Legendary Indie Rock trio “Yeah Yeahs Yeahs” have released a new live album titled Hidden in Pieces: Live at the Royal Albert Hall. The album also has a companion concert film which is available exclusively on “The Criterion Channel” until September 24th. About the album, the band says, “Hidden in Pieces Live at the Royal Albert Hall was born out of a need to commune with our band and fan family in 2025, after the election. In the past, YYYs haven’t often chosen when to be back at it and out there, it often chooses us. It, being the times. We turn to live music when we need that specific quality of depth and light to see us through the times.” Hidden in Pieces: Live at the Royal Albert Hall is available to stream now, with deluxe bonus tracks to be released on October 23rd, along with the vinyl and CD release of the album. You can listen to the album below:
Detroit band “Protomartyr” are set to release their seventh album Hotel Usona on September 25th via longtime label “Domino,” and today the band have shared another new track off the album titled “Feed the Sewer,” and it’s a relentless takedown of AI. About the single, lead singer Joe Casey comments “The title comes from a line of dialogue in a Peter Greenaway movie. The sentiment of the song is that artificial intelligence is against humanity. The belief is that people are often willing to destroy the world in exchange for convenience. The lyrics are the usual mish-mash of political fears, personal grievances, literary references, and poop jokes. The music is very loud, like a data center.” The single also has an accompanying music video that features comedian Nate Varrone, who also appeared in the music video for the band’s previous single “Sounds We Cannot Hear.” About the video, director Andrew Theodore Balasia says, “Loneliness in the age of surveillance is the theme we explored for this video. The motel becomes a physical microcosm of data collection, each room a profile, each guest willingly paying to stay in a room that is being monitored by strangers. The banality of what’s being observed becomes its own source of unease, stripping away spectacle until all that remains is the dull, unsettling desire to connect with anything.” You can watch the music video for “Feed the Sewer,” as well as pre-order Hotel Usona below:
As we get closer to the release of the long-awaited new “Boy Harsher” album GET MEAN, the beloved Darkwave duo have shared another taster of the new album titled “Tough Luck (When You Don’t Call).” About the track, vocalist Jae Matthews says “I wrote the “Wanna say / I’m okay” practically in tears on a plywood floor in the middle of West Texas last January. My bittersweet mantra.” You can watch the music video for “Tough Luck (When You Don’t Call),” as well as pre-order Get Mean below:
London, UK-based trio “Pozi” aren’t your average band. Their reinvention of Post-Punk entails classical-influenced violin, a propulsive rhythm section, and harmonious vocals filled with witty and often times political lyrics. Which makes them one of the most interesting bands out there. Today the band have shared a new single titled “Hale-Bopp” which will appear on their upcoming album Bark Bark, which is set to drop November 13th. About the track the band claims that it “reflects on examples of unity since Covid, moving towards a better world with more love and compassion, before seeming to spiral off-course with the terrifying rise of the far right. The final refrain gives a sense of hope; that catastrophe is delayed – but for how long?” You can listen to “Hale-Bopp” below:
LA-based trio “PUREST FORM” are set to drop their new E.P. RESISTANCE on September 4th via “Dais Records,” and following their visceral Industrial Metal banger “ANIMAL,” the band have released another new track off the upcoming E.P. titled “MORE,” and it’s a musically unhinged mix of Hard Techno, Metal, Industrial, and Synth-Punk. The band describes the single as “a song about love and revolution. A love so addicting, LIKE A DRUG. A love that makes you do extraordinary things.” You can listen to ”MORE,” as well as pre-order RESISTANCE below:
New Zealand duo “Earth Tongue” have been on a roll this year. Their new album Dungeon Vision is a fuzzed-out Heavy Psyche record that evokes the spirit of a band like “Black Sabbath,” but also offers a more melodic take on genres such as Doom Metal and Stoner Rock, and following the album’s acclaim, the band have released another new track titled “Dimly Lit Cadaver.” This track was made for “King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s” Field of Vision compilation, which compiles new tracks from artists on this year’s “Field of Vision” lineup. You can listen to “Dimly Lit Cadaver” below:
Though many of us are still not over the quiet breakup of Punk trio “Control Top,” ex-members Alan Creedon and Alex Lichtenauer have moved on with their new project “Index,” and this project is quite the departure from their previous work with “Control Top.” Incorporating Electronic and Industrial elements, the band’s music packs a more visceral punch, without sacrificing their beautifully noisy style of Hardcore Punk. The band announced in July that their debut album Vis Inertiae will be released on September 25th via “Get Better Records,” and following their last two singles “Cellophane” and “Fractured,” the band have released another ripper of a track titled “Earth.” You can listen to the track, as well as pre-order Vis Inertiae below:
“Genital Shame” is the solo project of Erin Dawson, an artist who brings her background in classical guitar to the world of Black Metal. Rejecting the traditional tropes associated with Black Metal, Dawson brings her own introspection filled with her personal identity, trans experience, and vulnerability to the genre, which is refreshing considering most Black Metal tends to be formulaic at this point. Today Dawson has announced that she will drop her new album Wellness Plan on October 30th via “The Flenser,” and she has also shared the album’s first single “I want to Die Before You.” While making Wellness Plan, Dawson encountered old microscopic footage of white blood cells searching for viruses. “I love the idea that even if you struggle with and mask a deep self-hate, there’s something microscopic inside you voting for your continued, healthy existence, even if you feel like you don’t deserve it,” says Dawson. She also describes the album as “a process of acceptance through images of disappearing.” You can listen to “I want to Die Before you,” as well as pre-order Wellness Plan below:
September 4th can’t come soon enough. It’s the day the Oklahoma-based quartet “Chat Pile” drops their third studio album Who Loves The Sun, and judging from the singles we’ve heard off the album thus far, this will be the band’s most compelling work yet. The tracks “PEN I S MALL” and “Deep Blue” are both rippers, but their third and final single “Same Rules” is both a ripper, and a gothic-induced atmospheric track that finds the band sounding their most melodic. Their new album Who Loves The Sun drops September 4th via “The Flenser.”
