There’s so much music coming out all the time that it’s hard to keep track. On those days when the influx of new tracks is particularly overwhelming, we sift through the noise to bring you a curated list of the most interesting new releases (the best of which will be added to our Best New Songs playlist). Below, check out our track roundup for Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
Heavenly – ‘Excuse Me’
For those tapped into a certain strain of indie pop, Heavenly’s first new album in 30 years is one of the most anticipated releases of 2026. Now, the album’s details have been revealed: Highway to Heavenly is set for release on February 27. New single ‘Excuse Me’, about “a teenage romance with the nerdiest boy in school,” is nerved with messy, exuberant energy.
Joyce Manor – ‘I Know Where Mark Chen Lives’
‘I Know Where Mark Chen Lives’, the opening track and latest single from Joyce Manor’s upcoming LP, is snappy yet piercingly nerve-wracking. “Mark Chen was a singer and songwriter for the bands Summer Vacation and Winter Break, which didn’t get quite as popular as they deserved to,” Barry Johnson explained in a statement. “I just love Mark’s songwriting and voice. Lyrically, the song was inspired by Chase and I hanging out, drinking and smoking weed and laughing about stuff, and we were talking about how when weed clubs first started, they’d give you a free dab and the budtender would do a dab with you. Dabs are insanely gnarly. I was cracking myself up imagining some 19-year-old girl that just did her third dab of the hour before getting robbed at gunpoint, because they’d always get robbed as cash businesses. That’s the imagery of the song: Those early days when weed was still not super fully legal. It was like the Wild West, a little bit. And yeah, that just gave me a chuckle because it’s really dark and brutal.”
Mandy, Indiana – ‘Cursive’
The first thing you’ll notice about Mandy, Indiana’s new single ‘Cursive’ is the way the percussion coils around itself, persistent yet eerily flexible. Then it all goes haywire. Synth player Simon commented: “‘Cursive’ is probably our most collaborative track to-date. Whilst Scott and Valentine often offer the initial impetus behind most of our songs, ‘Cursive’ was built up from a number of Alex’s rhythmic sketches and my bass sequence. Valentine added her vocals later and Scott worked to sculpt these elements together. It was exciting having everyone bring their own ideas to the table from the off, throwing them together and seeing what could come out of it — a bit of a step into the unknown for us as a band.”
Geologist – ‘Government Job’
Can I Get a Government Job? is not that attractive of a title, but Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights?, the actual name of Geologist’s first solo LP, is a much hookier. The Animal Collective member’s latest single is actually called ‘Government Job’, and it’s got no lyrics to elucidate why, but Brian Weitz’s press statement does: “20 years ago, I left a government job to do Animal Collective full time. That might sound like a no-brainer trade, but there are days I don’t know about that. I liked the job and think there is honor in many government jobs – especially living in DC now as I watch so many crucial ones being eliminated with little reason beyond cruelty and greed. I got to be part of many beautiful things in music, but if I still had the job I’d ideally be part of a solid foundation that lets others experience beautiful things for themselves. So for the song ‘Government Job’ I stripped away all the hurdy gurdy parts from my live set and gave the electronic foundation to Adam, Emma, and Merrick to express themselves on top (except Merrick thinks the guitar sounds trashy but I insisted he play it on a half broken guitar my wife picked up at a thrift store to casually leave around the house in case the kids wanted to teach themselves.)”
Bory – ‘By the Lake’
Bory has returned with news of his sophomore LP, Never Turns to Night, which arrives on Bleak Enterprise on March 6. Along with the announcement, Bory has shared the torn yet life-affirming new single ‘By the Lake’, about which Brenden Ramirez said: “I was going through a pretty rough time when I wrote this song. I was dealing with something that felt humungous, ever-present and looming. But I took a weekend trip out of town and into nature and it was the best I had felt in a long time. This song represents an aggressive, almost manic, procrastination of all the conflict I was dealing with back home.”
