First Listen: New Releases for 12 June 2026
Album: PON
Quick Thoughts: I try to give the first impressions of music with this type of post, but I find Tujiko Noriko to be difficult to describe in comparison to others. It's not quite experimental, but it's not ambient, either. There's a lot going on here, and all I know is that I keep coming back to it and finding something new to love. Worth your time, if only to see if it's your thing.
Songs of Note: "Only on Love," "Knife of Yondr," "Boku Wa Obake," "Kareki Ni Hana," "Quarz Rework," "Kazeyo Pon," "Kikoeru Pon"
Album: CYKA
Quick Thoughts: Yes, this is a proper album, and the first full-length from the Russian protest group, and it's great. It has the anger and rage you'd expect, but is also sonically interesting, with hints of electroclash and hyperpop mixed in. Given that Putin is still kicking around, Pussy Riot remains as important as ever, but don't skip this as just some sort of performance art. It's worth the time.
Songs of Note: "Pain," "Nothing to Lose," "Gore," "Candy Dopamine," "Faceless Pigs," "Utopia"
Album: in grief or in hope
Quick Thoughts: I fell in love with their 2024 album, an album that felt like a strange, alien amalgamation of sounds and instruments. At the time, I wasn't sure why they were classified as doom metal, but in grief is LOUD and has a density to it that really works for me. The organized chaos tickles a very particular part of my brain that I'm digging, and this should have some staying power this year.
Songs of Note: "a shape of shame," "verdure," "an uttering of antipathy"
Album: you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love
Quick Thoughts: As a man in his mid-40s, I am not the target Olivia Rodrigo audience, but her first two albums were so good it was impossible to resist. She's at her best when she's angsty and strident, and I was worried, given the choice of lead single and early songs on this album, that she might be softening up a bit. No worries, she's not--the fun-filled rage comes through, whether with the self-depricating "maggots for brains" or "you + me," which reminds me of a 2Gether song from before Olivia Rodrigo was even born. This is pop music done right, give it a listen.
Songs of Note: "drop dead," "maggots for brains," "you + me =