January 12, 2026 by Elias Prodger (‘26)
Honorable Mentions:
Cameron Winter: Heavy Metal/ Geese: Getting Killed
2025 was the year of Cameron Winter, every music publication’s new darling and “savior of indie rock.” After listening to both his solo record and his band’s latest release, Getting Killed, I can say that I am intrigued but not sold. Both records hold a certain inconsistency that pivots from the musical peak that is the outro of “Taxes” to a somewhat meandering, directionless “0$.” Winter’s appeal stems from his rawness and scratchy, Julian Casablancas-esque voice, drawing comparisons to other NYC staples like early Strokes and the Velvet Underground. The chorus of “Love Takes Miles” is classic. The instantly captivating “Trinidad” provides some of the year’s best musical moments, but neither record could hold me throughout its runtime or justify adding it to the list.
11. Finn Wolfhard: Happy Birthday
For those for whom this name seems eerily familiar, the actor behind Mike on Stranger Things released his debut album after years of involvement with multiple bands and more casual EPs. Produced by the artist behind my favorite album of the year (we will get to that later), Happy Birthday is an excellent freshman debut of solid Rickenbacker-tinged jangle pop and indie pop. The pop songwriting of tracks like “Choose the Latter” pairs nicely with the borderline offensive lo-fi production, culminating in a solid indie debut with a nice handful of replayable singles.
10. Alex G: Headlights
I am really happy to see that Alex G is still deeply strange. Marking a major commercial jump with his first record under a major label, it would be all too easy to tone back some of his more obscure instrumental choices or cut back on the strange harmonic decisions that made his songwriting so compelling. However, from the opening track, “June Guitar,” his melodic sensibility still feels unique to his own songwriting. The production is sleeker, far from the twee, rough-around-the-edges sound of Trick and Race, but it doesn’t feel like a cheap artistic sellout or a diversion from his core appeal. It feels like an important artistic evolution. I am encouraged to hear that he is still himself while churning out an excellent batch of songs in the process.
9. McKinley Dixon: Magic, Alive
Man, McKinley Dixon put together such a fun listen this year. Juxtaposed against a concept centered on friendship and loss are these live-recorded and brilliantly arranged jazz rap instrumentals. Fantastic gospel choirs, funky and infectious grooves, and an excellently produced horn section shine throughout. This album would be stellar on its own even without Dixon’s vivid and poetic lyrics, which lean into existentialism and heavy political overtones. The album’s tonal contradictions result in an emotional roller-coaster ride and a fantastic listening experience.
8. Alien Boy: You Wanna Fade?
The third album from Portland outfit Alien Boy can safely be filed under damn good indie rock albums. The timbres and melodic sensibilities of this record are firmly cemented in 90s power pop and emo classics and can be found across a plethora of bands from that era. However, the record is written so consistently well that it became one of my most played of the year and one of my favorite bands to emerge from the underground. The perfectly crafted guitar tone of “You Want Me Too” and the cascading, layered outro of “Changes,” I could name endless moments of this record that are punchy in all the right places. The world needs bands that faithfully and respectfully execute this sound, and You Wanna Fade? makes it a hell of a lot of fun.
7. Clipse: Let God Sort Em Out
On paper, the long-awaited return of rap duo Clipse is primed to be amazing. Pharrell production, Pusha T and Malice trading bar for bar with their signature chemistry, and stellar features from Nas to Tyler, the Creator create a rock-solid 13 tracks that feel artistically relevant while remaining remarkably accessible. Picking a favorite track among the fandom is almost entirely unique given the record’s remarkable consistency, but for my money, “F.I.C.O.” remains the most compelling. Every rap fan you know will love this record, and it’s not hard to see why.
6. Wednesday: Bleeds
The sixth album from 2020s alt-country staples Wednesday feels like a true culmination of the band’s work and a definitive statement. Frontwoman Karly Hartzman is at her most vulnerable and heart-wrenching lyrically, interweaving between all of Wednesday’s signature sonic characteristics. From the Wilco-influenced and NPR-friendly “Elderberry Wine” to the fuzzy, hardcore barn burner “Wasp,” the band’s strength lies in diversity of sound while remaining cohesive. With the band’s rising stature running parallel to the rise of studio guitarist MJ Lenderman, Wednesday cemented themselves as kings of this sound and a defining band in the first half of 2020s indie.
