The Best Albums of April 2026
Letting the music find its way to me (with a little help from you)
Every month, I round up nine of my favorite releases to make it easier for you to catch up on what you might have missed.
I knew going in that April wasn’t going to go to plan. I spent half of the month traveling, and no matter how much I tell myself that I can totally, definitely keep my usual routine while I’m several time zones away, the fact is that I don’t even have a usual routine at home.
I did briefly consider cramming everything in at the last minute, but then I remembered Jacqui Devaney’s sage words:
“the music I need to hear is going to find its way to me.”
…doubly so if I ask for it directly, I hope.
So, I’m doing something slightly different this month.
Instead of a clean, tidy, alphabetized “best of,” I’m essentially giving you a peek at the mess inside my brain before I’m ready to curate. Since I haven’t listened to as much as I normally would have, I’m still sorting through it all: what’s getting the most hype, what I was most excited for, what I keep coming back to, what seems to be flying under the radar, what I haven’t had enough time with yet, etc. You get it.
I’m also going to need your help to fill in some gaps, so I’m leaving the last section for you to write in the comments.
Click around as you please!
Psst — you can find all previous Best Ofs here.
Most Hyped:
Angine de Poitrine - Vol.II
I knew that this mysterious, masked Quebecois two piece had really made it when my boyfriend — the same guy who told me it was a silly idea to start this newsletter because nobody would ever read it — sent me their KEXP performance and told me to “check out this band.” I really had to restrain myself that day.
They even briefly impressed my cousin when we met up in Bologna last week. He has a degree in bass performance and we have exactly zero overlap in our musical tastes. When we (inevitably) heard the album start playing at a bar, it piqued his curiosity. “This is polyrhythmic. Interesting.” I told him it was just two guys and showed him a video of their polka-dotted costumes and multi-necked guitars. He lost interest after that, but I’m certain that this record will top just about every indie publication’s end of year list.
Most Anticipated:
Friko - Something Worth Waiting For
Longtime readers might remember that Friko’s debut, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here was one of my absolute favorite records of 2024. I’m always a little nervous about sophomore releases from promising new bands, but this is a truly astonishing album. Everything I loved about the first — the raw emotion, the continuation of the early 2000s orchestral indie rock sound, especially Arcade Fire — is back, sharper and more dramatic than before. Placeholder album name aside, this is another AOTY contender.
Doesn’t Caroline in the Garden look awesome in her New Bands for Old Heads tee? Don’t you wish you could be as cool and amazing as she is? Well GUESS WHAT SUCKER, YOU CAN!
Most Underrated:
Melanie Baker - Somebody Help Me, I’m Being Spontaneous!
I have no recollection now of how I came across this debut, but I’m determined to get her brand of polished slacker rock in front of more ears. Her music is a sugar rush, a Saturday morning cartoon. I find myself craving it even though it might not be entirely good for me. Is it right for grunge music to be produced in such a crystalline way? Arguably not at all. But the album’s conceit seems to be a caricature of ‘90s nostalgia (did you catch the Truman Show reference in the album title?), and it works. The style seems to pull more from other artists inspired by ‘90s alt than by ‘90s alt itself (Wet Leg, Courtney Barnett), and somehow I’m still overjoyed to be listening. Just try it.
Most Listened:
These are the four albums I obsessed over and listened to the most last month, regardless of “objective” quality.
