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PRESS PLAY: New Albums out October 2026

Dig into the latest albums by Remi Wolf, Queens of the Stone Age, Wishy, Christian McBride, and more…

By Eric Schuman
PRESS PLAY: New Albums out October 2026
PRESS PLAY
PRESS PLAY: New Albums out October 2026

If you’re looking for last-minute Halloween costume ideas, you’ve come to the wrong place. A roundup of this week’s new albums, though? Right this way…

Assembled from recordings spanning miles of road and decades of experience, Queens of the Stone Age embrace imperfection on Perfecth. Though she’s kept herself quite busy with hosting TV shows and podcasts in the six years since her last album, Show Me is a welcome return from versatile songwriter THAO. Rootsy rockers Deer Tick have long been vocal about their admiration for DIY icon Ben Vaughn; Magnetic East finds the New Jersey-rooted singer teaming up with the Providence combo. Bassist and bandleader Christian McBride leans into his “Art Blakey era” on Points of Light, the debut from his Ursa Major project.

New York indie rockers DIIV recruited iconoclastic producer A.G. Cook to helm ZIRP!; their fifth LP is a razor-sharp treatise on the predatory nature of the modern music industry. Elena Tonra first unveiled Ex:Re as a side project from her folk-rock band, Daugther; Save As reintroduces Tonra as a glitched-out, electro-acoustic balladeer. Toronto’s Seth Nyquist has been making music as MorMor for over a decade; his second full-length, No One Alive Will Listen, is a stunning collection of intimate anthems. On New Shiny Object, their 10th LP, Fujiya & Miyagi stay true to the pillars of propulsive pop that have served them well for the last two decades.

Listen for spotlights on new records like these (and more) every week on the XPN Morning Show and Indie Rock Hit Parade.

PRESS PLAY on these new releases

Queens of the Stone Age –
Perfecth

CHECK OUT: “Easy Street”
“Where the Goth Girls At?”

THAO –
Show Me

CHECK OUT: “Fossils”
“Sick of the Times”

Ben Vaughn & Deer Tick –
Magnetic East: The Deer Tick Sessions

CHECK OUT: “When Love Returns”
“Imitation Wood Grain”

Christian McBride –
Points of Light

CHECK OUT: “Cows”
“No Rhyme, No Reason”

DIIV – ZIRP!

CHECK OUT: “The Fountain” “Trillions”

Ex:Re – Save As

CHECK OUT: “Radio Station” “Sleep”

MorMor –
No One Alive Will Listen

CHECK OUT: “Like Heaven”
“Don’t Need It”

Fujiya & Miyagi –
New Shiny Object

CHECK OUT: “Lowest Common Denominator”
“No Green Light”

The PRESS PLAY-list

FURTHER LISTENING

2nd Grade – Girls and Boys, Aaron Frazer – Corners, Andy Koh – Taking the Long Way, Andy Stott – Late Loop, Aphex Twin – Drukqs (Reissue), Caleb Lee Hutchinson – Long Line of Losers, The Church – LACUNA, Clinic – Wild in the Streets, Driveway Ceiling – Death of the Walden Newspaper Co., Editors – Surface, Echo & Sound, Foreigner – Head Games (Super Deluxe Edition), The Haunt – Ghost, horsegiirL – HARDCORE HEALING EP, Joe Sparks – Regina in Her Purple Coveralls, Jordan Rakei – A Safe Place to Be Wild, Kaitlin Butts – Hello, Honky Tonk, Katrina Ford – To the Lighthouse, Lowly – Softy, Lydia Loveless – Accolades EP, Mariah Carey – Glitter (25th Anniversary Edition), Ministry – Hate to Go (Take Out or Delivery), Moses Boyd – Songs for Sinners, Nickelback – Everything Under the Sun, The Oak Ridge Boys – Buried Treasures, Queen – Queen Budapest, Radio Free Alice – What’s In Between, RIP Magic – 1,2,3, Sampa the Great – Nu Zamrock, Sparks – Music That You Can Dance To (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition), Stephen Steinbrink – In a Split Mirror, Wavves – Cherry Soda, WHY? – Oh Golly / Yes Lord

PRESS PLAY Back Catalog

Rattle your bones to the sounds of this week’s chilling, thrilling new albums…

Recapturing the freewheeling energy of Loner and Superstar, Caroline Rose’s Gentling the Horse at the Walt Whitman Mall is their self-assured (and self-released) seventh album. Shortly after recording the music for FUDGE, Michael Kiwanuka suffered a stroke that sidelined his plans for a world tour; as the British singer continues his recovery, the album is a masterclass in blurry, psychedelic soul.

