January 2026 Album Releases to Watch

There’s been an incredible run of albums released in 2025, but 2026 is looking equally strong. In what hopefully will be a series for the upcoming new year, I’m going to highlight some album releases to watch in January 2026. These first records on the way this month are all unique and offer something for any listener. Let’s take a look at January 2026 album releases to watch and mark on your calendar!

Dry Cleaning – Secret Love, January 9 – 4AD

The London four-piece Dry Cleaning is known for some stellar instrumentals that play as the foundation for lead singer Florence Shaw’s half-spoken observational lyrics. The band has noted in the past that many lyrics come from things they overhear in everyday life in public spaces or from passersby. It gives their music a very unique tone, often bridging urgent guitars and drums with casual, commonplace notes on things like birthday plans, love woes, and other things that fill our heads.

Courtney Marie Andrews – Valentine, January 16 – Thirty Tigers

A great run of spring shows accompanies Courtney Marie Andrews’ new project, Valentine, her first album since 2022. Recorded in pursuit of understanding love and all it encompasses, Andrews is an artist I often hear folks aren’t familiar with or haven’t spent much listening time with. The release on January 16 is sure to be another wonderful collection of tracks, and that gives you a few weeks to catch up on her work. There’s a really great modern Americana sound to her work. Fans of Emmylou Harris or modern iterations of that sound like First Aid Kit will certainly need to check this one out.

Poppy – Empty Hands, January 23 – Sumerian Records

Poppy went from catching doubt and raised eyebrows toward her turn to metal to being an actual force. I liked this spin on her sound from the start, but with a few high-profile features under her belt and some consistent output, I think this album stands to be a big next step for her current era. There’s some understandable hesitancy to go all-in on an artist who has pivoted from very internet-heavy projects to a genre that honors authenticity. I do think she stands to prove a lot of people wrong on this record from Sumerian, so keep an eye on it!

Joyce Manor – I Used To Go To This Bar, January 30 – Epitaph Records

Joyce Manor is one of the torch-bearers of an era of emo music that is slowly seeing its acts retire or move on to other projects. Instead of folding, the band has continued to expand its sound and pivot its roots to new, inventive sounds. There’s a lead single accompanying I Used to Go to This Bar that downright shocked me the first time I heard it, but I’d rather be surprised with a group’s seventh studio output than bored. Sometimes, growth means having a hard time recognizing where you came from, even if it’s still embedded in what you are today.

Any other albums on your list for January 2026? Let us know in the comments!