2026 Albums We're Hoping For

Ready or not, January is here. It's time to embrace the new. It’s also time to will your wildest, most delusional music fantasies into existence. 

In that spirit, we’ve put together a list of albums we’re looking forward to – and some we’re just crossing our fingers for – in order of likelihood. Here’s to hoping.

It's Happening

BTS - TBA (March)

It's already been announced that BTS is dropping a new album and they'll embark on world tour in 2026, now that all members have completed their South Korean military service obligations. The question is now: "will the music match the hype?" Even Kendrick Lamar is excited about it.

MiSaMo - Play (February)

Did you know that Twice released 3 albums last year? In February of 2025, they released This is For, their Japanese album Enemy dropped in June, and they celebrated their 10 year anniversary of being a group by releasing Ten: The Story Goes On in October. That doesn't even count Chae-Young's solo album, My Lil' Fantasy vol 1, which also came out last fall. You think all the members would take a break in 2026, right? Wrong. MiSaMo, (the three Japanese members of Twice - Mina, Sana, and Momo) will be dropping a full length album in February.

Charli XCX - Wuthering Heights (Valentine’s Day, of course)

It could be a watershed moment for soundtracks. It could be a generational flop. But if “House” and “Chains of Love” are any indication, it won’t be anything less than fully committed. A darkly romantic departure from BRAT? All in the service of what’s already the buzziest, most argued about movie of 2026? There’s nothing more anticipated than this.

Robyn - TBA

She dropped the single "Dopamine" a few months ago, the first new music she's released in 7 years. She also showed up re-emerged in public by performing at the SNL 50th Homecoming Concert last year, so it looks like she's gearing up for an album and tour in 2026. (1/8/26 Update: This is now confirmed so this has been moved to this section)

Sources Say: Yes

Spoon - TBA

Spoon hasn't released a new album since 2022's Lucifer on the Sofa. Last year, I saw them play 2 new songs in concert, "Chateau Blues", and "Guess I'm Fallin' in Love". They released studio versions of the songs on the same day and mentioned in the press released that they're from their new album sessions. The new album is due in 2026 and they're producing it with Justin Meldal Johnson.

Foo Fighters - TBA

Since 2023's But Here We Are, the Foo Fighters have been managed to stay in the spotlight, but not in a positive way. I wrote about this to kick off this writing site, actually! Since owning up to a secret love child and kicking out beloved drummer, Josh Freese, the Foo Fighters dropped two new songs in 2025, "Today's Song", and "Asking for a Friend". Neither song is that good, but it probably means a new album is coming in 2026.

You Never Know

Sugar, Jawbreaker

It was kind of a surprise that Sugar announced new shows in 2026, their first shows since breaking up in 1995. Bob Mould has regularly been playing Sugar songs with his solo band, so it was a bit surprising to hear that Sugar was getting back together. They even dropped a new single "The House of Dead Memories" so more new music should be on the way.

While Jawbreaker has been reunited since 2017, they've only been touring, but near the end of 2025, they started playing a new song at shows. According to New Noise Magazine, the song "Invisible", was written before the Jawbreaker breakup in 1996, but the fact that they're playing it live hints that more post-Dear You songs, if not totally brand new songs might be on the way.

Boygenius

Whither our favorite sapphic supergroup? Although Boygenius never officially broke up, they did announce an “indefinite hiatus” in 2024. Since then, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker confirmed their long-speculated romantic relationship. Dacus has been on the ascent artistically. And yet, there’s been no whiff of a follow-up to 2023’s The Record. Despite the odds, it’s worth believing that the BG trio can get back in the studio and have it all – the friendship and the music.

Hell is Cold Now

Q-Tip - The Last Zulu

Back in 2020, Q-Tip announced that he had 3 new albums ready to go, including The Last Zulu, which he's been working on since the aughts. None of these albums have been released. Since that tweet, all we've really seen from Q-Tip is a couple of features, and his production on L.L. Cool J's excellent album, The Force in 2024. According to reddit, he did an Instagram Live in 2023, promising 2 new albums in 2024 and well... we're still waiting.

Joanna Newsom 5

This one’s for the real yearners. After a string of flawless shows in 2024, complete with the debut of five transcendent new songs, Joanna Newsom went back into hibernation. Presumably, she’s cloistered in her Hollywood Hills estate (the former residence of Charlie Chaplin, by the way) working on JN5. The details surrounding her first album since 2015’s Divers, however, remain a hotly debated mystery. Who’s producing it? No one knows. When’s it dropping? No one knows! One thing’s for sure: we need to start asking Andy Samberg some tough questions.

Frank Ocean - TBA

We're not going to let you get our hopes up again, Frank.