Great Albums Ahead: 2026

This year, expect some long-anticipated album releases and intriguing debuts. For "Great Albums Ahead: 2026,"  FUV's DJs choose one album slated for a winter (or later) release that has particularly piqued their interest.

Buck Meek, The Mirror (February 27)

I find Buck Meek's music incredibly moving, whether with his excellent band, Big Thief, or his own solo records. The first single from his upcoming solo album, The Mirror, is called "Gasoline" and it makes my heart race. It's an ecstatic love song that brings such a sense of joy that it's really hard not to just play it over and over again. I can't wait to hear what else is on that record - Alisa Ali

BTS, ARIRANG (March 20)

It's no secret that I love boy bands (blame it on The Beatles). BTS member J-Hope and his K-pop mates have been away on mandatory military service, but are returning in the spring with new music and a tour. Okay, they're definitely eye candy, but they can dance, sing, and write great pop tunes. - Janet Bardini

Eric Hilton, A Sky So Close (February 20)

Most of us would consider 2025 to have been a rough ride. Eric Hilton’s forthcoming album, A Sky So Close, is the perfect  antidote providing 12 tracks of classic trip hop. And deep grooves to chill out to sounds like just what the doctor ordered,  especially when laced with sitar, tabla, wah guitar, and Hilton’s signature electronic handiwork. Hilton, who cofounded Thievery Corporation along with Rob Garza, describes his latest endeavor as a tantric experience. It’s a nod to the nineties that lands squarely in the now. - Delphine Blue

Morrissey, Make-up is a Lie (March 8)

There really isn't anything more that can be said of Moz's recent album release drama that hasn't already been said. With that in mind, it's still pretty amazing that we actually have a new Morrissey album on the way on a new/old label (Sire Records) as well as the promise of a year-long tour. - Russ Borris

Squeeze, Trixies (March 6)

As an inveterate gold miner, I'm fascinated by Squeeze announcing Trixies, a first-ever recording of songs that Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook wrote together in their teens. Squeeze had yet to form and they had no resources to bring these songs to full potential. A long and storied career later, the decades-dormant 'concept album" is finally ready to be unveiled as a new band project. - Paul Cavalconte

Courtney Barnett, Creature of Habit (March 27)

I've always appreciated Courtney Barnett's ability to be somewhat "narky," but never quite mean, in her ability to get to the point of telling us exactly what's on her mind. "Stay in Your Lane," her new single, is a good example. There's an observational quality to the songwriting, as on 2021's "Rae Street," that's both personal to Barnett and universal for everyone else. I'm looking forward to her next album, out this spring. - Dennis Elsas

GENA, The Pleasure is Yours (February 27)

This year is shaping up to be a promising one for debut albums — Fcukers, deary, and Chalk's forthcoming releases come to mind — as does the first album from GENA, the partnership of Dallas-born, Los Angeles-based vocalist Liv.e and drummer and producer Karriem Riggins. (The duo's moniker is an acronym for God Energy, Naturally Amazing.)  Of the handful of sultry, buttery-smooth singles that have sailed from GENA's The Pleasure is Yours so far — like the languid drawl of "HOWWEFLOW," the downtempo funk of "Lead It Up," and the acid-jazzy flow of "Circlesz" — it's clear that this album is meant for a midnight rendezvous. - Kara Manning

Sarah Kinsley, Fleeting (February 13)

I'm looking forward to more catchy melodies and pop hooks from Sarah Kinsley with this year's follow-up to her debut album, Escaper, from a couple of years back. You'll find her performance of "Last Time We Never Meet Again" on our current FUV Live 28 CD. You may have already heard a bit of the forthcoming Fleeting on the station and if you're like me, you're looking forward to seeing Sarah at Brooklyn Steel on April 28. - Corny O'Connell

Iron & Wine, Hen’s Teeth (February 27)

Explaining the title of his new album, Iron & Wine's Sam Beam says: “Hen’s teeth do not exist. And that’s what this record felt like: a gift that shouldn’t be there, but it is. An impossible thing but it’s real.” A sibling to his gorgeous 2024 record, Light Verse, Hen’s Teeth is a product of the same recording sessions which took place at Waystation, a studio in Laurel Canyon. The darker companion to its predecessor, Hen’s Teeth will come to us in the middle of a cold winter, perhaps when we’re most in need of the poetry of Iron & Wine. - Emma Philippas

Boy Golden, Best of Our Possible Lives (February 13)

Boy Golden, the croonin' cowboy alter ego of Winnipeg artist Liam Duncan, is further proof for my theory that the best music comes out of Canada (and, yes, they’re very nice too). Above all, I’m a sucker for lyrics, and Liam lassos together just a few words to craft simple but impactful—or just plain sweet—lines that I love. Check out “Suffer” ("Prices go up and they don’t go down/costs 40 bucks just to hang around") or the Cat Clyde collab “Cowboy Dreams” ("My love is pumpkin pie/my love’s cool whip") and get ready for a record’s worth of tracks that good. You’re gonna love it! - Sam Sumpter