Next 95 Music Albums of 2026
by 
MadhattanJack 
- Chart updated: 32 hours ago
- (Created: 04/27/2026 09:05).
- Chart size: 95 albums.
Log in or create an account to rate this chart, leave comments or join the discussion.
Available from
Beth Orton is known for a kind of spacey, ethereal, mostly downbeat, and almost dreampop-like sound with vocals that might be more suited to folk music, blues, or even country. This latest album (her ninth) doesn't disappoint, and indeed it might be her best one since 1999's Central Reservation. Production, musicianship, songwriting, lyrics and vocals are all superb, and while it might have benefited from one or two more uptempo numbers, that's an artistic choice that her fans will probably understand. (Better than I do, anyway.) The album cover makes it look more spooky than it sounds, but that's not necessarily bad. A very good album.
[First added to this chart: 06/24/2026]
Available from
The third album from this pretty interesting lo-fi post-punk trio from Quebec, whose only issue is that they probably need a fourth member, ideally someone who can sing harmonies. They seem to like (or at least be influenced by) that "angular," "oblique" approach of the early-80s post-punk pioneers, without actually copying it. This one might grow on me, depending on how much food I give it.
[First added to this chart: 05/04/2026]
Available from
The best tribute albums are actually "creative reinterpretation" albums, and this collection of Talking Heads covers by Black artists representing multiple genres certainly fills the bill in that regard. Very well done, though in most cases I was able to identify the song being played without having to look at the track listing, so maybe they've got some more work to do on that score. Moreover, there are also no versions of some of my own favorite Talking Heads tracks, like "Memories Can't Wait," "Found a Job," and "Electric Guitar" — but I'm sure that next time, they won't fail to personally consult me on the track selections like they apparently did this time.
[First added to this chart: 04/27/2026]
Year of Release:
2026
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2
Rank in 2026:
Rank in 2020s:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
This one may be a "grower" — it's the third album by an all-woman group (another one!) who describe themselves as "punk witches" and their music as "witch punk." I assume this is because they were tired of being described as "post-punk," since posts are just things that stick up out of the ground and can't cast magic spells or turn people into small amphibious lizard creatures like witches can. (Honestly, who wouldn't want to be a witch, if you could do stuff like that?) Anyway, it's a fun album, more so than their previous two, and it also sounds better and tighter production-wise. As I'm writing this (day of release!) it's still too early to know if there's going to be a single, but if there is it will probably be track 7, "The Information," since everyone needs more information.
[First added to this chart: 04/27/2026]
Year of Release:
2026
Appears in:
Rank in 2026:
None
Rank in 2020s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
This is the second LP from a distinctly DIY post-punk band from Burlington, Vermont. Their previous album, 2024's Wild Guess, had a dragon on the album cover and a logo that made them look more like a black-metal act, so thankfully they seem to have fixed that this time around. There's a lot of potential here that could conceivably be brought further out by an experienced producer, but that could also backfire, so forget I suggested it. As it is, it's a cool record — not quite drop-everything-and-tell-all-your-friends-immediately cool, but still cool.
[First added to this chart: 04/27/2026]
Available from
"Otonoma" is apparently a Japanese portmanteau word that means "the space between sounds." I'm not so sure... Anyway, this album isn't quite up to the high standard set by 2021's Soniscope, but let's be reasonable here. Midori Hirano is one of the finest piano-and-electronics neo-classical composers around. It's certainly a lot better than anything I could come up with, so who's complaining? This is high-quality stuff. Probably too good for the likes of me, anyway.
[First added to this chart: 04/27/2026]
Year of Release:
2026
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3
Rank in 2026:
Rank in 2020s:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
Another fine album (the seventh, I think) from Hoop, the somewhat quirky folk-rock singer from Santa Rosa, California who has apparently relocated to Manchester, England — at least for now. (I should probably do that too.)
[First added to this chart: 07/08/2026]
Year of Release:
2026
Appears in:
Rank in 2026:
None
Rank in 2020s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
I thought Sofy was just another girlpop act. I was wrong. Sorry about that...
Year of Release:
2026
Appears in:
Rank in 2026:
None
Rank in 2020s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
The City Gates are a darkwave/coldwave band from Montreal, except that Montreal is too nice and beautiful a town for that kind of music — so they often fall short of being sufficiently morose and depressing to justify their own genre tags. That's a problem. They used to be more of a post-punk/shoegaze act, so... what happened? They still have a guitar player...? Are they trying to get ahead of a trend curve that nobody else is aware of? Surely, shoegaze will never go out of style — why, the very idea is simply absurd! Regardless, it's a good album, but I guess I just liked them better before.
[First added to this chart: 05/15/2026]
Year of Release:
2026
Appears in:
Rank in 2026:
None
Rank in 2020s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
Spearmint still has the same lineup they had back in 1985, all their albums are good, and this one is no exception. It could use some bits of noise and chaos to liven things up maybe, but I guess 40 years is a long time, so making big changes like that now could be a bit stressful.
[First added to this chart: 07/29/2026]
Year of Release:
2026
Appears in:
Rank in 2026:
None
Rank in 2020s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 95. Page 1 of 10
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Next 95 Music Albums of 2026 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Winged Wheel | 1 | 1% | |
| KillerStar | 1 | 1% | |
| Chanel Beads | 1 | 1% | |
| Martyna Basta | 1 | 1% | |
| Art School Girlfriend | 1 | 1% | |
| Cathedral Bells | 1 | 1% | |
| Luke Haines | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
45 | 47% | |
 |
25 | 26% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Next 95 Music Albums of 2026 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 4 from 99th to 95th |
Up 4 from 98th to 94th |
Up 4 from 97th to 93rd |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 1 from 8th to 9th |
Down 1 from 9th to 10th |
Down 1 from 10th to 11th |
| New entries |
|---|
Next 95 Music Albums of 2026 similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Creating an account is quick, easy and FREE!
Join 50,000+ music fans
- Join a community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Influence the overall album rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Unlock Dark Mode and other member features.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- And much more.
Join now It only takes a moment.
Other custom charts by MadhattanJack
MadhattanJack has shared 4 more fun charts with the community. Browse them all here.| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next 46 Music Albums of 2023 | MadhattanJack | Custom chart | 2026 | |
| Next 36 Music Albums of 2024 | MadhattanJack | Custom chart | 2026 | |
| Next 57 Music Albums of 2025 | MadhattanJack | Custom chart | 2026 | |
Next 95 Music Albums of 2026 ratings
Not enough data Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Please log in or create an account if you want to be able to leave a rating
Next 95 Music Albums of 2026 favourites
Please log in or create an account if you want to be able to add a favourite
Next 95 Music Albums of 2026 forum mentions
This chart hasn't been referenced yet on the forums.
Next 95 Music Albums of 2026 comments
What do you think of this chart? Be the first to comment!!
Log in or create an account to rate this chart, leave comments or join the discussion.
