Arctic Monkeys- “Opening Night” (War Child)
Recorded for an upcoming charity project via the War Child organization, “Opening Night” immediately feels like vintage Arctic Monkeys, with its hushed and seductively escalating allure. Lead vocalist Alex Turner reaffirms his status as one of the most hauntingly beautiful rock voices of his generation, with his bandmates’ hypnotically captivating harmonies and subtle instrumental flourishes reaching a piercing fever pitch at all the precise moments in the song’s other-worldly chorus. This is modern rock & roll at its most entrancing.
Beck- “True Love Will Find You In the End” (Capitol)
Beck is probably not the most common artist that listeners turn to when hoping to stir up the romance, but perhaps that will all change with his most recent compilation of love songs, which features this sparse cover of Daniel Johnston. He pays great justice to the late singer-songwriter’s signature lo-fi sound, delivering a tenderly resonant and quietly hopeful vocal that reminds us of the simple power in the pairing of great song and a faithfully interpretive singer.
Kashus Culpepper- “Alabama Beauty Queen” (Big Loud)
This rising Alabama musician immediately sets himself apart from the pack with a beautiful rasp and a soul-country-folk hybrid that sounds completely his and his alone. Culpepper doesn’t possess the kind of belty pipes of most artists that record in this vein (think Maggie Rose, etc), but he sure knows how to utilize his voice’s strengths to the fullest. Even more refreshing is the fact that recording for a major label didn’t saddle him with a production team obsessed with over-polishing his music. Everything here- the performer, the song, and the production-is given the perfect amount of space to breathe and soar.
Olivia Dean- “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” (Capitol)
Now that Olivia Dean has scored a major pop moment with breakthrough smash, “Man I Need”, its follow-up single invites her newfound audience to discover her fresh and youthful distillation of pop, R&B, and bossa nova-leaning jazz. It’s a tremendous showcase of the silky range of her luminous voice, and her singing glides in and out of the sophisticated musical touches of the production with the natural ease of a vocalist far beyond her years. Utterly retro but also impressively fresh, it would make for another rewarding dark-horse hit in the 2026 pop scene.
Amy Grant- “The 6th of January (Yasgur’s Farm)” (Thirty Tigers)
A thoughtful, full-fledged folk outing which proves to be a setting beautifully suited to Amy Grant’s aging voice, within which we find a newly weathered rasp residing against the still-present brightness of her golden years. The song’s title will immediately lead you to believe this is a political statement, but it’s really more a disheartened social contemplation, specifically questioning how our nation’s culture and humanity devolved from the peaceful hope of Woodstock to the divisive society represented by the events of January 6th, 2021. Per her typical career hallmarks, Grant navigates all of this with grace, empathy, and honesty. A pointed yet poignant visit from an old friend who still has plenty left to say.
Hardy, Eric Church, Morgan Wallen & Tim McGraw- “McArthur” (Big Loud)
An impressively significant record for far more reasons than just the supergroup-level star-power in the marquee. A classic country story song told through the generations of a blue-collar farming family, it finds each singer taking a turn telling the narrative of their own patriarch in the lineage. Not only is the song written and constructed convincingly, but its supported by an unapologetically authentic country production heavy in fiddle and mandolin. Meanwhile, each vocalist delivers an equally sturdy and genuine interpretation, with their ultimate unification on the final chorus proving to be the richly rewarding payoff. McGraw’s catalog is the closest to have anything consistently resembling this track, but Hardy, Church, and Wallen all prove their country bona-fides are strong here. It’s the purest country story song that has seen the light of day in the Nashville mainstream in eons, and certainly one of the most remarkable moments any of these artists has crafted in years, and in some cases, ever.
Noah Kahan- “The Great Divide” (Mercury)
A rippling and deeply resonant folk-rock anthem that further supports Kahan’s rise as one of this decade’s most prominent representation of American roots music in the greater pop sphere. The intimate specificity and emotive power of his lyrical talent continue to cut deep and paint a vividly rich brand of storytelling. Meanwhile, his warm folk timbre brings it all to inspired emotional life while his increasingly robust guitar work adds a fetching and bold durability to the sonic trappings. It all comes together in stellar fashion, making for a very promising launch of a new era in his discography.
Bruno Mars- “I Just Might” (Atlantic)
Speaking of satisfying era launchers, enter “I Just Might”, the premier single from Bruno Mars’ first proper solo studio album in a decade. Set to a sunny pop-soul production, it immediately radiates with all of the entertaining charisma, campy fun, and cheeky lyrics that Mars has built his impressive hit resume upon. He’s proven himself to be one of pop music’s most suavely strategic headliners. He’s never really gone too far away thanks to the bevy of smash collabs he’s continually participated in. But he’s been very smart to spread out his solo catalog, in turn extending the shelf-life of the charming novelties his biggest hits have been defined by. It keeps silly lines like “What good is a beauty if your booty ain’t got a beat?” fun and fresh, rather than stale and cringey. And “I Just Might” is a mighty fun and fresh way to start the year; making it 2026’s first certifiable smash.
