Beck- ‘”Ride Lonesome”/”In the Night” (Capitol)
This pair of preview tracks from the rock legend’s first album in seven years confirms that Beck has firmly settled back into the moody folk-rock overtones of past projects like 2002’s Sea Change and 2014’s Morning Phase. With stripped and ethereal production that includes bone-chilling harmonies, eerie guitar work, and Beck’s own ghostly vocals, these tracks not only reside naturally against those two aforementioned classics, but also Neil Young’s beloved folk opuses from both the 1970s and the 1990s. This promises to be a pivotal next chapter from a rock poet already on the cusp of inevitable HOF induction.
Beyonce- “Morning Dew (Donk)” (Columbia)
The vault track that brings Queen Bey back to the scene after a couple-year absence is curiously meant to launch the upcoming 20th-anniversary version of her 2006 sophomore disc, B’Day, despite being a well-known left-over from the sessions for her 2013 self-titled release. With its irresistible thump, R&B-noir stylings, and overtly sensual imagery, it certainly owes more sonically to the latter project than the one its meant to landmark, but none of that really matters. We should just be glad we get to hear it. This performance offers one the superstar’s smoothest and most gorgeously evocative vocals across her nearly three decades of hit-slinging.
Leon Bridges- “Light the Way” (Columbia)
Speaking of smooth vocal stylings, the lead single from Leon Bridges’ first album in two years has entered the chat, y’all. The velvet vocalist first rose to critical acclaim and buzz-worthy popularity for his ability to tap into vintage soul and R&B, but the singer has rarely allowed that to box him in sonically since then, and “Light the Way” is no different. After exploring a folk-rock textured sound on 2024’s Leon, “Light the Way” returns him to a warm and more vintage urban sound, but one that flourishes with enticing variety. His vocals are pure soul, but they’re colored by a splashy and utterly danceable palette of jazzy horns, funky guitar, and a sexy beat that taps into both Latin and Afro influences. “Light the Way” is a fetching feast for the ears.
Phoebe Bridgers- “Lost Boys” (Dead Oceans)
The lead single from Phoebe Bridgers’ first solo project since her pandemic landmark, Punisher, is easily one of, if not the most fetching track of her compelling catalog. She achieves this not by sacrificing her chilly but haunting narrative presence, but rather by blending it with her most quietly catchy and jangly melody-production combination to date. The Peter Pan/lost boys theme may be a bit cliched and not as strikingly shocking as her typical lyrical framework. But it’s certainly uniquely mysterious and intriguing in Bridgers’ hands, even if it remains ever-difficult to top Ruth B.’s execution of it on her 2015 sleeper hit. A memorable and promising preview of what lies ahead on the LP.
Cage the Elephant- “Beaches in Tennessee” (Big Loud)
“Beaches in Tennessee” serves as the launch-release for the alt-kingpins’ stint on their new record label, but it serves more as a continuation rather than a refresh for a band that has remained consistently ripe and reliable throughout. Thematically, this song serves as perhaps the most pivotal of their nearly two-decade long canon. It revisits lead vocalist Matt Schultz’s 2023 mental break, and is sung from his perspective inside the psychiatric hospital where he spent several months recovering. The track pairs the deep subject-matter with the band’s signature sly deliveries, darkly sardonic imagery, and rippling modern garage sounds.
Dexter and the Moonrocks- “Freakin’ Out” (Big Loud)
When this rising ensemble boldly bestowed the title of Western Space Grunge upon their 2024 EP, it certainly felt immediately appropriate rather than like irritating posturing. Nevertheless, this breakout alt-smash feels like the moment where this declaration comes most fully to fruition. It rightfully feels like sacrilege to compare any act to Nirvana, yet it’s impossible to ignore how magically spooky lead vocalist James Tuffs is in his Cobain conjuring here. Meanwhile, the band’s musical performance perfectly simmers throughout to further elevate the ragged narrative of the dark side of a musician’s lifestyle. With the band’s full-length debut slated for fall, their music is increasingly feeling like a new and fresh chapter of a potent genre, rather than a mere novelty or nostalgia ride.
Brandon Flowers- “Plans” (Island)
In one of the most splendid stylistic pivots of the year, his forthcoming third solo outing finds The Killers’ frontman leaning gloriously into the tapestries of C&W and Americana roots. With lead single, “Plans”, Flowers’ warm lower register and wistful delivery of the chorus positively shimmer against a vibrant, rootsy soundscape of Bruce Bouton’s pedal steel and the legendary Charlie McCoy’s harmonica magic. Narratively, the track is an excellent extension of the dystopian small-town themes of the Killers’ 2021 Nebraska-inspired Pressure Machine, only with a hopeful charm that escaped many of the characters on that record. “Plans” is easily one of the year’s very best singles, and a thrilling preview to what also stands to be one of its best albums.
