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😤 LET’S ARGUE - BEST & WORST ALBUMS OF 2026 SO FAR! 😤 (Patreon)

Published:
2026-06-18 22:29:12
Imported:
2026-10

Content

Thank you so much for supporting us this month! We're about at the midway point of the year, so as is tradition let's go over your picks for AOTY and WOTY so far. Drop your picks and thoughts (please try to give a reason or two why you love / don't love it) down in the comments and we'll look through them in the next couple of weeks. Let's go!

Also if you want to submit one of each, maybe do them as separate comments please (unless you have a way of tying together the albums). Reminder that y'all are always free to submit more than one take; i just end up choosing whichever one i think would lead to the best riffing from Anthony.

Here's the latest episode: https://www.patreon.com/theneedledrop/posts/lets-argue-what-161326780

Comments

Dalton Krause

Boards of Canada- Inferno IS album of the year and definitely not a 6

Michael Webb

My AOTY is The Fall Off I think it's Cole's best album it's at his most mature and complete in my opinion and my Worst is either between early life crisis by Nettspend or one of French Montanas new albums this year just every song sounds the same on both with almost no qualities

Hello There

In my humble opinion, one of the best albums of this year (so far) was Iceman by Drake. 1. It was a large, cultural moment within Hip-Hop with a surprisingly strong rollout (the Iceman episodic series was very interesting and cryptic with lots to dissect for the hardcore fans). 2. The album itself was surprisingly fantastic. So many catchy, enjoyable songs, with a couple of diaristic, lyrical tracks that Drake has been known to drop as well as some undeniable, smash hits (Janice STFU has an infectious, ass chorus. Can't stop repeating it. REACH ME BABYYYYY.) 3. The commercial success of the album has been unexpectedly strong. I did not expect it to be at #1 for so many weeks but it has been for a month now. This is due to its impressive staying power which (imo) highlights the strength of the record. This is only reinforced by how much the other albums Drake dropped (Maid of Honour and Habibti) fell down the charts as they were nowhere near as strong a record as Iceman was.

Chris

Best is so far is My Ghosts Go Ghost by By Storm and it’s not even close currently in my opinion, some of the best experimental hip-hop of all time not just because of how left field it is but also the album just feels like such an experience also all the emotional moments and lyrics on made it resonate with me all throughout 2026 Near perfect album tbh

Byrd

Going into some of the Rage lanes, one AOTY contender I think has been slept on like crazy is ezcodylee's Stunt 4 Life, which I feel like finally nails that synthesis between punk rock and rage rap that has been missing in the underground despite the parallels between Punk and Rage. He also actually has great politics and songwriting and makes it known in the songs, along with a better Charlie Kirk bar than Peggy could ever make. Compare to the worst album, early life crisis by nettspend, which just feels so derivative of artists with far better vocals in the same scene like a che and without the genuine edge someone like ezcodylee brings and theres no real reason to listen to him over any other artists in this huge scene.

Chris

My top 5 is My Ghosts Go Ghost you seem pretty sad for a girl in love For the Love of Grace & the Hereafter To Whom This May Concern My Days Of 58

Hello There

Holy shit, that album is so good. Double Trio 2 may be my favourite song of the year. It's a transcendental experience (not to sound like I've swallowed a dictionary - I just get an other worldly feeling when listening to that song)

Chris

Yes I got a signed copy I met Ritchie and Parker last month

Requixm

My AOTY is hell is here, hell is home by bodysnatcher. Insanely heavy, fantastic lyrics and so easy to vibe out to

Herbieguy

Best: Ella Langley's "Dandelion". Its not just my favorite album of the year, its my 2nd favorite of the entire decade. She has an amazing voice, the production is lush and comforting while still being fun to listen to, and the lyrics are incredibly emotional and something you can really connect with. The project in general just has such a high degree of dignity and maturity compared to the giant sea of trashy 'trucks beer and tits' country we're currently getting. It's refreshing to see, and she's our best chance of the genre making a quality turnaround if this album is any indication. I'd even go as far as calling it the best country album to come out since the 90s.

Herbieguy

Worst: the new JPEG album. I'm sorry but if someone still thinks dubstep is cool at this point in history, they're beyond saving.

EasyBakeCoven

Currently my frontrunner for the best is An Undying Love for a Burning World by Neurosis. After such a bleak hiatus, being graced with their most powerful and invigorating material in over two decades is a blessing of the highest order. The band’s solution to let their most ardent disciple join their ranks not only fills a void in my heart, but also adds a whole new emotional dimension to their already dynamic sound thanks to Aaron Turner’s ghastly howls. The lyrics are a little bit less cryptic than their past work, particularly in the aughts, but I find that this approach leads to an even more immediate impact than usual for them. While sadly this is their first since Silver to not have Steve Albini behind the boards, I think it speaks volumes about this band’s relationship with him that the production on this record is able to fill in nearly all the blanks and maintain just as strong of a punch as all their works with him. I feel lucky to listen to this album at all, but for it to have turned out this good feels nothing short of miraculous.