Rayland Baxter’s process for writing material for True Violet was deceptively simple; crafting songs at his Nashville home, he let the inner and outer world guide him to document his growing appreciation for solitude. Originally from Dorset and now based in Brooklyn, Fenne Lily’s Win Win is a stirring reflection on heartbreak as channeled through what Lily herself describes as “British country music.”

On their first few records, Chicago Multi-instrumentalist Sen Morimoto played just about every instrument and sang nearly every part; Time is on Your Side features contributions from the sturdy band that’s been backing Morimoto’s electric live performances (including their unforgettable IRHP session). There are countless reasons why the first new album from The Olivia Tremor Control in over 25 years is one of the most unlikely releases of 2026; The Same Place is a kaleidoscopic celebration of the collective’s ringleaders, Bill Doss (1968-2012) and Will Cullen Hart (1971-2024).

PRESS PLAY on these new releases

Caroline Rose –
Gentling the Horse
at the Walt Whitman Mall

CHECK OUT: “Yip Yip Yow” “Calm”

Michael Kiwanuka –
FUDGE

CHECK OUT:
“Summer Clothes” “Sing”

Rayland Baxter –
True Violet

CHECK OUT: “Better Man” “The Fool”

Fenne Lily –
Win Win

CHECK OUT: “Uh Huh” “Thank You Sorry”

Sen Morimoto –
Time is on Your Side

CHECK OUT: “Overthinker”
“Chewing Gum”

The Olivia Tremor Control –
The Same Place

CHECK OUT: “Garden of Light”
“Advice from the Oceans”

FURTHER LISTENING

Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (20th Anniversary Edition), Anderson .Paak and Cordae – Heavy is the Crown, Art d’Ecco – Scheele’s Green, Axis: Sova – Flowerage, Bernie Taupin – The Sea Has No Mercy, Bill Nace & Mike Polizze – Live at Pageant : Soloveev, Bow and Arrow – Bow and Arrow, Brothers Osborne – Watertown, The Cat’s Miaow – When You Smiled and Turned Away, Claud – Me and the Music, Dazies – Eyes Repeating, Dis Fig – What to Make of These Moral Hands, Ecce Shnak – Dandy Variances, Fake Names – Punk Ruins, Grumpy – Unfindable Ring, Gus Dapperton – 4 Dear Life, James Brandon Lewis – Calling Antonín, Jimmy Webb – Yours for the Taking: The Found Songs of Jimmy Webb, Josh Johnson – Animative, Michael Nau – Popfly, My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade (20th Anniversary Edition), The Nerves – Best Collection, Niis – Play Niis EP, Pet Fox – Balance, Pinksqueeze – We Can Have It, Porcelain – Today’s Minor Victories, Raffi – Love is Everywhere, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol – Ca$h Grab, Ryan Hemsworth – Numbskull , Samara Joy – Live at the Blue Note L.A., Savak – Door Deals and Debt: An Essential Collection from the First 10 Years, Savanna Ruth – The Baseball Diaries, Shabazz Palaces – It’s a Style Sport, Small Pond – Soft Burn, Sour Widows – Sigil, Swervedriver – Raise: Demos, Tyler Lyle – The Transcendentalist, William Basinski – Passing the Cup of Sorrows, Various Artists – Everybody’s Got a Song to Sing

There’s no need to fear, this week’s new albums are here!

Returning to work with Romance producer James Ford, Fontaines D.C. deliver a spiritual sequel on their fifth album, Dopamine Chamber. Philly-based duo @ remain elusive yet alluring on Autosmile; their second full-length offers psych-folk textures with unexpected flourishes. XPN mainstay Richard Thompson remains unparalleled in terms of barbed-wit lyrics and impossible guitar flurries on his 20th solo LP, Hippies, Thugs, and Heroes.

Australian production duo The Avalanches are celebrated for their deep collection of obscure samples; fourth album No Bad Memories features those audio oddities alongside cameos by Rivers Cuomo, Karen O, Panda Bear, and more. In 1976, Georgia songwriter Robert Lester Folsom independently released Music and Dreams, an album of AM gold-influenced country pop that would take decades to find its audience; the 50th anniversary reissue presents a fresh remaster, demos, and new covers by Beach House and Hannah Cohen.

