Aldous Harding’s music has never been crystal clear. She’s known to weave songs full of strange images and nonsensical lyrics, pulling you in and out of different realities and characters using her distinctive armory of voices. But something about her newest record, Train on the Island, feels like she’s letting the listener in a little closer than usual.

On bitknot, feeble little horse converts what’s been, historically, a kind of hardened laptop twee into something new, confident, and legitimately different. This album sees them shape torqued walls of emotion and sound into a driving, dynamic kind of self-presence operating in a field of illusions.

Any night at Variety Playhouse is going to be a 50/50 chance that they’ll have a photo pit. Unfortunately for me and the other seven photographers covering American Football’s fourth self-titled LP show, there was no pit in sight. It was clear from the moment I got there, there was no way I would be getting to the front. Or so I thought. As soon as the band trickled onto stage, warming the crowd up with “Man Overboard,” the entire crowd was entranced. As I tried to make my wa

Only a couple seasons into 2026, the artists we love have put their whole heart into each and every one of their songs, and it has shown. Here are our top 20 songs of 2026, so far, in no particular order. My New Band Believe "Love Story" "Love Story" could very well be the most beautiful song Cameron Picton has ever written, the way the track slowly builds and falls like the ups and downs of a love story. Olivia Rodrigo "The Cure" As so many have stated already, "The Cure"

So far, 2026 has been filled with brilliant debut releases from shining, new acts as well as fresh records from some longtime favorite artists. There is a palpable power and message to the indie, alternative, and pop albums put out this year, and below are our favorites, in no particular order besides release date.