Snow

Not sure* if this counts (the singles came out last year but the official box set was this year), but I’ll nominate Magdalena Bay’s “Nice Day” compilation. Each of the songs are fantastic individually, but I think they also come together very nicely. As a whole it covers a fair bit of ground and is further proof that Mica & Matt are exceptional songwriters and producers in a variety of styles. Leaves me very excited for whatever they do next. * Actually, I am sure that this doesn’t really count, but I don’t care because it’s that good.

Snow

If I must pick an “album” from “this year”, I’d probably say that I quite liked Genesis Owusu’s Redstar Wu. Killer production, effective genre-mashing, sharp lyricism, relevant themes. The Worldwide Scourge is handily one of the year’s best songs. Not only good on a song-to-song level, but also the album very well-sequenced. Great stuff.

Caleb Hilston

Best album of the year so far has to be the By Storm album. Cold take, but nothing sounds like it. It's fantastic

Tuck

Top 5: 1. They Might Be Giants- The World Is To Dig 2. Olivia Rodrigo- you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love 3. Bill Callahan- My Days of 58 4. Hemlocke Springs- The Apple Tree Under The Sea 5. Jill Scott- To Whom This May Concern

Luke Lane

My favourite album so far, and I'd be surprised if it's not still by the end of the year, is It's The Long Goodbye by The Twilight Sad. Their previous two albums were also fantastic but they have been away for 7 years, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but they came back equally as good, possibly better.

Andrew Phillips

AOTY: My queen Olivia with her best album WOTY: That bts album was horrifying

Kegan Padot

I’ve enjoyed Blame the Clown by Twisted Teens the most this year. Super catchy melodies, infectious energy, distinct vocals with character, and a unique approach to the modern country/indie rock/punk fusions we’ve seen so much of lately with the heavy lap steel presence.

Dustro5000

Flea - Honora for AOTY

Scott

Inferno by Boards of Canada

Jackson Clift

I would say the best so far is definitely My Ghost Go Ghosts, such great experimental/abstract rap and really impressive especially after they lost Groggs. This just shows that even after a 5 year hiatus and the loss of a key member, they still got it and I'm really excited to see what they do next! 9.5/10 for me, as the billy woods track was pretty underwhelming for me. As for the worst, its probably Xavier by xaviersobased or early life crisis by nettspend. Both trash rage/jerk albums that really have little to no substance at all. Maybe its just partially cause of personal bias, as i hate rage music in any kind. And honestly, idk if it's just me but even though we have had major releases from a lot of big artists, 90% of them have for me at least felt underwhelming. ASAP Rocky, Jpeg, Denzel, Harry Styles, and Bruno Mars just to name a few. The only 3 albums that have really wowed me are MGGG, Trying Times, and Redstar. Besides those i feel as though this year has been really mid. nothing like 2025. Maybe this also correlates with the fact that 2025 was the best year of my life and this year has been horrible, but that's besides the point ;)

Callahan Hirrel

So far nothing has topped “the apple tree under the sea” by hemlocke springs for me. I can’t stop listening, she created such a colorful marvelous world, it’s fun and goofy with touching moments of emotional honesty interspersed. I love all the ways she plays with her voice and sings in different registers and different tones. All the instrumental choices are on point, the synths and drums all serve the songs perfectly. The melodies are infectious. Quirky black girls rise up 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

liajuju

I do love the latest MUNA record. Not as strong as the previous album, but songs such as So What, Dancing on the Wall and Buzzkiller have been on repeat since it came out. So far, my AOTY.

silent disliker

I’m obsessed with Worst Girl in America by Slayyyter, so this is my pick for best album. I love how loud this album is, and I feel like fucking Jesus when I listen to it 🔥🔥🔥 Unfortunately, my worst pick so far is Ö by Fcukers. It sounds like the soundtrack to a matcha labubu morning rave 😔😔😔😔

Callahan Hirrel

Worst is gonna be “THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.” by RAYE. Listening to it felt like someone desperately trying to prove how deep they are. I felt there was very little creative substance underneath all the theatrical elements and it just made me want to go listen to SPELLLING.

Isaac Furler

I was surprised to find that so far album of the year for me is Slayyyter's latest record. Same as you, I wasn't a huge fan of it upon release because I thought the vocals were too derivative of other artists and the lyrics were a little bit cliché. But since then, I've kept coming back to it, especially after I saw some of Slayyyter's live festival performances this year and how charismatic and energetic she was there. So it suddenly clicked for me. Also, IMO, the production was hard from the start, so I'm enjoying it now even more. My recommendation for you, Antony, is to maybe try watching some of her live performances too, and it might become a case of Chappell Roan again.