Stella Lefty- “Boston” (Atlantic Outpost)
As is often the case with runaway chart successes that seem to bubble up out of nowhere, “Boston” is proving to be one of the most polarizing records in the 2026 pop pantheon. A viral hit that first gained ground on TikTok, Stella Lefty now finds herself ascending both the country and pop charts, continuing a mainstream domination that country continues to lay claim to as the 2020s continue. Like all divisive cultural arguments, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Lefty is neither the second coming of Taylor Swift, nor is she the grim reaper to modern music. In reality, “Boston” is just fine. It has its rustic charms, and she earns bonus points for getting more steel on the Hot 100 than Morgan Wallen could ever take credit for. Lyrically, the chorus does indeed lift its melody directly from Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season”, and 17-year-old, debut-era Swift could write circles around the rest. Vocally, she’s just a notch above Megan Moroney, which serves as a stark reminder to the elevated bar needed for pure singing amongst 2020s country hitmakers. And I’ll be cursing her until 2028 for getting the “I like it that you’re nice to me” hook planted in my brain for at least that long.
Madonna- “Danceteria” (Warner)
Promotional tracks “I Feel So Free”, “Bring Your Love”, and “Love Sensation” all did a fantastic job slowly but surely building the anticipation for Confessions II, but it was all leading to the main event that is “Danceteria”, which for my money is the record’s ultimate moment, one of my definitive summer tracks, and an instant Madonna essential. As I stated in my review of the album, this track doesn’t just tip its hat to the original Confessions, but feels just as born from the iconic musical cloth that gave us “Vogue”, “Express Yourself”, and other classics. Like those dance epics, the joyously ravenous club spirit of “Danceteria” (complete with that Lou Reed sampling) radiates from Madonna’s vocal performance–easily her most contagious in decades–and courses through the speakers into the bloodstream of the listener. An era-defining moment that nobody should have ever doubted she was still capable of crafting.
Kacey Musgraves- “Mexico Honey” (Lost Highway)
Although the title remains in spirit with the Tejano textures of Middle of Nowhere, and the seductive subject matter serves as the perfect partner and anecdote to previous single, “Dry Spell”, “Mexico Honey” certainly feels like the most obvious outlier on the album. Nevertheless, Musgraves’ pure vocals and ever-playful delivery remain the central connective tissues here, while the slinky Latin-pop stylings make it far more likely to soundtrack the dance-floor at a salsa club next to a Karol G track than it does a Miranda Lambert hit in a dusty honky-tonk. As ever before, blurry genre lines are among the most entertaining aspects of Kacey’s catalog, and she’s endlessly enchanting throughout this should-be hit.
Orville Peck– “Too Little, Too Late” (Warner)
Now, here are the vocal standards that all of popular music should be aspiring to. After following up his fantastic sophomore-era with the fun and fascinating duets project, Stampede, Orville Peck reunites with producer Jay Joyce to launch his next solo outing. It also arrives in the aftermath of a bleak personal period that saw a turbulent romantic break-up lead to a near overdose and a rebuilding stint in rehab. But on “Too Little, Too Late”, Peck sounds as confident and clear-eyed as ever before, both vocally and narratively. Joyce meanwhile provides him with one of his most frenetically ripping sonic backdrops yet, and the combination of Peck’s booming wallops and the crisp country-rock production results in a truly triumphant return.
Billy Strings- “Burn the Other End” (Reprise)
Yet another captivating release from one of modern music’s most technically gifted and artistically daring voices. Billy Strings is no longer some bluegrass wunderkind; rather he’s now the leading creative force in that entire space, and a similarly impactful voice well beyond that realm as well. As ever, the instrumental prowess on display here is glorious, and Strings’ voice is mysteriously haunting, but particularly so in the wake of his troubled mother’s 2025 death, which will certainly inform the powerful music that awaits on his upcoming fifth LP.
Shania Twain featuring Josh Homme- “Faded Blue Jeans” (Republic)
It’s safe to say that a union between the queen of country-pop and the leader of alt-rockers Queens of the Stone Age was not on any bingo card on the face of the Earth. Yet, it’s a splendid surprise how naturally this collaboration fit into the spirit and back-to-roots aesthetic of Twain’s just dropped seventh album. Homme’s hard-edged harmonies and the stinging rock-guitar riffs prove to perfectly compliment Twain’s roaring vocal and the song’s melting-pop of country, bluegrass, rock, and blues. And what a sizzling pot it is, that fittingly captures the steamy and forbidden, coming-of-age passion that’s at the core of the track.
U2- “Street of Dreams” (Island)
The lead track from the rock legends’ first full-length in close to a decade immediately reveals itself as a multi-layered collision course of hymn-like harmonies, loud arena-rock guitar riffs, and a spiritually-tinged Spanish-English chorus line. Initially, it feels a bit overwhelming and more noisy than anything; uncharacteristically cluttered compared to the grandiose yet crisp productions of U2’s past. However, on repeat listens, the sheer brightness and triumphant jubilance of the performance starts to shine through, and it becomes increasingly natural to find yourself swept away in the rousing spirit of it all. An intriguing preview of what’s next in the story of these definitive rock visionaries.
Lainey Wilson with John Mayer- “Phone, Keys, Wallet” (BBR)
The country starlet once again chronicles the chaotic lifestyle of superstardom on this latest single, while crediting her new husband’s calming and patient nature for keeping her grounded through it all. Rather than employing her often frenetic roadhouse signatures to represent the first side of that coin, she instead leans into a calming groove, punctuated by Mayer’s typically wondrous guitar magic. He doesn’t lend any vocal contributions, instead leaving that to Wilson’s crisp, undeniable twang, which keeps the outing firmly planted in her core country wheelhouse. The clunky hook becomes much too wordy, but the rest of the track’s go-down-smooth quality prevents that critical complaint from sending the entire single off the rails.
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