My 15 Favorite Albums of 2026

Since long before I joined the student radio, I’ve been trying to keep up to date with new releases in music (though whether I’ve been good at it is debatable). In my opinion, these past few months have shown the most stacked start to any year musically since 2022, and to celebrate that, here are 15 of my favorite albums of the year so far (up through April 3)! 

Don’t Be Dumb – A$AP Rocky
Genres: Trap, East Coast Hip Hop, Experimental Hip Hop
Favorite Songs: STOP SNITCHING, STFU, WHISKEY (RELEASE ME)

This is just so much fun, really it comes down to that for me. Rocky’s flows are always charismatic and infectious on this thing, and the colorful trap and southern hip hop production is just as engaging. Even the mild sonic detours into indie rock and jazz go over well and add to the project’s unique sense of style.

WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA – Slayyyter
Genres: Electroclash, Electropop, Electro-Industrial
Favorite Songs: CANNIBALISM!, CRANK, GAS STATION

Honestly this might be one of the most thrilling pop/electronic albums I’ve heard in years. This album is filled to the brim with confidence and swagger, from Slayyter’s self-assured and fierce vocal delivery to the punchy, rave-ready electronic production that blends colorful synths with rumbling bass to make you feel like you’re having the most insane night out of your life. The industrial touches always feel exhilarating, and the smooth pop songs are catchy and immersive as well. This is such a consistent and fun listen and I’d highly recommend it.

The Fall Off – J. Cole
Genres: Conscious Hip Hop, Southern Hip Hop
Favorite Songs: Safety, Poor Thang, 39 Intro

As popular as J. Cole is, I know he’s not every critic’s cup of tea. That said, his most anticipated album (and possibly his last) lived up to the hype for me. The project works to present a commentary on Cole’s place in hip-hop and a look back on how his fame has affected his relationship with his home, and I think it did a great job of pulling off both. This has some of his best lyricism and songwriting in years, and despite the massive length of the double album, each song feels important and adds something new. I recommend giving this project a chance.

Ca$ino – Baby Keem
Genres: West Coast Hip Hop, Trap
Favorite Songs: Ca$ino, Highway 95 pt. 2, Dramatic Girl

Similar to Tyler’s CHROMAKOPIA, Ca$ino does a great job of blending self-confident bangers with more mellow and introspective tracks. Each song veers a different direction in mood, but somehow does so in a very controlled way at the same time. The personal cuts hit hard and really show you Keem’s own struggles, while the braggadocious ones infect you with his energy and help you understand how, despite his past, he has kept moving forward. Clocking in at under 40 minutes with just 12 tracks, there are no skips for me, making it one of the most consistent records I’ve heard this year so far.

Fantasy Fuel – Evann McIntosh
Genres: Alternative R&B, Indie Pop
Favorite Songs: Fantasy Fuel, Mull It Over, Blue Movie Magic

I actually first heard of this album through listening to projects for this student radio (!), and I was kind of blown away. This is a pretty low-key project, but McIntosh brings really memorable and dreamy vocal performances as well as catchy choruses throughout. The restrained yet lively production really makes the project feel unique as well, and it almost feels timeless in its appeal. Very underrated album that I would recommend to anyone.

Half Blood (Bloodluxe) – Slayr
Genres: Digicore, Rage
Favorite Songs: Hard Knock, Daytona, Toxic

Though technically a deluxe, this has some of the most colorful and vibrant rap songs of the year. slayr hits a great balance between autotuned crooning and a hungry rap delivery on here, and the dense and expansive synth production brings the listener into a whole new world. So many of these songs are just so fun and catchy as well.

The Mountain – Gorillaz
Genres: Art Pop, Neo-Psychedelia
Favorite Songs: Orange County, The Empty Dream Machine, The Manifesto

The Mountain is a personal and creative outing from Gorillaz that sees them tackling themes of grief and loss with inspirations from Indian music, Latin music, hip-hop, Arabic music, and more. The project manages to be colorful and adventurous while hitting on a deeper emotional level with its powerful songwriting, providing some of Gorillaz’s most emotional and potent cuts in years. The vast amount of collaborations each bring their own talent to the table as well, and all of these factors come together to make my favorite Gorillaz project so far this decade.

Icon – Brent Faiyaz
Genres: Contemporary R&B, Alternative R&B
Favorite Songs: other side., strangers., four seasons.