5. Jeff Tweedy: Twilight Override
Legendary Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy outlined in his book How to Write One Song that he tries to write a song a day, creating a constant workflow and stream of ideas. By collecting 30 of his favorite tracks into a mammoth triple album, the result is the definitive Jeff Tweedy and the culmination of ideas from a multiple-decade-long career. Tracks like the middle-age-anxious release of “Feel Free” and the self-aware, Uncle Tupelo-inspired reflection of “KC Rain (No Wonder)” create a culmination of songwriting slowly crafted over a 30-year career. I don’t doubt that Tweedy has more to give us, but Twilight Override feels like what the listener deserves.
4. Joey Valance and Brae: HYPERYOUTH
I was initially not excited to review the third album from State College, Pennsylvania- hip hop duo Joey Valance and Brae. The critical perception of this band frequently references The Beastie Boys, and I remained skeptical of Penn State bros trying to revive this sound with explicit red Solo Cup energy. I am incredibly happy that my prejudice and prejudgment were wrong. The youthful and in-your-face energy of this record doesn’t seek to exclude, but pays homage to the sounds they love without falling into blind pastiche. Right from the get-go, the opening title track takes the crown for the year’s best sample flip and contains a self-awareness that is refreshing for this aesthetic. Features from JPEGMAFIA and Rebecca Black demonstrate a breadth of influence and artistic flexibility that carves its own mold and contains enough energy to turn listeners into a makeshift Kool-Aid Man.
3. Le Reste: All Is Weird and Ridiculous
All is truly weird on this record from French songwriter Le Reste on his first release under the Le Reste pen name. Standing at just 291 monthly listeners on Spotify when I discovered the album early in the year, the sound cannot be pigeonholed into any modern trend or movement, but maybe it should be. All Is Weird and Ridiculous sounds like the misunderstood kid in the back of music class who stays after school and churns out thoughtfully written songs that he later sends to you as voice memos recorded with a microphone half-covered by his music theory textbook. The irony and brutal self-deprecation on the most energetic cut, “Splendid,” could easily feel cringey but remains endearing. Piano rock is a rarity in lo-fi indie, but Le Reste has collected a batch of tracks that make it feel relevant and primed for an explosion in the second half of the decade.
2. Hotline TNT: Raspberry Moon
The sophomore LP from Will Anderson’s noise rock project Hotline TNT flips the idea of a shoegaze album on its head. Equipped with a single Pro Co RAT distortion pedal and opting out of the genre’s usual effects-heavy arsenal, the guitar tone here is lush and does so much with so little. Anderson, writing with the full band for the first time, takes a leap into meticulously crafted noise pop. From song-of-the-year contender “Julia’s War” to the jangly contrast of “Candle,” the album’s sonic palette is intentionally overwhelming without feeling grating across its 35-minute runtime. Let’s hear it for bands in this scene that don’t only listen to 2000s Deftones and applaud Hotline TNT for being among the most intriguing out right now.
1. Sharp Pins: Radio DDR
The indie label debut from Sharp Pins, the side project of singer-songwriter and Chicago indie staple Kai Slater, is my musical crack. As a kid whose father force-fed him 60s pop icons like The Byrds and The Beatles, alongside power pop and hardcore punk staples like Hüsker Dü and Guided by Voices, this album scratches every itch I could possibly have. The record’s timbre and aesthetics are entirely backward-looking, with songwriting that is shamelessly lovestruck and anxious. From the explosive “When You Know” to the tender “You Don’t Live Here Anymore,” Slater’s songs avoid hackneyed nostalgic idealism and instead plant a firm pillar in the canon of great power pop projects. This exploration of incredibly specific human emotions filtered through believable long-lost Beatles B-sides makes this album truly special and endlessly replayable.