In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on March 13, 2026:
Kim Gordon, PLAY ME
The Sonic Youth co-founder is back with a new solo album, PLAY ME. Continuing her collaboration with producer Justin Raiser, she spreads her absurdist commentary across a wider sonic canvas, though the rage-rap-adjacent abrasion of 2024’s The Collective remains prominent. “He has a real anti-establishment attitude, and I’ve always felt pretty anti-corporate,” Gordon said of working with Raisen. “We both enjoy the freedom that we feel when we’re working.” The record was preceded by the singles ‘DIRTY TECH’, ‘NOT TODAY’, and the title track.
James Blake, Trying Times
Trying Times is the first album James Blake has self-released, arriving today on Good Boy Records after the singer-songwriter parted ways with Republic. Featuring contributions from UK rapper Dave and Los Angeles-based vocalist Monica Martin, the record addresses the restlessness of modern society while maintaining a delicately ethereal atmosphere. “I haven’t searched outwardly on this album – I’ve stood firm and been confident in what I am already,” he explained. “The inspiration behind this record, in terms of some of the musical references or inspirations, they weren’t the great albums of the past. They were some of my own music.”
Anjimile, You’re Free to Go
Anjimile eases into a warmly intimate atmosphere on You’re Free to Go, the follow-up to 2023’s headier The King. “The past two years have been a deeply transitional point in my life,” the North Carolina singer-songwriter explained, as the record explores both a blossoming relationship and familial estrangement. In addition to producer Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Mavis Staples), the record features contributions from Nathan Stocker (Hippo Campus), Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver), and guest vocalist Sam Beam (Iron & Wine). “This record feels very authentic to my life experiences,” Anjimile added. “It’s about as close to getting to know me as you could ever get with a record.”
Alexis Taylor, Paris in the Spring
Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor has returned with a new solo album, Paris in the Spring, his seventh under his own name. Trading in wistfully upbeat disco with its fair share of ballads, the record boasts collaborations with the Avalanches, Air’s Nicolas Godin, Lola Kirke, Étienne de Crécy, Pierre Rousseau of Paradis, Ewan Pearson, Elizabeth White of Pale Blue, and Green Gartside of Scritti Politti. In a press release, Taylor said the album is ultimately about “freedom – from constraints, from preconceptions, and from genre.” He added, “Sometimes an audience wants to be told, what is this? And I’m refusing to do that. You can find great things in music when you open up to real listening. No one needs to be told ‘what something is’, otherwise why would we be making something so straightforward?”
Sweet Pill, Still There’s a Glow
Sweet Pill have unleashed a new LP, Still There’s a Glow. Sounding at times fiery, slow-burning, or caught in a blistering haze, the album was written and recorded in the wake of a tumultuous three years following their 2022 debut Where the Heart Is. “I went through some depression last spring, and then I went into therapy. It was also a big turning point in my life as I was about to turn 30, while I’d written our first record when I was graduating from college–that’s a big change,” Zayna Youssef reflected. “I could’ve kept making bad choices because they’re easy, but I had to come clean to myself. Half the album was written before and the other half after, so the songs are kind of hard on myself but some are also hopeful, with a light at the end of the tunnel. You put out a fire, there’s still an ember that’s still glowing–that’s the record. It’s about being at a low and climbing out of it.”
Crack Cloud, Peace and Purpose
Crack Cloud have followed up 2024’s Red Mile with a new double album called Peace and Purpose. The LP was written and recorded within the span of a year in Zach Choy’s basement. “One microphone was used (an SM57), with a variety of junk instruments and speakers,” the frontman/drummer shared. “The music was borne from a winter of prolonged grief. My approach to the engineering was a return to hardline principles of DIY; utilizing only what was within possession, and favouring intuition over convention. Like an ayahuasca trip, the sessions were visceral and inspired. Afterward, a sense of relief, and gratitude. The intensity that marked the beginning of this process, and the resolve that came from its conclusion — to me represents the spirit of the record, and the story I wanted to tell.”
Morgan Nagler, I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It
Morgan Nagler has been writing hits for artists like HAIM, Margo Price, and Phoebe Bridgers for years. Now, she’s stepping out on her own with the release of her first solo album, I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, and I’m Losing It – though it’s a largely collaborative affair, with contributions from Allison Crutchfield, Courtney Barnett, Madi Diaz, and Bethany Cosentino. “Mine is the story of somebody who decided to never stop,” Nagler said in press matrials. “Recently there have been more signs from the universe to keep going. But the ultimate sign has really just been within myself, realizing that I have a lifetime of experiences and my own unique perspective, and that is the gift I have to offer.”
Cat Clyde, Mud Blood Bone
Cat Clyde has released a new album, Mud Blood Bone, via Concord Records. The follow-up to 2023’s Down Rounder was produced with Drew Vandenberg (Toro Y Moi, Faye Webster, S.G. Goodman) and includes a co-write with Courtney Marie Andrews. “Constantly being on the move, having to navigate new environments, it forces me to be present, and to confront my own feelings,” Clyde reflected in press materials. “You can’t hide behind comforts. You have to know exactly who you are, and what you want.”
Other albums out today:
ELUCID and Sebb Bash, I Guess U Had to Be There; Simo Cell & Abdullah Miniawy, Dying Is the Internet; Cut Worms, Transmitter; Tenderness, Blue; Tinariwen, Hoggar; The Orielles, Only You Left; The Notwist, News From Planet Zombie; The Sophs, GOLDSTAR; Jack Harlow, Monica; Ora Cogan, Hard Hearted Woman; Fotocrime, Security; Haute & Freddy, Big Disgrace; The Fray, A Light That Waits; Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Irreversible; Sella, Well I Mean; Votive, An Infinite Capacity for Joy; Laurel Halo, Midnight Zone (Original Soundtrack to the Film by Julian Charrière); Mary Ocher, Weimar; Lia Pappas-Kemps, Winged; Bill Orcutt, Music in Continuous Motion.