Alex MacAulay

Olivia just dethroned James Blake for AOTY for me, love the story arc and every song is catchy. Worst I've heard would probably either be the Raye album or Habibti (asterisk: never finished either album lol)

Josh Brown

*BEST ALBUM TAKE* I haven’t seen enough love or conversation about the new Friko album Something Worth Waiting For. Their blend of DIY indie rock and lush orchestral ballads calls upon the best of early emo greats like Bright Eyes and Neutral Milk Hotel. Paired with pained but hopeful lyrics about finding your way in a world that’s falling apart, few modern indie bands have mastered such an intricate balance between bleak and inspired as well as Friko has.

Laura Markus

A Pale White Dot - Periphery

Sloane Faye

WOTY - Iceman by Drake. I’ll bracket out the xenophobia Drake allowed this album to endorse and the fuzzy math regarding record sales, and the rollout that was more derivative than original. Artistically, it’s forgettable. The lyrics are weak and corny. Musically, it’s way too over-produced with too many beat-switches. Also, like Anthony said, the beats don’t switch to a better beat. Some songs that could’ve been decent fizzled out because of this. The only thing propping this album up are Drake Stan’s who are nostalgic over an iconic hip hop artists that was always harmful to the genre and overrated.

Sloane Faye

AOTY - It’s Been Awful by Isaiah Rashad No other hip hop album will sound like this musically or in terms of content. The songs are addictive and diverse. A very personal album that has me rooting for the artist to make it through. And he does! 😭⛓️‍💥

Formaline fuckupformaline

Best is honestly a tie between Re:VISION by Ninomae Ina'nis and Detour by Kim Petra. I love the creative, progressive art pop arrangements and rich storytelling on Re:VISION (which I actually experienced live at her joint concert in LA with fellow Hololive member Takanashi Kiara, alongside a fellow Fantanocord user who also went. Love the community you've cultivated). "Abyssal Hymn" being my SOTY for that reason. Meanwhile the buzzed out atmosphere and pounding energetic bangers of Detour are among some of the best electropop I've ever heard, Kim really pulled out a generational comeback after making some of the worst pop I've ever heard just two years ago with Slut Pop Miami.

Formaline fuckupformaline

Worst is PROTAGONIST by bleood. I genuinely think ever since mid 2024 when he lost his previous production team, he has been chasing his old highs (see "depression" and "i swear i dont have an ego" for examples) with producers like yoi and yrsci who are just not good, and it led to him having one of the worst album discographies I've seen any serious rapper have (pain, rascal, and the Christmas EP are all genuinely insufferable). On PROTAGONIST it's at its most uninspired though, thanks to the beats from his usual team being more ass than usual, but also taking producers from Nine Vicious's crew of all people. That is just a recipe for disaster and his upcoming album that this precedes is one that I am not expecting to be any less than garbage. Worst rage artist out rn

OG NICK MARSH

HATE ISLAND: DIRECTORS CUT by Teller Bank$ is my album of the year, and one of my favorite albums ever. Teller was already one of my favorite artists of all time before I heard this one, and this somehow ended up being his best project. The ever-evolving instrumentals from the $$$ production crew are incredible, and Teller is a superhuman on the microphone. He has an endless supply of flows, lyricism that ranges from funny as hell to horrifyingly tragic, and one of the most unique vocal deliveries of any rapper. I genuinely think it's a masterpiece, and I'm glad it's received so much attention. Teller Bank$ forever goated. (p.s. we still need the review from melon for the culture)

ToadMan101

I've got two personal 10's this year; one of them that I'll mention is The Mountain from Gorillaz. A few interviews into the album cycle, Damon and Jamie were talking about how this needed to be played the whole way through without any pauses or skips, and I can definitely see why. The whole experience throughout just felt so transcendental, with every feature making sense, the lyricism being some of the strongest in a hot minute, and just gorgeous instrumentals everywhere you go. "The Shadowy Light"'s probably my favorite deep cut on the record, just astounding all around. Also, the very real possibility of the animated short that came with it being potentially eligible for an Oscar because of its theatrical release has me super giddy just thinking about it.

ToadMan101

I've personally been pretty lucky this year to listen to so much great music that I haven't really heard of that many duds. However, if I did have to give something WOTY so far, it would have to be BTS's ARIRANG. It just feels completely emblematic of how HYBE just capitalizes maximum profit on everything these days. I'm not even the biggest BTS fan, but even I could feel that the comeback was feeling pretty rushed because HYBE saw that every member was done with their service so it was now officially time for work. I genuinely think if they were given more time, they could've come out with something like LOVE YOURSELF, but instead, we have to hear some of the most generic pop they've put out in a minute.

Pearathon

My top 5 so far are 1. Lip Critic- Theft World Absolutely insane production, switchups, and infectious vocal energy, an upgrade for them in every way. 2. Neurosis- An Undying Love for a Burning World So heavy, so sludgy, an excellent rebirth for the band with the new vocalist. 3. Chamber- This Is Goodbye... Just some really insane and hectic mathcore that sounds incredible, real blood pumping. 4. Underscores- U Best pop/electronic production of the year, killer choruses and beat drops, Underscores remains the goat. 5. