We are in July, so it is time to reflect on the new 2026 albums that were played and discussed at The Record Club and make a mid-year assessment of indie rock and more.
- Trophy Wife – “Pathetic”(picture): Is it the post-punk and indie rock album of the year? With little to no reviews on the web (except for a 5/5 score and review in Far Out Magazine – thanks to them), you could doubt it, but listen to it and we’ll speak again in December, when history will make it right.
- Violet Grohl – “Be Sweet to Me”: Wow, yes, she is the daughter of Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), but she cites PJ Harvey, while her dad cites Queen, and you can hear it on her beautiful post-grunge debut. I’m quite sure she will rank highly this year.
- Nine Inch Noize – “Nine Inch Noize”: What a great idea to put the “live” material from the collaboration between Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize during their tour last year onto a record. It’s kind of a best-of Nine Inch Nails remixed – a great album.
- Wiki – “Ancient History”: I have had a lot of respect for Wiki’s work since the beginning, but if I had to introduce you to his world, I would pick his new album. It is his best album to date, mixing so many musical styles together, with his unique voice on top.
- Madonna – “Confession II”: Yes, yes, not indie rock at all, but isn’t she alternative-adjacent thanks to the four albums from 1998 to 2005, from Ray of Light to Confessions on a Dance Floor? And her comeback is impressive.
- Ratboys – “Singin’ to an Empty Chair”: Major indie rock album of 2026. Let’s see where it lands in December, but it could well make the Top 10.
- Kurt Vile – “Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me”: A great return to the “Neil Young, infinitely cool songs” kind of vibe that we had been missing since b’lieve i’m goin down… (2015).
- Boards of Canada – “Inferno”: A great return from one of electronic music’s greatest heroes (together with Aphex Twin – and who else?).
- Big Brave – “In Grief or in Hope”: I was among the ten people attending one of their concerts years ago. Now they are growing a much bigger fan base, and with this new album mixing doom with medieval-sounding songs and a voice that sounds like Björk at times, they have delivered a killer album.
- Midrift – “Silhouette”: Typical melodic hardcore. The tradition is safe.
- The Twilight Sad – “It’s the Long Goodbye”: I know that Robert Smith has loved them for a long time, but I have to admit this is the first time I have loved one of their albums. If there is still a tradition in indie rock and goth rock, then The Twilight Sad have nailed it with their new album.
- Slippers – “Slippers 08”: A bit of indie pop does no harm and makes us happy, which is exactly what this album does.
- Alvarius B. – “Malarian Dream”: The most unknown musician on this list, but a genius, mixing slowcore with traditional North African music. It doesn’t hurt that he plays all the instruments himself!
- Swapmeet – “Mount Zero”: They are Australian, and they are part of this new wave of pure indie rock bands (think They Are Gutting a Body of Water or Feeble Little Horse) looking back at the 1990s for inspiration while creating their own sound.
- Tricky – “Different When It’s Silent”: An unexpected return from the trip-hop veteran and cult artist, but in a… post-punk kind of way. The most amazing musical move of the year, and it makes for a great album.
- Feeble Little Horse – “Bitknot”: A surprising new album from this new indie rock wave, stronger than their previous albums and enjoyable from start to finish.
The Record Club continues every Wednesday at 9pm CET (Amsterdam, Paris time), bringing together music lovers from different backgrounds around one shared playlist and a simple idea: discovering great music together. https://concertandvinyl.com/the-record-club/
concertandvinyl 