The best 2026 albums we've heard so far

All Songs Considered

NPR

Music

4.4 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 January 2026

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We look ahead to some of the albums we’re most excited about for the new year, from sure bets like Dry Cleaning and Beverly Glenn-Copeland to rumored releases from some pretty big names.

(00:00) Intro

(01:26) Dry Cleaning: “Cruise Ship Designer,” from ‘Secret Love’

(05:03) Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore: “Perpetual Adoration,” from ‘Tragic Magic’

(07:48) Ásgeir: “Smoke,” from ‘Julia’

(12:27) Joyce Manor: “All My Friends Are So Depressed,” from ‘I Used To Go To This Bar’

(17:45) Beverly Glenn-Copeland: “Laughter In Summer (with Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland),” from ‘Laughter In Summer’

(21:06) gobbinjr: “Just a dream,” from ‘crystal rabbit moon’

(24:59) Danny L Harle, Oklou & MNEK: “Crystallise My Tears,” from ‘Cerulean’

(28:08) August Ponthier: “Handsome,” from ‘Everywhere Isn’t Texas’

(31:14) Mumford & Sons: “Rubber Band Man (with Hozier),” from ‘Prizefighter’

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Sheldon Pierce, welcome.
0:01.6	Hello, Robin.
0:02.9	How was your break?
0:04.4	Oh, that was pretty good.
0:05.5	Yeah.
0:05.7	Yeah, I feel like I always need that last week and a half to hit reset on my brain for the new year.
0:14.1	I always take that time to, like, consume art that I haven't, like, spent time with in a long time.
0:20.5	Because, you know know in the flow of
0:21.7	new music you just listen to new music a lot I mean I've said this before whenever I have time off
0:28.0	and I and I listen to music I'll pick some album I haven't listened to in 20 years or whatever and
0:33.9	I'll think oh you're right yeah I really like music I forgot Turns out there was some good stuff they came out with before this year.
0:42.1	But that two weeks, I'm like, I always feel myself sort of like getting fried near the
0:49.0	midpoint of December.
0:50.6	And I'm like, oh, I need a hard reset in order to like get me psyched up. And so sometimes
0:56.9	you need a refresher that it's like, yeah, you know what? Art is really awesome to watch and listen
1:02.9	to and appreciate. Yeah. And so now I feel great. I'm ready to jump into stuff for 2026.
1:08.8	Have it all ruined for you again.
1:14.7	Well, it is all songs considered.
1:16.5	I'm Robin Hilton, Sheldon Pierce, here.
1:19.4	And it is our 2026 preview.
1:24.9	We're looking as far out into the new year as we can at this point, at the new albums.
1:25.9	We're looking forward to.
	...

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