Halfway to CTRL+ALT+REPEAT: Best Albums of 2026 (So Far)
Mitski, Holly Humberstone, Yumi Zouma, and Static Dress have released some of the best albums of 2026 so far.
We’re halfway through 2026, and that means we’re just six months out from Off the Record’s annual CTRL+ALT+REPEAT series that recaps the best of the indie, alt, and rock worlds from the preceding year. With the first half of the year already offering up plenty of fantastic releases to fill up audiophiles’ playlists, we’re doing a midyear check-in to reflect on the best albums released so far — from debut projects by former Disney stars to exciting new releases from beloved indie mainstays. The music of 2026 has already set the bar high, and we can’t wait to see what the next six months have in store.
In release order, here are the OTR staff’s picks for the best albums of the year (so far).
No Love Lost to Kindness by Yumi Zouma
Jane Flautt, Music Extras Co-Editor
The polished and expansive fifth studio album from New Zealand four-piece Yumi Zouma opens with a Western-infused alt-rock track, “Cross My Heart and Hope to Die,” filled with jangly guitars and layers of ominously distorted vocals from Christie Simpson (vocals, keyboards) and Josh Burgess (keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, vocals). What follows is a three-track run that’s a string of earworms, from the bright electro-pop and rollicking drums of “Bashville on the Sugar,” to the emo angst of “Drag,” and the fuzzy, up-tempo scorcher of a song that is “Blister.” As the album progresses, Yumi Zouma takes listeners on a wide-ranging journey: a love-letter-meets-space-Western soundscape on “Cowboy Without a Clue,” gentle and dreamy late-night revelations on “Chicago 2am,” and a few emphatic religious metaphors on “Judgement Day.”
On the penultimate track, “95” — a quiet contender for the best song of the album — the lyrics ruminate on the reality of achieving a lifelong dream and how it inevitably falls short of the fantasy, a fitting message of disillusionment from a band that’s been in the industry for over a decade. Textured yet cohesive, deliberate yet never contrived, No Love Lost to Kindness is an album that rewards multiple listens and is as captivating as it is eclectic.
Ode to the Greyhouse by Edgehill
Brooke Shapiro, Music Extras Co-Editor
Sometimes broody, sometimes sardonic, but always catchy, Edgehill’s long-awaited debut album is indie rock at its finest. From house show headlines to zine features, the Nashville-based trio has long been on OTR’s radar, but Ode to the Greyhouse has led to the band’s star to rise exponentially — and for good reason. The record has brilliant one-liners (see: “Man on the corner, an angel in need / And Jesus commands me to buy him some weed,” in opener “Drone Song”), blistering love songs like “Love To Go,” and powerful vocal performances on “Doubletake” and “Numb.” After a year of opening for acts ranging from Winyah to KALEO and ahead of their fall headlining tour, one thing is for certain: Edgehill is made for the stage and built to fulfill your indie rock needs.
Nothing’s About to Happen to Me by Mitski
Daisy Calderon Arredondo, Contributor
Fourteen years after the release of her debut record, Mitski expanded her discography with her eighth studio album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, this year. In contrast to her previous work, this album dives headfirst into heartbreak, the female psyche, dissociation, and co-dependency. Tracks like “I’ll Change for You” and “If I Leave” challenge notions of self-identity and invoke an equal sense of relatability and profound embarrassment. As a whole, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me is captivating, personal, and deeply uncomfortable — all things Mitski has long since perfected.
Watch the music video for “Fire 2” on YouTube.
Girlfriend by Grace Ives
Brooke Shapiro, Music Extras Co-Editor
Indie pop is experiencing its heyday, and Grace Ives is leading the pack. With a slew of summer festival appearances and tours with Gracie Abrams and Olivia Rodrigo on the horizon, the New York native’s 2026 record, Girlfriend, is bound not only to be a career-defining piece of work, but also a token of the year’s best indie pop. Over 11 tracks, Ives takes listeners’ hands and twirls them through the messy dancefloor of self-destruction, yearning, and euphoria. Anthemic, sample-pad-laden moments like “Avalanche,” “Dance With Me,” and “Stupid Bitches” lay the album’s addictive foundation while more restrained, quirkily-produced tracks like “Drink Up,” “My Mans,” and “Neither You Nor I” sharpen its insight. Unraveling like a formative Friday night, Girlfriend is nothing if not Grace Ives at her keenest.
F.I.G by Naomi Scott
Athena Galatis, Contributor
The road between an acting career and a singing career is indisputably a well-traveled one. Often, it takes multiple albums or films for an artist to fully come into their own on the other side, but Naomi Scott has somehow managed to make the transition with her debut solo project, F.I.G. Across 11 vibrant, alt-pop anthems, Scott showcases her artistry as a songwriter and creative director, having invested over three years in developing the project alongside executive producer Lido and other close collaborators like Dev Hynes (Blood Orange). As she continues touring in support of the record, F.I.G has solidified its place as a spring and summer 2026 staple worthy of a spot in your rotation.
U by underscores
Mitchell Stewart, Staff Writer
Underscores is having a victory lap of a year with the release of her third album, U. The album was released to high praise for its effortless devotion to playing with the concept of genre and combining rock, alt, electronic, and hyperpop into one cohesive blend. U is a true no-skips album that is a trip through various vignettes of underscores’ psyche as she grapples with stardom and its effect on her relationships. Currently, she’s touring the record on the sold-out Galleria tour with support from longtime collaborator Umru; the energy of those crowds has been electric, whether it be in the Radius in Chicago or at The Observatory in Santa Ana. Recently, she had to cancel dates on her second leg of the North American Galleria tour as she was announced to be the opener for Charli xcx’s tour in support of her upcoming album Music, Fashion, and Film. Underscores is sure to become a household name in the coming months as she skyrockets to new heights off the success of U and the probable, yet unannounced, deluxe edition.
Cruel World by Holly Humberstone
Tabita Bernardus, Head Writing Editor
For pop princess Holly Humberstone, the world is her oyster, no matter how unkind it can be. The singer-songwriter’s recent studio album, Cruel World, toes the line between harrowing heartbreak and nostalgic bliss. Unearthing truths beneath her childhood memories of whimsy and wonder, a mature, healed, and still-figuring-it-out Humberstone approaches her new body of work with brighter eyes and a lighter heart. Mystical bookends “So It Starts…” and “Beauty Pageant” sandwich the record with a circular synth-to-strings sequence, while “To Love Somebody” and “Drunk Dialing” showcase her bright melodies that make you want to sway on the dance floor. If Humberstone’s Cruel World teaches us something, it’s that loving is never a crime, and your inner child always knows best.
Watch the official music video for “She Does It Right” on YouTube.
Peaches! by The Black Keys
Seay Howell, Senior Writer
If anyone knows how to do good, old-fashioned rock-and-roll, it’s Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys. Peaches!, the band’s 14th studio album, is a blues cover album in the same vein as their previous cover records Delta Kream (2021) and Chulahoma (2006). What started as a cathartic jam session while Auerbach’s father was in the final stages of cancer was condensed into an emotional feedback loop that expresses the band’s grief through the echoes of the past, like a howl in a cave that gets amplified the farther it gets. There’s a reason why The Black Keys have been pulled back to classic, bluesy rock time and time again over their 25 years as a band — they’re damn good at it. On Peaches!, The Black Keys have found the perfect sonic articulation of muddy and stomping, tinny and syrupy, gritty and slick. If you need a soundtrack for your summer road trip, listen to Peaches! as a trilogy alongside Delta Cream and Chulahoma, and even a Subaru can feel like a muscle car.
Injury Episode by Static Dress
Emily Cheyne, Contributor
Injury Episode is the latest release from UK-based band Static Dress. This album is nothing short of intentional, cohesive, and emotional — it is simply their most polished work yet. Entirely self-produced by the band, Injury Episode touches on the grief, nostalgia, and personal struggles that frontman Olli Appleyard has experienced. Blending post-hardcore, metalcore, and alternative styles, it’s packed with high-energy, heavy breakdowns. With blistering tracks like “Nostalgia Kills” featuring Underoath and “...hospice,” it is a promising sophomore album from a band brimming with raw emotion.