James Blake’s new album ‘Try Times’
Herding cats, spinning plates, wearing many hats - the surreal visualisers for this album feel like a fitting metaphor for where James Blake finds himself in 2026: independent producer, songwriter, performer, accidental industry consultant and commentator on the world around him.
Released independently, away from the major-label system, ‘Trying Times’ showcases every facet of his personality. He sounds liberated, free from any expectations of what comes next.
Violet Grohl’s new single ‘595’
This track sounds like a transmission from the 90s, it’s got that classic grunge sound, paired with 70s grindhouse visuals. Not everything needs to be revolutionary to be really very good.
Claudia Valentina’s new single ‘GIRLY THINGS’
Dark pop by way of Three Six Mafia and Doja Cat. Super sharp and, despite the comparisons I just made, Valentina is firmly in her own lane.
beabadoobee’s new single ‘All I Did Was Dream Of You’ feat The Marías
There’s a particular kind of alchemy when two artists from the same world finally find each other. Bea’s gossamer melodies and Maria’s silken vocals weave together like two parts of the same dream. Unexpected and yet completely natural.
Kim Gordon’s new album ‘PLAY ME’
With Kim Gordon, it’s rarely clear whether the joke is on you. That uncertainty is entirely the point.
Over a tight runtime, this album works as a kind of cultural patchwork: drum machines crashing into mangled samples, Gordon half-speaking her way through meditations on AI, billionaire excess and life inside the algorithm. A hazy G-funk moment gives way to a splintered beat experiment that feels like doomscrolling made audible. Dave Grohl drops in on ‘Busy Bee’, though you’d barely recognise him - the production has chewed him up and spat him out.
Abrasive, playful, self-aware to the point of absurdity.