Jackie West – ‘Silent Century’
Jackie West has announced a new album, Silent Century, sharing the warmly nuanced title track along with the news. The follow-up to the singer-songwriter’s 2024 debut Close to the Mystery comes out February 27. “Some experiences—especially intimate or spiritual—communicate without language, moving through us like traditions or instincts that endure quietly for generations,” West shared in a statement. “‘Silent Century’ draws on the Taoist idea that silence is a medium of understanding—the flower doesn’t explain itself, and water doesn’t lecture the stone; yet both express and reshape the world over vast spans of time.”
DJ Seinfeld – ‘Plush’
DJ Seinfeld has dropped a new single, ‘Plush’, via Ninja Tune. “I wrote ‘Plush’ back in 2022 and played a couple of different versions of it throughout the years,” Seinfeld said of the clubby track. “I couldn’t really figure out what I felt was missing, so I binned it for a bit. Then I saw a couple of ripped versions on SoundCloud around the same time I was getting a lot of messages about it, so I decided to give it another go. Eventually I managed to bring it to a point where I’m really happy with it and enjoy playing it out”.
GUV – ‘Chasin’ Luv’
Ben Cook, who used to make music under the monikers Young Governor and Young Guv, and now goes by Guv, is with back with another earworm. It’s taken from his upcoming album Warmer Than Gold. “‘Chasin Luv’ was the last song written for the record,” Cook recalled. “We wanted something immediate, an instant hit in the vein of early Primal Scream, and to bring the jangle that was missing from the record, but always present in the older GUV stuff. Noah, Gavel, Matt, and I wrote and tracked it in about 20 minutes. Corey Rose from Color Green came by and laid down her drums in a single take. After everyone left, I worked out the vocals just as quickly. Everything on the song is one take, and from start to finish it was written and recorded in under an hour. It’s my favorite and the best GUV song ever made.”
Seafret – ‘Signal Fire’
Seafret have announced their fourth album, Fear of Emotion, with the new single ‘Signal Fire’. “‘Signal Fire’ was written as a reminder that help exists and you never have to face the darkness on your own,” the band explained. “The story in the verses centres on a relationship, but we wanted the chorus to be more universal and reach beyond that.”
Ellur – ‘Dream of Mine’
Ellur has previewed her upcoming debut album At Home In My Mind with one more single, the quietly soaring ‘Dream Of Mine’. “‘Dream of Mine’ was written a very long time ago about feeling selfish for wanting to pursue a career that requires a lot of sacrifices,” she explained. “I was feeling insecure and worried my long-term partner would decide that being with a musician would be too much for them. I’m very much interested in the conflict of being a woman and the fact my first priority is not to settle down, get married and provide emotionally for a family. It’s an expectation so woven into society and I find it interesting that you don’t really hear male rock stars apologising for wanting success. Written with Jack Leonard (UNKLE) and inspired by the rock bands I grew up listening to The War on Drugs, The 1975, The Cure and of course my ultimate hero CMAT.”
Katie Tupper – ‘Safe Ground’
Katie Tupper has shared a gorgeous new single, ‘Safe Ground’, from her forthcoming debut album Greyhound. “This is my platonic love song,” Tupper shared. “I wrote it to my best friend about how lucky I feel to know her. It is my promise to her to always be a safe spot for her to land.”
Amy Gadiaga – ‘who knows’
French-Afropean bassist, vocalist, and composer Amy Gadiaga is back with a swirling new single called ‘who knows’, taken from her forthcoming EP BabyGoated. “In ‘who knows’ I place myself in that guiding light position to not only galvanize my friends and the listener but mostly myself,” Gadiaga shared. “What began as a reaction to a relationship in turmoil ultimately evolved into something more expansive. ‘who knows’ was a totally different idea initially. I had composed the chords on guitar and at the time I was in a struggling relationship. The instrumental slowly builds up into an eruption and what initially was the realization that we can’t fix each other. But by the time I recorded the instrumental and went to my studio in Peckham to record the vocals – my outlook toward that situation had actually evolved.Intuitively the message became something to get myself out of the funk. To reflect on the journey already travelled.”
