Top Albums/EPs of 2026 (so far)…

2026 did not arrive quietly. Month over month we’ve been blessed with tremendous releases from new bands, veterans returning from hiatus, and the newest cycle from trusted acts. The year is already halfway through somehow, and so EchoEthos has their favorite projects of 2026 so far listed below alphabetically. Cut off is late May, and standouts are marked with a star ✯:

…Beginning of the End by Portrayal of Guilt ✯ Genre: Avant-Garde Metal/Black Metal/Sludge Metal

a short history of decay by Nothing ✯ Genre: Shoegaze/Indie Rock/Noise Pop/Dream Pop/Slowcore

A Sky So Close by Eric Hilton Genre: Downtempo/Trip Hop/Chillout/Ambient

According To… by RJD2 & Supastition Genre: Boom Bap/Conscious Hip Hop

Bborn Again by PPP (Piezo; DJ Plead; DJ Python) ✯ Genre: Experimental IDM/UK Bass/Latin Electronic/Tech House

PPP is the amalgamated sound of electronic music finding the apex of collaboration and cross-genre experimentation. UK Bass, Latin Electronic, and Middle-Eastern traditional rhythms mesh together through the unifying experience that is BBorn Again. “Wisco” is the best opening track of the year, setting the tone early and definitively to promise listeners a collage of eerie sound clips designed to be traversed only through the controlled convulsions of mind-freeing, sweat-inducing dance. The cascading vocal chops immediately summarize the works of all three talented collaborators. DJ Python is known for his ethereal use of vocals, DJ Plead for his shifting basslines, and Piezo for the wonky approach to sound design. The album is bolstered by all their strengths, and finds within their interplay a balance of chaotic chimes and meticulously curated paths for the explosions of catharsis to travel along. It was my great pleasure to recommend PPP to a friend. When she told me she’d been listening to it non-stop since being introduced, I knew I wasn’t exaggerating the dominance of PPP in the arena of electronic experimentation. The negative space in between beats, the stillness that exists between phrases of bombastic complexity give way to contemplation. There is an airy weightlessness that is refreshing, despite the heavy pounding rhythms that lurch throughout the tracklist. The auditory equivalent of watching an elephant pirouette. There is elegance and refined strength, used only with the goal in mind of expressing beauty. There are so many artists today desperate to find the sound of the future and of what comes next after the lingering effervescence of hyperpop and post-dubstep fades. BBorn Again is one of the first instances of an answer that can break into the mainstream based on its own merits and studiously constructed expression, from the majestically angelic album art to the precision of every percussive pulse. New sounds appear like newly formed neurons, connecting disparate sections of a network and orchestrating a web of thematically cohesive soundscapes that feel like transmissions from the hivemind of another planet. PPP doesn’t intend to mimic a previously conceived future, or portray a dystopian apocalypse, but instead to walk down the line of the current state of electronic music and push forward to cross the frontier and break new ground.

Bittersweet by Mia Koden Genre: Dubstep/UK Funky

Black Magic by Casual Genre: Hip Hop/Rap

Bloom by Two Swords Genre: Electronic/Drum & Bass/Footwork

Butterfly by Daphni ✯ Genre: Tech House/Funky House/Progressive House

Ca$ino by Baby Keem Genre: Pop Rap/Conscious Hip Hop/Trap

Can I Get A Pack Of Camel Lights? by Geologist Genre: Neo-Psychedelia/Post-Rock/Krautrock/Drone

Can Such Delightful Times Go On Forever? by The Soft Pink Truth Genre: Modern Classical/Chamber Music/Post-Minimalism

Canada by Placid Angles ✯ Genre: Ambient Techno/Deep Techno/Breakbeat

Cara Maluco by Osees ✯ Genre: Psychedelic Rock/Garage Rock/Garage Punk

Cerulean by Danny L Harle Genre: Trance/Hyperpop

Classics Vol. 1 (We tried hard and failed again… enjoy!) by Modeselektor Genre: Electronic/IDM/Techno

COLD 2 THE TOUCH by Angel Du$t ✯ Genre: Punk/Hardcore/Indie Rock

COME CLOSER by TOMORA (AURORA & Tom Rowlands) ✯ Genre: Electronic Dance Music/Trip Hop/Art Pop

