Dent May
The Big One
Released August 14th, 2026 on Carpark Records
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingSometimes Dent May gets a bit precious, but for the most part The Big One succeeds as a throwback pop nugget.
Dent May – The Big One
Music Reviews
Dinosaur Jr. – There Near
Dinosaur Jr.
There Near
Released August 28th, 2026 on Jagjaguwar
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingThere Near is a very solid entry in Dinosaur Jr.’s discography and a stormier guitar record than most anything else released this year.
Open Mike Eagle & Kenny Segal – DOOMED!
Open Mike Eagle & Kenny Segal
DOOMED!
Released August 14th, 2026 on Backwoodz Studioz
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingOn his latest, arguably best, record to date, Open Mike Eagle presents a relentless series of small scenes that sketch the dissolution of his relationship so well that you feel like you’re along for the descent with him.
The Afghan Whigs – Soft Control
The Afghan Whigs
Soft Control
Released August 21st, 2026 via BMG Rights Management
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingAnyone expecting an aging band to recapture the intense majesty of their youth will be disappointed, but if you’re looking for leather-jacketed slow soul, Soft Control will fill that role well.
Caitlin Mullen – Heather
Caitlin Mullen
Heather
Released June 9th, 2026 on Celadon Books
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingWere Heather to be Caitlin Mullen’s debut, there would be more forgiveness available for some of the clunkier spots. Having arrived six long years after the much better Please See Us, though, Mullen’s second novel fails to capitalize on the strengths of her debut. Her obvious skill with language is still in place, but her protagonist has a jarring gap between the skills she’s supposed to have and those she displays. It’s the sort of book that you’ll finish, but also one that won’t stick with you long afterward.
Trophy Wife – Pathetic
Trophy Wife
Pathetic
Released July 10th, 2026 on AWAL
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingWhat Pathetic lacks in originality it makes up for in viscerality, offering music that is felt in the gut rather than between the ears.
Ceremony – Tell Me Your Dream
Ceremony
Tell Me Your Dream
Released August 7th, 2026 on Relapse Records
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingTell Me Your Dream stands uneasily between where Ceremony has been and where they’re heading, and in many places it feels as though they’re unsure of which direction that might be.
Prison – Big Rigs on the BQE
Prison
Big Rigs on the BQE
Released July 31st, 2026 on Drag City
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingBig Rigs on the BQE succeeds in the exact lane Prison drives in: blissed-out jammy thunderstorms with the requisite passages of mysterious noodling.
snag. – All the Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn to Dust
snag.
All the Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn to Dust
Released July 10th, 2026 on Deathwish, Inc.
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingsnag.’s latest album shows them as a band looking to move past their roots and transcend their genre.
knitting – Souvenir
knitting
Souvenir
Released June 26th, 2026 on Mint Records
Per Spectrum Culture:
Continue readingThere is the soul of a great album lurking between the chords of knitting’s latest, but it is crushed rather than enhanced by the rote alt-’90s worship writing that frames it.