Over the last 20 years, Catskill-based family band The Felice Brothers have steadily built a community around their rollicking Americana style; admirers like The Lumineers, Phoebe Bridgers, and Bright Eyes play some of their Felice favorites on Felice County Fair: A Celebration of the Felice Brothers..

PRESS PLAY on these new releases

Fontaines D.C. –
Dopamine Chamber

CHECK OUT: “Marianne” “Tongue”

@ – Autosmile

CHECK OUT: “Autosmile”
“Bird”

Richard Thompson –
Hippies, Thugs, and Heroes

CHECK OUT: “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
“Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking”

The Avalanches –
No Bad Memories

CHECK OUT: “Every Single Weekend”
“Blue Shadows”

Robert Lester Folsom –
Music and Dreams
(50th Anniversary Edition)

CHECK OUT: “Music and Dreams”
“April Suzanne”

Various Artists –
Felice County Fair: A Celebration of the Felice Brothers

CHECK OUT: The Lumineers – “The Kid”
Bright Eyes – “Wonderful Life”

FURTHER LISTENING

Annie Leeth – Saturn Return, Arlo Parks – Ambiguous Desire (Deluxe Edition), Cameron Winter – Live at Carnegie Hall, Danielle Luppi – Wilma, Dawn Richard – Creole Culture, Death Valley Girls – Welcome to Earth, Dominic Fike – How to Quit Smoking, Girl Ultra – RRRomeo, Goblin Cock – Traumanaut, green star – silver + dust EP, Greta Van Fleet – Palace for the People, Growing Pains – Daniel Loves Mandy Forever, HAAi – DIGITiSE, Hour – Ghost Bridge, Imperial Teen – All Over You, Jeremiah Chiu – Edge Conditions, John Prine – Found Dogs, Koen Holtkamp – Nightlife, Matt Pond PA – Permanent Change Part 1, Mike McCready – Farewell to Seasons, Paul Simon – The Quiet Celebration Concert, Pet Shop Boys – A Man from the Future, Queen of Jeans – hard/SWEET, Reed Turchi – Road Ends in Water, Reuben and the Dark – If You Know Me You Know My Brother, Song People – Tho I Seem Tame, Todd Snider – My Second Rodeo, Troye Sivan – She’s the Best, V.V. Lightbody – Period Piece, Yuma Koda – Amid Kinos

Feeling chilly? Snuggle up with this week’s newly released albums…

Confronting the mess and disorder she found herself in after years of nonstop touring, Remi Wolf puts a gritty twist on her usually polished pop on Mud. Back in 1993, Teenage Fanclub released their fourth album, titled Thirteen; in 2026, the Scottish legends are releasing their thirteenth album, titled Do Not Dare to Dream (it’s as appealing a confection as they’ve ever delivered). Sheryl Crow’s own LP13, Pick You Up, expands on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter’s initial idea for an EP musing on the meaning of freedom.

When we first met Danielle Ponder, the Rochester artist had recently left her career as a public defender to pursue music full-time; her second album, Everything Has Changed, reflects on that dramatic shift with grace and power. As they continue working on a film project, Brooklyn art-punks BODEGA request you don’t tap the glass on their stylish fourth album, All Inside Aquarium. Los Angeles-based Jess Williamson gained new attention as a member of Plains alongside Waxahatchee’s Katie Cruchfield; Williamson’s A Mile South of Heaven trades in classic country sounds with a modern flourish.

Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson reaches new heights of acoustic expression on Just Beyond Endless Mountain, his latest as The Tallest Man on Earth. Twin Temple made headlines earlier this year when their music’s theatrically occult themes ruffled a few feathers; they summon atmosphere and spectacle on their third full-length, Doomed Lovers.

PRESS PLAY on these new releases

Remi Wolf –
Mud

CHECK OUT: “Bottle”
“Twiggy”

Teenage Fanclub –
Do Not Dare to Dream

CHECK OUT: “Day in the Sun”
“Be with You Tonight”

Sheryl Crow –
Pick You Up

CHECK OUT: “Freedom Bus”
“Freight Train”

Danielle Ponder –
Everything Has Changed

CHECK OUT: “Power”
“Sun and Moon”

BODEGA –
All Inside Aquarium

CHECK OUT: “Pick Up the Check”
“Weather Me”

Jess Williamson –
A Mile South of Heaven

CHECK OUT: “Goodbye to All That”
“Tracking the Tropics”

