The Best Releases of June 2026
Olivia Rodrigo shared her 3rd album, Death Cab for Cutie returned, and Mr Fantasy dropped a surprisingly perfect album, just in time for summer.
After her sold-out BST Hyde Park headline last year, Disney star-turned-pop-rock star Olivia Rodrigo returned with an album that started as an ode to her boyfriend, then contorted into something of a breakup album after they broke up. It brought us a collaboration with The Cure’s Robert Smith, who came out at Olivia’s Glastonbury set last year to perform Friday I’m In Love and Just Like Heaven, and an album full of songs you’ll want to listen to on repeat.
We saw a heatwave that made most of us clamour to invest in fans, Gorillaz headlining the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (despite Damon Albarn being a lifelong Chelsea supporter — he refused to call it by its full name), Primavera Festival had to cancel a whole day due to bad weather, and Music Venue Trust collaborated with The National Lottery for Everywhere At Once, which saw hundreds of grassroots music venues host major acts and up-and-coming talent during the period when Glastonbury would usually take place.
Singles:
1. Tiny Habits — Anything He Was
The trio enlisted the help of The 1975’s Matty Healy for what might just be the song of the summer: a soft, subtle song about not being enough for someone, but trying to be anyway. It’s delicate, it’s fragile, and it’s incredibly addictive. Plus, the band have also announced their new album, Keepers, which lands on August 28th.
Label: Mom + Pop
2. Annabelle Dinda — Whatever You Wanna
After releasing an album earlier this year — Some Things Never Leave — Annabelle continues her winning streak with the addictive earworm Whatever You Wanna. Better yet, she released it independently. You can’t get much better than that.
Label: Independent
3. maya ongaku — Astral Echoes
Another album announcement comes from the Japanese band maya ongaku, who blend psychedelia with earthy tones to create something soothing and perfect for that weekly yoga session, a train journey or just when you need to slow down and let the world pass you by. Their new album, Nothing Space Music, comes out on August 7th.
Label: Guruguru Brain
4. Radio Free Alice — Lunch Money
Australia’s finest exports told us last year that they’d like to move to London and, to be quite frank, their music sounds like it belongs here. With lyrics mentioning working in the Argos stockroom and Australia not boasting the British staple, surely they’re on this side of the world now? Who knows, but I do know that this wildly addictive song feels reminiscent of England.
Label: Atlantic Records
5. de clair. — naming you
Swedish musician de clair. dropped a delightful and charming track in the form of naming you, tugging at heartstrings with delicate lyricism that feels like walking away from someone you love — hard to explain, but it makes a lot of sense. Three minutes and twenty seconds isn’t enough.
Label: The Satchi Six
EPs:
1. Hutch — Mrs Sunshine
Rating: ★★★★★
Standout Track: Pepper Kettle
Label: Independent
2. Terra Twin — Scumbag
Rating: ★★★½☆
Standout Track: Fantasy Battery
Label: Independent
3. Spacey Jane — Exit Wounds
Rating: ★★★½☆
Standout Track: I Never See Her
Label: Concord Records
4. pyncher — I Really Mean It This Time
Rating: ★★★½☆
Standout Track: Home
Label: Heist or Hit
5. Ea Othilde — You’ll Leave The City
Rating: ★★★½☆
Standout Track: Room #21
Label: Koke Plate
Albums:
1. Rum Jungle — Marginalia
Rating: ★★★★☆
Standout Track: Got Time
Label: Independent
2. Mr Fantasy — Fantasyland
Rating: ★★★★★
Standout Track: Catapult
Label: Independent
3. Olivia Rodrigo — you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love
Rating: ★★★★☆
Standout Track: begged
Label: Geffen Records
4. Temples — BLISS
Rating: ★★★½☆
Standout Track: Vendetta
Label: V2 Records
5. SoftTop — Gathering Dust
Rating: ★★★★☆
Standout Track: Waiting Game
Label: Crafting Room Recordings