A mellowed-out listen that took its time to grow on me, but once it did, I was hooked. Brent Faiyaz’s slick, soothing vocals bring so much life to these tracks, and the stripped-back R&B production shows power in its restraint, bringing human warmth and a cozy atmosphere to the project. Worth a listen.

U – Underscores
Genres: Electropop, Dance-Pop, EDM
Favorite Songs: The Peace, Lovefield, Do It

I became an Underscores fan as I listened to her discography last March and yeah, this is such a great addition. Even among all the stellar electronic releases this year, U stands out for both its concise, “all killer no filler” tracklist, and its ability to mix subtly powerful introspective tracks in with its EDM-infused bangers. It’s a dynamic listen that rushes by like a loading screen on perfect Wi-Fi.

My Ghosts Go Ghost – By Storm
Genres: Experimental Hip Hop, Abstract Hip Hop

My re-listen of this album was one of the most powerful listening experiences I had all year. By Storm consists of the remaining members of experimental hip-hop group Injury Reserve after the passing of rapper Stepa J. Groggs, and the new group’s debut details themes like loss, maturity, anxiety, and mental instability. It’s a slow-moving project, but one that really puts you through the duo’s emotions as they reckon with them and learn to grow, with the record eventually ending on a bittersweet note of recovery. This one is absolutely worth a listen and has become one of my favorite projects of the year.

Self Proclaimed Narcissist – Self Proclaimed Narcissist
Genres: Alternative R&B, Indie Pop
Favorite Songs: New Man, Slow Burn, My Boo

I’ve been practically begging people to check this album out, so please. Check it out. This is a really underrated album that has so many smooth, bright, and summery pop/R&B tracks. Though it’s not the most complex album out there, it’s really enjoyable and moody listen that brings to mind a quiet walk home on the summery streets of California (not that I’ve been there more than once).

STUNT 4 LIFE – ezcodylee
Genres: Rage, Rap Rock, Trap Metal
Favorite Songs: WHO GOT A PROBLEM !, DON’T BE SCARED !, SHUT UP !

This album sounds like if at a rap concert, the artist brought out a backing band of guitars, and a hardcore moshpit mixed in with the already crowded pit, and so people collided with one another and threw each other to the ground. This is an intense but exhilarating listen, brought by bass-heavy and distorted rap beats that take influence from punk rock at the same time. ezcodylee’s harsh vocal delivery and often memorable choruses only add to the experience as well.

IT’S THE LONG GOODBYE – The Twilight Sad
Genres: Post-Punk Revival, Shoegaze
Favorite Songs: GET AWAY FROM IT ALL, DESIGNED TO LOSE, DEAD FLOWERS

Like I said in my Release Recap for this project, this really does slap you in the face with sadness. The dense walls of sound on here combined with the forlorn vocals make for a pretty emotional listening experience, and even if the lyrics are somewhat vague and repetitive at times, the stellar shoegaze-adjacent instrumentals and passionate performances more than make up for that for me. A very solid listen that’s well worth your time.

URGH – Mandy, Indiana
Genres: Electro-Industrial, Noise Rock, Industrial Rock
Favorite Songs: A Brighter Tomorrow, Life Hex, Sicko!

Probably the most intense album I’ve heard this year, URGH really rises to fit the moment of how chaotic and exhausting the current cultural landscape feels. I really appreciate how well this project channels the frustrating and overwhelming nature of pop culture this decade (if not earlier), and it does so with a pretty interesting blend of electronic music and industrial rock. The second half of this album especially is super consistent and shows off the band’s pointed songwriting and thrilling instrumentation really well.

Distracted – Thundercat
Genres: Neo-Soul, Psychedelic Soul, Jazz-Funk
Favorite Songs: No More Lies, She Knows Too Much, What Is Left To Say

What a fun project. I’m pretty new to Thundercat’s solo work, but funnily enough I think this was a good introduction. The first few tracks on this project are pretty funky and energetic, while the rest is more lowkey and heartfelt, taking more cues from classic soul music, and I enjoyed both sides of the project. It’s a pretty exciting listen that still manages to be thoughtful and introspective, and it’s absolutely worth checking out.

These are all my favorite albums of the year so far, and hopefully more keep coming as the year goes on! I’d recommend any of these albums heavily, so if you’re curious, please check some of them out!