The Tallest Man on Earth –
Just Beyond Endless Mountain

CHECK OUT: “Colors”
“Deliver Me from Trying”

Twin Temple –
Doomed Lovers

CHECK OUT: “Doomed Lovers”
“Haunt Me”

FURTHER LISTENING

Annie Leeth – Saturn Return, Arlo Parks – Ambiguous Desire (Deluxe Edition), Cameron Winter – Live at Carnegie Hall, Danielle Luppi – Wilma, Dawn Richard – Creole Culture, Death Valley Girls – Welcome to Earth, Dominic Fike – How to Quit Smoking, Girl Ultra – RRRomeo, Goblin Cock – Traumanaut, green star – silver + dust EP, Greta Van Fleet – Palace for the People, Growing Pains – Daniel Loves Mandy Forever, HAAi – DIGITiSE, Hour – Ghost Bridge, Imperial Teen – All Over You, Jeremiah Chiu – Edge Conditions, John Prine – Found Dogs, Koen Holtkamp – Nightlife, Matt Pond PA – Permanent Change Part 1, Mike McCready – Farewell to Seasons, Paul Simon – The Quiet Celebration Concert, Pet Shop Boys – A Man from the Future, Queen of Jeans – hard/SWEET, Reed Turchi – Road Ends in Water, Reuben and the Dark – If You Know Me You Know My Brother, Song People – Tho I Seem Tame, Todd Snider – My Second Rodeo, Troye Sivan – She’s the Best, V.V. Lightbody – Period Piece, Yuma Koda – Amid Kinos

Carve up some fun with the first new releases of October…

On Nature’s Pill, their second full-length, Indiana combo Wishy crack open a high-octane set of songs built off collaborative contributions from all five members. Now over a decade into his career as a solo artist, Johnny Marr offers confident melodies and boundless guitar intricacies on The Age of Everything. An inspired collection of covers, Synonym finds Meshell Ndegeocello interpreting Bob Dylan, George Michael, and Roberta Flack with Brandi Carlile, Chaka Khan, and Madison Cunningham.

Though Greg Freeman’s lyrics explore the grim realities of an uncertain future, there’s still energy and optimism to be found on All Set the Bone. Featuring the first co-writes of her storied career (with Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam and Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood), Wynonna’s The Hard Truth reflects on loose threads left in the wake of her mother’s 2022 passing. Detroit singer-songwriter Stef Chura has lived a lot of life in the seven years since her last album; Dancing Alone on the Concrete recounts the ups and downs of that period with some help from Peter Buck and Mike Mills.

PRESS PLAY on these new releases

Wishy –
Nature’s Pill

CHECK OUT: “Lovesick” “Sensational”

Johnny Marr –
The Age of Everything

CHECK OUT: “Spin” “It’s Time”

Meshell Ndegeocello – Synonym

CHECK OUT: “Don’t You Want Me”
“Don’t Loon Any Further”

Greg Freeman –
All Set the Bone

CHECK OUT: “Indu” “Cahokia”

Wynonna – The Hard Truth

CHECK OUT: “Kentucky Queen”
“Hear Me Now”

Stef Chura –
Dancing Alone on the Concrete

CHECK OUT: “Danny” “The Concrete”

FURTHER LISTENING

The Album Leaf – A Body of Voices, Alyssa Weinberg – Pieces of Light, Amon Amarth – The Allfather Awakens, The Beatles – Rubber Soul (Expanded Special Edition), The Cadets – Exile in Marginalia Vol. 4, Charlotte Greve – Waterbodies, Dead Neanderthals – Flesh is Fragile, Dexter & the Moonrocks – Friends That I Don’t Like, Emily A. Sprague – Cyano, Fat Dog – Cancel Me I’m Tired, Gizmo – All Your Worships, Helen – Linda’s Head, Jeremy Cunningham – Passing Fires, Jordan Sand – Baby Ghost, Logic1000 – Confirmation!, Midori Hirano – The Juniper Tree, MX Lonely – Perfect House EP, Revenge Wife – Alien Witch, Sons of Sevilla – It Could Be Today, Spike Fuck – evidence, Swans – Newly Sentient Being, Tipa Tipo – Arquetipas, Victoria Monét – Frequency of Love, Whisper Doll – Lucky Clover, wilt – when no one’s watching, Ziemba – The Braid

Still not enough new music?? For previous editions of PRESS PLAY, click HERE.

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