There is a twisted optimism that punctures through the swirling mass of trance inspired euro-dance beats that establish the foundation for the art-house take on festival EDM that TOMORA sets their intent on here. “RING THE ALARM” appears in such a violent outburst from the slowly building tension of COME CLOSER that the album title begins to read more like a threat. The video game-esque track “I DRINK THE LIGHT” breezes by in a fleeting but forceful confrontation like the seminal “Sandstorm” by Durude, despite both songs being seven minutes long. The oscillating vocal samples that bridge into “WAVELENGTHS” cleanses the listener’s palette before collapsing the emotional weight of the music into itself like a black hole. The artificial modulations and electronic afflictions altering the cadence of AURORA’s pristine voice shift in and out, disappearing completely only to pierce through as a reminder of Chemical Brother Tom Rowlands’ graceful restraint. The beauty of AURORA’s plain but arresting lyrics is made all the more poignant by her gently expanding waves of vocal instrumentation that melt in between the words. Tom Rowlands cooks throughout with the diligence of a chef that knows a curry can be made too spicy in fact, or an ice cream too cold. The beat switches are purposeful and effective, and the lingering moments of trance are dutifully earned. While “RING THE ALARM” stands out as the most audacious lead single in recent memory for an album release, the pace is never matched again in intensity but instead in sentiment and in the inspiration for motion, both as an inward traversal and as freely swinging arms. AURORA’s best work until now has been “Eve of Destruction”, her 2019 collab with the full Chemical Brothers duo. Now with COME CLOSER, she proves that her pop sensibilities combined with IDM sheen can rival work by Robyn & Royksopp, Charli xcx & AG Cook, or FKA Twigs & Koreless.

Control by Xiao Genre: Hardcore Punk/Powerviolence

Desert So Green by Winged Wheel Genre: Psychedelic Rock/Krautrock/Noise Rock/Ambient

e.t.d.s. A Mixtape by .idk. by IDK Genre: Boom Bap/Jazz Rap/Pop Rap/Conscious Hip Hop

ElectroSoul by DJ HARRISON Genre: Alternative R&B/Jazz-Funk/Funk/Alternative Rap

Feeling Is Structure by Max Cooper ✯ Genre: Electronic/IDM/Experimental Techno

Fold by Jump Source (Patrick Holland & Priori) ✯ Genre: Tech House/Ambient Techno/Dub Techno

Forever Ends Someday by Wesley Joseph Genre: Alternative R&B/Hip Hop

Friend Remixes by james K Genre: Chillout//Trip Hop/Ambient Dub/IDM

HELP(2) by War Child Records Genre: Indie Rock/Art Rock/Singer-Songwriter

Hymns From The Hills by Poison Ruïn ✯ Genre: Hardcore Punk/Dungeon Synth

Hyperphantasia by Lone Genre: UK Garage/Breakbeat

i live alone by Plash Genre: Midwest Emo/Shoegaze/Art Rock

i sure am getting sick of this bowling alley by Mclusky Genre: Noise Rock/Post-Hardcore

I Went Through This Experience Smiling by Youth Novel Genre: Screamo/Metalcore/Post-Hardcore

ICE WATER by CRUSH YOUR SOUL ✯ Genre: Metalcore/Beatdown Hardcore

In 1,000 Agonies, I Exist by Gylt Genre: Hardcore Punk/Sludge Metal

Inferno by Boards of Canada ✯ Genre: Downtempo/Ambient/Progressive Electronic/Sampledelia

- Rylie Lillibridge (@rylie.lillibridge)

Listening to music might be akin to a religious experience for some, but the resurrection of Boards of Canada truly feels like nothing short of a miracle. Inferno, the enigmatic duo’s first album in 13 years, channels the sinister energy of Geogaddi in Tomorrow’s Harvest’s hi-fi. On their fifth record, the Scottish brothers descend into explorations of devotion, the occult and what lies beyond this plane of existence. Initially, Inferno sounds like a departure from the act’s previous catalog, with many songs featuring their most prominent samples yet. Lead single “Prophecy at 1420 Mhz” is anchored by a robotic narrator commanding over industrial-tinged percussion. Following tracks such as “The Word Becomes Flesh” feature samples that sound like they were plundered from the depths of a YouTube rabbit hole. Repeated listens reveal shared DNA with hazier moments of the pair’s earlier works. “Acts of Magic” buzzes, churns, and simmers before melting into the desolation of “Memory Death.” Standouts “Naraka” and “Arena Americanada” feel instantly at home in Boards of Canada canon, possessing the same sense of cinematic intensity as Tomorrow’s Harvest’s “New Seeds.” Penultimate track “You Retreat in Time and Space” provides a moment of warm meditation after a labyrinthine journey. What the future holds for the duo remains a mystery, but for now, Inferno was well worth the wait.

In The Lurch by Fugue State Genre: Garage Rock/Acid Rock/Noise Rock/Post-Punk

Inspired Life by Pijus Genre: Future Garage/Electronic/IDM/Lo-Fi

Invincible VS (Original Game Soundtrack) by The Glitch Mob Genre: Electronic/Jersey Club

Loud Bloom by Olof Dreijer ✯ Genre: Kuduro/UK Funky/Ambient/Tech House/Tribal House

Love Is Not Enough by Converge ✯ Genre: Metalcore/Mathcore/Hardcore Punk/Sludge Metal

Nine Inch Noize by Nine Inch Noize ✯ Genre: Industrial/Darksynth/IDM/Alternative Rock

- Rey D’Agostino (@reydagostino)

Remix albums are nothing new for Nine Inch Nails, and after two collaborations on film scores for Challengers and Tron: Ares, Boys Noize joins them in the desert to close out the uber successful Peel It Back tour. The tracklist is perfectly curated, extracting elements and deeper cuts from the aforementioned tour and expanding on them to fit the larger than life production of the Coachella performance this record supports. It’s dark, futuristic, and one of the most imaginative projects Trent Reznor has conjured in the last few years. Bringing new life to fan favorites such as “Heresy,” giving us a How to Destroy Angels reunion with Mariqueen Maandig on “Parasite,” and a total left field performance of Soft Cell’s “Memorabilia,” making its live debut over 30 years later. Boys Noize’s techno inclusion into the industrial legacy of Nine Inch Nails has brought them to new heights, and marked a new level in their respective careers.

No More Like This by PVA Genre: Trip Hop/Synthpop/EBM/Darkwave/Futurepop

Of The Earth by Shabaka Genre: Spiritual Jazz/Nu Jazz/Avant-Garde Jazz

OUTTANATIONAL by Pigeon Genre: Afrobeat/Krautrock/Punk-Funk/Psychedelic Rock

PASSION by Terrace Martin Genre: R&B/Soul/Jazz

password 2 by username Genre: Footwork/Glitch Hop/IDM

Peace In Place by Poison The Well Genre: Metalcore/Alternative Metal/Post-Hardcore

Please Delete This by Double Life Genre: Post-Hardcore/Alternative Rock/Emo/Melodic Hardcore

Product of New York by Incendiary Genre: Hardcore Punk/Metalcore/Beatdown Hardcore

sacrificio by Safety Trance Genre: Latin Electronic/Deconstructed Club/Industrial/Witch House

Savage Imperial Death March by Melvins; Napalm Death ✯ Genre: Sludge Metal/Experimental Rock/Stoner/Avant-Garde Death Metal

Sd-3 by Loukeman ✯ Genre: Sampledelia/IDM/Experimental Electronic

Sexistential by Robyn Genre: Synthpop/Dance-Pop/Electropop

Sigils For Survival by Octo Octa ✯-`♡´- Genre: Deep House/Breakbeat/Acid Tech

Slutworld by Slut Intent Genre: Hardcore Punk

Spiral Staircases by Larry June; Curren$y; The Alchemist Genre: Jazz Rap/Southern Hip Hop/Bay Area Hip Hop

Strictly 4 The Scythe by Denzel Curry; A$AP Ferg; TiaCorine ✯ Genre: Hardcore Hip Hop/Trap/Memphis Rap/Dirty South/Gangsta Rap

THE HORIZON SPIRALS / THE HORIZON VIRAL by OOIOO; Lightning Bolt Genre: Experimental Rock/Alternative Rock/Noise Rock

The Mountain by Gorillaz ✯ Genre: Worldbeat/Synthpop/Psychedelia/Art Pop/Alternative Rock

THE 可愛い MALL by Shy Electronics Genre: Ambient/Electronic/Alternative

THOSE WE’VE LOST AND CONTINUE TO LOSE by Carrion Spring Genre: Screamo/Post-Hardcore/Punk/Hardcore

Total Nuclear Annihilation by World I Hate ✯ Genre: Powerviolence/Hardcore/Modern Hardcore

Tragic Magic by Julianna Barwick; Mary Lattimore Genre: Ambient/New Age/Experimental

Tremor (Midnight Versions) by Daniel Avery ✯ Genre: Techno/Drum and Bass/Electronic/Industrial

Trying Times by James Blake Genre: Art Pop/Alternative R&B/Electronic/Post-Dubstep

URGH by Mandy, Indiana ✯ Genre: Industrial Rock/Synth Punk

Versions Vol. 1 by Emily Jeanne Genre: Drum and Bass/Electronic

When A Flower Doesn’t Grow by Softcult Genre: Shoegaze/Alternative Rock/Dream Pop/Grunge

Wilding (Original Soundtrack) by Jon Hopkins Genre: Ambient/Electronic/Neo Folk

Written into Changes by Avalon Emerson ✯ Genre: Indie Electronic/Art Rock/Dream Pop

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned at the end of the year for the big list, and keep in touch by checking out my links here to follow and find the albums organized into a playlist.

Follow @EchoEthos on Instagram and YouTube to stay up-to-date and support your local scene.