronted punk bands, and while Amyl and Die Spitz are taking up a lot of the conversation, Irked throws their hat in the ring with a loud, brash record that feels gritty and real and demands attention. Loved this album, and I'm looking forward to hearing more.
Songs of Note: "Repeat Offender," "Who Asked?" "The Keynote Speaker," "The Hardest Man in Billingham," "Death Cult"
Album: The Wanting Chemical
Quick Thoughts: I didn't know miscellaneous owl before this recent release, and this has the sort of bedroom pop indie sensibility that I love. "American Death" and "You Can't Save Everything" feel like the sort of fun twee stuff mixed with Elephant Six psych that we don't honestly hear enough. A highlight of the week, if not the year.
Songs of Note: "American Death," "You Can't Save Everything," "Walling Up the Train," "Em-Dash Shibboleth," "Saskia"
Album: The Sorry Window
Quick Thoughts: I was very into "Don't Ask Me" last year, and I am glad to hear that the rest of the album
Songs of Note: "Acid Rain," "Don't Ask Me," "Falling Apart Forever," "Next Big Thing"
Album: Place Memory
Quick Thoughts: My experience with Cape Crush is hearing their album, falling in love, and then being surprised all over again when I love their next album. Such a great indie power pop record, reminds me a lot of The Beths in a lot of ways. Don't miss it.
Songs of Note: "I Don't Care About Anything," "Place Memory," "Train in Motion"
Album: youbet
Quick Thoughts: I didn't know youbet until this album came out and I ended up shooting Ken a message saying how this felt like what we wanted Hole to be. Definitely high praise, I kept going back to so many of these songs because it's such a great take on alt-rock overall. Really enjoyed this record, looking forward to spending more time with it.
Songs of Note: "Ground Kiss," "See Thru," "Undefined," "Receive," "Embryonic," "Bad Choice"
Of Note:
* Middle-Aged Queers - Greatest Hits (A collection of gritty punk songs and covers, pretty fun.)
* Damien Jurado and Lilly Miller - Did Something in Me Break? (Gorgeous collaborative folk record.)
* American Football - LP4 (Reunion record from the midwest emo legends.)
* Berm - highway through the trees (Solid local alt-rock.)
* Failure - Location Lost (Sounds like a time capsule from WBCN.)
* Dorian Electra - Dorian Electra (Hyperpop-adjacent covers album.)
* Boy With Apple - Navigation
* Gay Meat - Blue Water
* Gemma - Be About It
* Noveller - I Am the Weather
* Hrishikesh Hirway - In the Last Hour of Light
* The klexmatics - We Were Made for These Times
* My Wife's an Angel - Keep Honking I'm About to Fucking Kill Myself
* Mikaela Davis - Graceland Way
* Jesca Hoop - Long Wave Home
* BLARF - Film Scores for Films That Don't Exist
* The Claypool Lennon Delirium - The Great Parrot-Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy
* goo - Oh Wow, Oh Well
* The Sagehens - Valley Go Home
* Lip Critic - Theft World
* Phil Geraldi - Rural Deceased Undiscovered
* Knats - A Great Day in Newcastle
* Yu Su - Foundry
* Pearla - Song Room
* Vera Ellen - Heaven Knows What Time
* Isaiah Rashad - It's Been Awful
* 7-11 Jesus - White Noise
* Bergsonist - Depths
* Pimps of Joytime - Magic Moves
* The Milk Carton Kids - Lost Cause Lover Fool
* Real Farmer - Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right
* Hun Lynch - Sycophant
* The Black Keys - Peaches!
* Lupa Citta - Inverno
* Quiet Light - Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2
* April + VISTA - Traditional Noise
* Season 2 - Power of Now
* Ultrabomb - The Bridges That We Burn
* We Told You So - A New Frame of Mind
* Friko - Something Worth Waiting For
* Tempers - Delusion
* Hiss Golden Messenger - I'm People
* Chad Crouch - Snow Lake Soundwalk
* Maisy Owen - Dark on a Sunny Day
* Blood Sucking Maniacs - Blood Sucking Maniacs
* some fear - Word Eater
* Comprador - Please Stay Off My Ass
* Beatrix - We Swallowed the Sky
* Lynx - Trinity of Suns
* TV Star - Music for Heads
* Tori Amos - In Times of Dragons
* Ah! Kosmos - Gentle Hum
* Gia Margaret - Singing
* El Ten Eleven - Nowhere Faster
* Mike Chick - Congarts
* Knats - A Great Day in Newcastle
* Ana Roxanne - Poem 1
* Octo Octa - Sigils for Survival
* Jaye Jayle - ...It's Jayle Time
* Carla dal Forno - Confession
* Kneecap - Fenian
* La Dona - Corrientes
* Bonner Kramer and Thurston Moore - They Came Like Swallows
* Seefeel - Sol.Hz
* Miss Grit - Under My Umbrella
* Hekt - Forever
* Cindy - Another Country
* Maya Hawke - MAITREYA CORSO
* White Flowers - Dreams For Somebody Else
* SUB*T - How My Own Voice Sounds
EPs:
* Our-Fi - Fine Foods
* The Chelsea Curve - The Rideout
* Spose - The American Flag is a Red Flag
* Overcoats - moved back to town
Live Albums / Compilations / Reissues:
* The Album Leaf - Last Time Here
Also Out:
* Moon Machine - Who Feels It Knows It
* Foo Fighters - Your Favorite Toy
