2026 Album Roundup #4
It's heating up, some real bangers on deck in this review.
Status Update Music - Leroy
How could I start anywhere else? After slowly dropping singles over the past year/18 months or so the new Leroy album finally dropped and it's a banger. I feel like I'm a certified Jane Remover nationalist at this point but whew what an absolute heater. This album rules. Dariacore isn't for everyone, but man when it's done well it just rules. Love the production, love the energy, love the samples. It's dope. Hell yeah.
Barely There - Koyo
I had never heard of Koyo one week ago, this album also fkn rules. Blending pop-punk vibes with melodic hardcore I feel like this is very Rise Against/A Wilhelm Scream coded (but the guitars aren't as sharp as AWS). These guys rule. This album rules. I'm psyched.
Look For Your Mind! - The Lemon Twigs
Another album I was at least moderately hyped for, I feel like this one actually met and maybe even exceeded expectations so that's dope. More of what you'd expect from the Lemon Twigs, sing-song melodies and super clean instrumentation/production. Very beatles-esque still. But the guitars come out a bit more, it's a little edgier. I don't think thats the word I want, and describing the Lemon Twigs as even a little edgy is hilarious. But yeah the guitars are more prominent at times, there's even a bit of a yell or two on the album, so not all just fuzzy feel good melodies. I think this is better than their last album, idk if it eclipses Everything Harmony, but it is good.
Alone With Heaven - The Saddest Landscape
Bandname aside. This is pretty cool I think. I've only listened once so have to go back to it again, but another solid screamo album. Is it 2007 again? Screamo/emoviolence is alive and well in 2026.
Middle Of Nowhere - Kacey Musgraves
The singles had me more excited for this album than I've been for a Kacey album for a while. Dry Spell was a fun song if a bit silly. Middle of Nowhere worked for me despite a weird mismatch of tempos between the verses and chorus. Country Kacey is the best version of her imo so I was pumped but idk there's something missing here I think. She's always been a pretty decent if cheesy at times songwriter and I don't think thats the issue. I think the production is kinda off at times, her voice can get kinda washed out. The features are real lackluster imo. Idk, it lacks just the cohesive vibes that Same Trailer and Pageant Material had? I'm not sure how best to word it, those albums just feel more..heartfelt? Relatable? I'm not totally sure how to describe it. Idk, there are some good tracks here but as a total project its just okay I think.