Music highlights January 2026
The beginning of the year is usually a real deadzone for music. The holidays just happened, everyone's tired and spent all their money. But this January was surprisingly eventful. Some good ones:
A$AP Rocky, "Helicopter," Don't Be Dumb. Somehow, the most delayed album in hip hop was a complete success. And the videos have been insane.
Ari Lennox, "Under the Moon," Vacancy. Maybe the best R&B singer of her generation goes 3 for 3 on her latest record.
IDK, "START TO FINISH," e.t.d.s. A Mixtape by .idk. The appearance of not one, but 2 dead people on this album made me raise a Spock eyebrow before I listened to it, but the vocals are deployed pretty tastefully across the runtime of this concept album dramatizing the before, during and after of the rapper's arrest and imprisonment over a decade ago.
Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon, "INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHTS," As of Now. The iconoclastic North Carolina rapper serves up another helping of soul-infused stream of consciousness-sounding raps.
By Storm, "In My Town," My Ghosts Go Ghost. The surviving 2/3 of injury reserve solider after the tragic loss of Stepa. The album is dark and somber in light of their loss (And in stark contrast to RiTchie's last 2 solo projects), and the atmosphere is palpable.
Jordan Ward, "JUICY," BACKWARD. Breezy, soulful and understated hip hop-tinged R&B.
Yumi Zouma, "In Camera," No Love Lost To Kindness. The international quartet have their dreamy, catchy indie rock down to a science by now.
Softcult, "Naive," When A Flower Doesn't Grow. The group describe their work as "Riotgaze," and while a song like the above doesn't sound like much out of the typical shoegaze realm, other material on the album packs more of a punch and more of a message than you'd expect in their lane.
MØL, "Garland," DREAMCRUSH. Speaking of "-gaze," MØL continue to blaze a trail pretty different from Deafheaven in the blackgaze arena. Warm and comforting one second, cold and unforgiving the next.
Pretty good start to the year, musically. Basically only musically, but I'll take what I can get.
