We’re 2 1/2 months into 2026 and there is plenty of good new music to check out.
I’m a fan of the new Ratboys album, Singin’ to an Empty Chair, which I think is the Chicago band’s best yet. It has more than a passing similarity to Wednesday’s catalog but I think it holds its own.
I also like the new Dry Cleaning release, Secret Love. You’re not going to speed up lead singer Florence Shaw’s deadpan delivery, but the music is more uptempo.
Chapter 1, the latest release from the mysterious collective Sault, hits me just right. This, of course, is an album for that right R&B mood. Sault has been consistently good with the soulful delivery.
Fugazi and the late Steve Albini had a lot of mutual respect for each other. Before the band settled on the final versions of the songs on In on the Kill Taker, Fugazi traveled to Chicago to record with Albini. The consensus was that no one was happy with the results. Fugazi went on to work with different producers. Those Albini-produced tracks are now available for download on Bandcamp. They are raw and punchy. Still a good listen.
Money raised through downloads of the Albini Sessions go to charity.
Finally, Vermont band Robber Robber is worth your attention. The new album Two Wheels Move the Soul is out next month, but you can listen to four tracks now.
All the Young Punks 