Following the playlist I posted in April, Out of Phase, here are 21 more tunes from 2026 worth checking out.

1. The Avalanches/jamie xx, “Every Single Weekend”: A natural two peas in a pod, the elder group and their younger heir both spinning pocket symphonies predominantly out of samples. This brief but playful romp might be a preview from the Avalanches fourth album, though they haven’t announced one yet.

2. Slow Pulp, “Better Man”: Very little to do with Jarvis Cocker’s band, it’s a nifty stimulant between Alvvays albums, albeit with more explicit arena rock undertones (are they fans of The Outfield?) 

3. The Tubs, “Who’s Gonna Love You Now?”: From their forthcoming third album Hard Life, its immaculate jangle pop is more of the glorious same—completely acceptable given such melodic prowess and an ability to locate infinite shades of color within a formula.

4. Tyler Ballgame, “I Believe In Love”: Another case of I-would-never-expect-that-voice-to-come-from-that-person. You shouldn’t judge books by covers, of course but Mr. Ballgame’s fluid, yearning falsetto wafting over a perfectly swoony melody is a surprising but pleasurable summer tonic.

5. Rayvn Lenae, “Saturday Night”: Sounds little like last year’s retro soul crossover hit “Love Me Not” although one could make a case for it being equally retro, only steeped in late ‘80s dance-pop (or whatever they called disco in that era); it’s also nothing much like the other pre-release singles from upcoming Blue Island.

6. Nicole Atkins, “When The Night Falls”: A triumphant return after a six-year hiatus. Instantly recognizably her (that tremulous, soaring voice) but with less retro-isms and a more full-bodied production. Stokes great promise for Drama, her first album on kindred spirit Chris Isaak’s label.

7. Jessie Ware, “Sauna”: I nearly put the Morricone-sampling “Ride” on Out of Phase but wanted to wait to spotlight a track until Superbloom was released in full. While repeated plays of “Ride” elevates it to Magnificent Banger status, this exquisite disco thumper might even be better, tailored for maximum pleasure from dancefloor to poolside.

8. Madonna, “Danceteria”: As Craig Jenkins noted in Vulture, Madonna finally remembered she’s Madonna and the world is better for it. Confessions II plays to her tried-and-true strengths and this propulsive, origin-story-of-an-icon highlight reminds us why she still matters (perhaps it reminded her as well.)

9. Austra/Patrick Holland, “Siren Reprise”: A random Spotify find just as Jenn Champion’s “Love Nobody” was a few years ago. Borrows the best of anthemic 80s pop, alchemizing it into a confection effectively transcending its “retro” label.

10. Carly Rae Jepsen, “On Wires”: People love to call her stuff “teen pop” but as she passes forty, let’s just call it “pop”, ‘cause that’s what it is, even when she emphasizes sonorous textures over obvious hooks on this first single from upcoming double(!) album Day and Night.

11. Lykke Li, “Lucky Again”: I’d written her off, not connecting with any of her music after 2014. Happy, Li remembered she’s Li on her supposedly final album The Afterparty; this masterful single is a reminder as to why she once mattered.

12. Arab Strap, “You You You”: Third album into the reunion phase of their career and these Scots continue to locate nuance in their craft with Aidan Moffet’s inimitable snarl still a cover for his disarming sincerity. He may have “pruritus scroti in (his) crotch” but also love in his life, thank god.

13. Aldous Harding, “One Stop”: A New Zealand weirdo at her most accessible, which of course entails an immediate, persistent hook only subsiding once the rhythm section kicks in on the final minute-plus and the song transforms into a homage to Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark.

14. Steve Lacy, “The Feeling”: Four years later, I remain stunned that his “Bad Habit” topped the Billboard Hot 100 given its casualness, like he stumbled upon a hit. This spacious, soulful ballad is more immediate but also genuine in that there’s nothing calculated about it, as if another unlikely crossover would be welcomed but not at all expected.

15. Paul McCartney, “As You Lie There”: It’s above average, but I don’t anticipate The Boys of Dungeon Lane quite making my year-end top ten. This opening track, however, shows that McCartney’s forever capable of constructing a tune with numerous odd twists and turns but in a way where it all coheres almost effortlessly.

16. Rostam, “Back Of A Truck”: I’ve lost interest in Vampire Weekend since he left them and his pleasant solo work doesn’t scale the heights of anything from those first three VH albums, but I can’t deny this song’s hook or how reliably it mashes up Western and Eastern instrumentation.

17. Phoebe Bridgers, “Lost Boys”: As usual for Bridgers, it’s so unassuming it took a few spins for this to resonate. Downright peppy compared to much of her pre-Boygenius output which longtime fans may balk at, but at least it fuels curiosity for her next album, Lost Weekend.

18. Olivia Rodrigo, “Expectations”: In general, I’m far too old for Rodrigo’s demographic but now and then she’ll put out a punk-pop  gem like “Good 4 U” or this giddy 80s pastiche that, no matter how informed by Chappell Roan is a deliriously fun, “Kids In America”-quoting raveup that should be blasting from every car speaker this summer.

19. Broken Social Scene, “Relief”: Canadian Indie collective returns with another uncategorizable assortment of tunes, my favorite of which features Metric’s Emily Haines and is much sharper than any of her own band’s singles in recent memory.

20. Belle and Sebastian, “It Only Takes One Lion”: Stuart Murdoch and company have seen better days but their World Cup anthem might be the best one since New Order’s “World In Motion” for its optimism, energy and an essence that could come from no one else.

21. Fruit Bats, “The Landfill”: Like John Darnielle with The Mountain Goats, Eric D. Johnson’s venerable indie project has a consistency to its output that might seem boring if you’re not paying close attention. The title track from his 12^th album confirms this, resounding as if it has always existed.