10 Albums to Look Forward to in October 2026

How good was September? So good we haven’t even finished digesting its riches yet. But time stops for no one, and October is nearly upon us, which means it’s time for another monthly preview. You know the drill by now: we pick 10 records, you get excited about them and vote for your favourite.

With only ten picks across five release weeks, it would be rude not to name some honourable mentions. If you demand more than ten selections, new releases from Fontaines D.C., The Avalanches, Michael Kiwanuka, Susanne Sundfør, Walt Disco and Clinic will surely be worth checking out.

2 October

Greg Freeman – All Set the Bone (Transgressive)
[Bandcamp] Folk rock/Alt-country 🇺🇸

Greg Freeman’s Burnover was one of the first reviews we posted after last year’s No Ripcord relaunch. 12 months is a quick turnaround, which suggests All Set the Bone will either be thoroughly undercooked or bursting with new ideas that Freeman just couldn’t bear to keep to himself. Based on the early singles, it’s likely the latter. His good friend Lily Seabird just made a huge breakthrough with Lightspheres on Their Way—perhaps it’s now Freeman’s turn to take a leap? (DC)

Wishy – Nature's Pill (Winspear)
[Bandcamp] Alternative Rock 🇺🇸

Wishy continues their ascent through the indie-rock ranks with the release of their second full-length album. Nature’s Pill represents a pivotal moment for the buzzed-about Indianapolis quintet, whose charming blend of catchy guitar-pop occupies a sweet spot within the sprawling Venn diagram of ’90s music. Judging by the variety showcased across the album’s advance singles, the band is stretching beyond the raw energy of their debut, Triple Seven. (JR)

Vacations – Pursuit of Anything (No Fun Records)
[Bandcamp] Indie rock 🇦🇺

If there’s a dark horse in the running this month, it’s Newcastle, Australia’s underdog band, Vacations. But while they might not sound as familiar as the other artists on this list, they loom larger than you might expect, with platinum records, late-night appearances, and even a festival to their name. Pursuit of Anything, their fourth full-length album, doesn’t branch out from their winning formula too much: a breezy, jangly affair that goes down easy as the fall begins to close in. (JR)

9 October

Dawn Richard – Creole Culture (Merge)
[Bandcamp] R&B/Electronic 🇺🇸

Dawn Richard has always worn her New Orleans roots proudly. Now, with Creole Culture, the left-field pop artist’s first solo album in five years and the third installment in a trilogy that began with 2019's New Breed, she aims to complete the story of her hometown—a tale she has long felt was missing a final chapter. It might not feel like she’s been absent of late, especially given her stellar collaborations with multi-instrumentalist Spencer Zahn, but it’s on her sorely missed solo projects that she gets to showcase the full breadth of her talent. (JR)

The Tallest Man on Earth - Just Beyond Endless Mountain
[Bandcamp] Folk rock 🇸🇪

This is Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson’s eighth album under his Tallest Man on Earth moniker. My favourite Matsson record has to be 2010’s The Wild Hunt, which came out around the time my oldest son was born and is therefore inextricably linked to that in my mind. My youngest’s birth will forever be linked to Mikal Cronin’s MCII. I’ve drifted away from Matsson’s music, but perhaps it’s time to reacquaint myself? It worked with Shearwater earlier this year, and perhaps Just Beyond Endless Mountain will repeat the trick. (DC)

16 October

Teenage Fanclub – Do Not Dare to Dream (Merge)
[Bandcamp] Power pop/Alternative Rock 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I mean, it’s Teenage Fanclub—we’re always going to be curious whenever the Glasgow power pop legends drop a new record. Do Not Dare to Dream is their thirteenth, which is funny when you consider they’ve already released an album called Thirteen, which was actually their fourth. Confused? You should be. What’s not confusing is this band’s winning formula. The guitars may have mellowed since their early years, but the hooks and harmonies are still present and correct. The three tracks I’ve heard sound warm and sunny, which should provide a perfect antidote to the grey skies and rain of mid-October. (DC)

@ – Autosmile (4AD)
[Bandcamp] Art-folk 🇺🇸

It’s been about three and a half years since I last wrote about @’s promising 2023 release, Mind Palace Music. Since then, the hype surrounding the Philadelphia-based folk-pop duo of Victoria Rose and Stone Filipczak has skyrocketed to levels I’d never expected. It’s easy to see why: the early singles from Autosmile brim with personality and eccentric charm. The momentum is firmly on their side. (JR)

23 October

Water Damage – Repair (12XU)
[Bandcamp] Psychedelic rock/Drone 🇺🇸

By naming their latest record Repair, Austin drone merchants Water Damage have created a record that laughs in the face of SEO. Easy online discovery is for other bands—perhaps bands with songs. Water Damage don’t really do songs in a classical sense. They do 20-odd minute drones, with relentless percussion and swirling cacophonous guitars. Their music is dirty, swampy, frenetic, monotonous, and oddly thrilling at the same time. If that sounds good, I’m sure you’ll find them eventually. (DC)

30 October

DIIV – ZIRP! (Fantasy Records)
[Bandcamp] Shoegaze 🇺🇸

DIIV’s fourth album, Frog in Boiling Water, divided fans and critics more than their early explorations of relatively conventional dream pop and shoegaze, and ZIRP! looks set to be equally divisive. The band’s emphasis is on fun. This is their pop record, apparently, and with hyperpop visionary A.G. Cook on board as producer, who are we to argue? (DC)

Queens of the Stone Age - Perfecth (Matador)
[Official Website] Rock 🇺🇸

The teaser rollout for Queens of the Stone Age’s first album in four years seemed like it would last forever, but it’s finally here. The Josh Homme-led rock veterans have never been ones to play by expectations, and the bluesy single “Insignificant Other” suggests they’re staying true to form. Homme has stayed busy, even collaborating with country icon Shania Twain, but it‘s great to have him back in his element—as imperfecth as that might be. (JR)