In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on July 3, 2026:
Madonna, CONFESSIONS II
Madonna is back with CONFESSIONS II, seeking to recapture the dance music glory of 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor. It finds the Queen of Pop reuniting with producer Stuart Price and dueting with Sabrina Carpenter, who appeared on the early single ‘Bring Your Love’. Additional guest appearances come from Stromae, Feid, Martin Garrix, and her daughter Lola Leon. “People think that dance music is superficial,” Madonna says in one of the album’s spoken word interludes, “But they’ve got it all wrong.” It is undeniably her best album in at least a decade; whether it trumps the original is up for debate.
mary in the junkyard, Role Model Hermit
London-based trio mary in the junkyard have released their striking debut album, Role Model Hermit. Featuring the early singles ‘Crash Landing’, ‘Mouse’, ‘Candelabra’, ‘Blood’, and ‘New Muscles’, the record puts the group’s revelatory storytelling front and center: “Role Model Hermit is full of stories, memories and past lives,” they explained. “We want it to be something that you can get lost in, like a forest or a cave, where you can shelter inside for while to rest and recover.”
Ken Carson, xperiment
Ken Carson has followed up 2023’s A Great Chaos and More Chaos with a new record, xperiment. The 22-track effort boasts guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Young Thug, 2hollis, Destroy Lonely, and Lil Uzi Vert. AM, F1LTHY, starboy, Outtatown, DJ Moon, and 2hollis contributed production, which Carson himself remained largely involved in. The rapper first revealed the cover artwork, featuring a USB inserted into his neck, to introduce the project’s central concept, which was expanded into a visual world through a series of short films.
Nixon Boyd, Every Time We Turn a Corner
Hollerado guitarist Nixon Boyd has unveiled his debut solo album, Every Time We Turn a Corner, via Royal Mountain Records. Self-recorded in his studio, the album was almost completed when his car was broken into and his hard drives were stolen, forcing him to spend a year recreating the material. The process certainly doesn’t dampen the songs’ understated warmth, built mostly from the sounds of cheap acoustic guitars, lo-fi drums, and an old Telecaster.
Other albums out today:
Smirk, Speculative Fiction; Low Cut Connie, Livin in the USA; Margo Price, Days of Unrest; ManonMars, Entertainment System; Play Time, Magic Object; Deep Purple, Splat!.