Ashley McBryde- “What If We Don’t” (Warner)
The always emotively engaging Ashley McBryde is doing some of her career-best singing on this lead single from her forthcoming fifth studio album. When broken down to the studs, it’s a fairly straight-forward 21st century country track, centered around the tense anticipation of a “should-we or shouldn’t-we” romantic entanglement. But it’s the purity and passion of McBryde’s rich voice, with some assistance from a fiery guitar track, that elevates it into something impressively palpable and memorable. She remains one of this era’s most reliably consistent leading ladies, both inside and beyond the country music realm.
Jamie O’Neal- “Slippery Slope” (Audium)
A fun, charming, and utterly fiddle-laden outing from one of the most under-appreciated vocal talents of her era. The song, and its recently released source album, isn’t anything remarkable or groundbreaking, but this is an undeniably infectious delight that I keep returning to for additional helpings. Her voice hasn’t lost an ounce of the personality, purity, or power that it possessed in her heyday, and it’s simply a treat to hear Jamie O’Neal still singing after all these years.
Carly Pearce- “Church Girl” (Big Machine)
It’s only fitting that this latest Carly Pearce release tips its hat to the turn-of-phrase of her 2020 hit, “Next Girl”, because the song itself remains loyally tethered to the elevated artistic quality that Pearce first achieved with that particular album era, and has only built upon since. “Church Girl” is keenly aware that one’s faith is far more complex and flawed than mainstream religious entities prefer to portray, and it’s difficult to express how refreshing that is, not just in terms of 2026’s politicized narrative, but within mainstream country music in particular. Once again, Pearce’s music impresses in terms of its unique empathy, tenderness, and realism.
Robyn- “Sexistential”/”Talk to Me” (Young)
Holy smokes, what a dizzying double-A-side release from one of pop music’s most enduring veterans. The first half of the release finds Robyn rapping through a blistering house-pop track. That concept alone is enough to make “Sexistential” a uniquely fresh outing. And then you realize that the song is about a woman’s sexually frustrating experience throughout IVF treatment, and you’re struck with what uncharted territory she’s exploring here in terms of the pop lexicon, and society in general. This segues into “Talk to Me”, which brings the insatiable charms and nuances of her seemingly ageless vocal range back to the forefront, while escalating the dance energy to the same levels as the very best bops in her catalog. The whole affair is so much damn fun, that it’s easy to almost forget just how groundbreaking it all is at its core.
Bruce Springsteen- “Streets of Minneapolis” (Columbia)
Over three decades ago, Bruce Springsteen unveiled one of his most striking social anthems with “Streets of Philadelphia”, a haunting ballad written for the soundtrack of Philadelphia, a groundbreaking film that depicted the AIDS epidemic. Now, a similarly-titled single arrives to directly and unapologetically address another cultural crisis, in this case the current chaos and tragedy triggered by the ICE presence in Minneapolis, which has sadly already cast 2026 in the same polarized cloud as the preceding ten years. Now, if Springsteen’s well-established political stances are suddenly causing inner-conflict for any of you conservative-leaning Boss-fans, then you’re probably still four decades behind in realizing the irony of Reagan using “Born in the USA” as a campaign anthem. At the end of the day, whether you agree with the more partisan opinions of the track or not, it’s difficult to deny what a powerful documentation this song is of the current moment. It’s a chilling experience each time he sings “in the Winter of ’26” as current events continue to unfold, and it promises to be a timeless emotive reaction that will only grow in stature retroactively. It’s emblematic of the powerful and poetic qualities that have made Bruce Springsteen one of the most significant cultural voices across multiple generations, and this performance promises to be as critical to that legacy as “Philadelphia”, and the many momentous records that have preceded it in his canon.
Harry Styles- “Aperture” (Columbia)
The pop prince’s comeback single after nearly four years of hibernation will not reign as Harry Styles’ most immediately accessible single, but more importantly reveals itself as the continued evolution from a deeply creative artist who refuses to rest on past laurels. You’ll be about three-quarters through the first listen before you’ll realize how engrained it is in your consciousness, and you’ll need another half-dozen listens to truly appreciate and understand just the majority of the track. It’s the sign of a recording artist who is just as deeply committed to crafting meaningful art, as he is extending his hit-list. And that’s not to say this won’t too be a massive hit, because there’s no denying the soul-stirring spell it casts. The present pop scene is immediately elevated by his reemerged presence.
Trisha Yearwood- “Different Kinda Hard” (Gwendolyn)
There’s a lot of harrowing emotions that well up within me hearing my favorite singer deliver a line such as “I never thought too much about how fast this life can move/’Til I had less in the windshield than I’ve got in my rearview.” First off, I certainly hope there’s still plenty left in the windshield in terms of her recording career, now that we’ve finally been introduced to Trisha Yearwood, the songwriter. Because, damn, it’s been a rewarding twilight development in her fabulous trajectory, especially given how flawlessly fantastic she also remains as a vocalist. More pivotally however, this song has me reflecting on how prophetic the passage of time feels in this particular cycle of my life, and especially that of my parents and grandparents. But the very best songs find ways to strike a bittersweet blend of emotions. Case in point: the warm comfort the song also provides in terms of emphasizing the wisdom, strength, and appreciation that lies within our past experiences, particularly those that were most trying in the moment.
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