So much music, so little time to review everything, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been listening. 2026 has been a great year for music so far, and I would like to take this opportunity to spotlight some albums I didn’t get a chance to review.
Genre is Death – Attractive People
Though a myriad of modern Post-Punk bands incorporate elements of No Wave, very few bands fully epitomize the genre that had its heyday in late 70s-early 80s New York like “Genre is Death.” Taking the dissonant nature of No Wave, and combining it with heavily distorted guitars and minimal drum machine, the band’s second full-length album Attractive People is the sign of band that has no interest in being trendy, but has all the interest in bringing an uncompromising sonic experience to the world of modern Post-Punk, all while being melodic enough to hold every listener’s attention instead of pushing them away with abrasiveness.
House music is in late-stage broism. Many of us yearn for something less formulaic, and something with more personality. Though there are some outliers, the EDM-ification of Electronic music continues to reign supreme, which spawns an exhausting number of DJs and producers playing it safe by vomiting out the most commercial sounding music. Leave it to a veteran like Richard Barratt to bring us back to what makes House music so infectious. Most famous for being one half of the duo “Sweet Exorcist,” Barratt knows Electronic music and its various subgenres such as House and Acid Techno inside out, so it’s no surprise that his new album Crooked Stile under his “Crooked Man” moniker is pretty great. This album is refreshing.
Australian band “Pond” describe their 11th studio album Terrestrials as “goths at the pub,” and this is the truest description of the album. Much like what “MGMT” did on their album Little Dark Age, “Pond” departs from “Pink Floyd shit,” and incorporates 80s-driven New Wave, Goth, Post-Punk, and a dash of Glam Rock on Terrestrials, and they nail it!
A celebration of Hip Hop. New school and old school. Inspired by the immediacy of mixtape culture of the 90s and 2000s, IDK has released a mixtape that’s quite possibly the most ambitious and interesting Hip Hop release I’ve heard in years. If there’s a release that can bridge the gap between old heads and new heads, this is it. Blending Boom Bap with modern Pop Rap hooks, and let’s not forget the fantastic breakbeat of the track “Stigma,” IDK is shaping himself to be one of the most interesting rappers today.
Odor Eater – But For Who?
Saying I like 80s-tinged music is like Robert Smith saying he likes eyeshadow, yeah no shit! So it’s no surprise that a band like “Odor Eater” has my attention. The Portland, Oregon-based duo wear their “Devo” and “Depeche Mode” influences on their sleeves, but also channel something distinctly their own on their debut album But For Who? Bands that go this route often sound like a pastiche of the beloved era of teased hair and synthesizers, but “Odor Eater” sounds natural doing it. This music is catchy, fun, political at times, and features some killer clarinet.
New Zealand’s own “Earth Tongue” aren’t afraid to spotlight their “Black Sabbath” worship, but aside from some Doomy and fuzzed-out guitar riffs, the band resides in their own world filled with Dark Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, and just about every nerdy thing you can think of. This music packs a punch, and there’s only two members!
Genesis Owusu – REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE
Using the term “genre-defying” is a bit of a cliché at this point, but in the case of Australian rapper Genesis Owusu’s music, there isn’t a more appropriate term. Fusing Hip Hop, Punk, Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock, Funk, and New Wave, REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE is Owusu’s most eclectic album yet, and God damn it’s his best! It’s a political album that critiques the current state of propaganda, systems of inequality, the rich, and alt-right extremism. This album couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
The Healing Power of Horses – Summer Indoors (or outside wearing black)
Blending Trip Hop, Indie Pop, Industrial, and Experimental with deadpan vocals, UK band “The Healing Power of Horses” sounds like a band out of the “Windmill scene” in Brixton. Though they weren’t part of this scene, they take the PVA-style to the next level and show much promise on their new E.P. Summer Indoors (or outside wearing black). Hopefully there’s a full-length album on the horizon.
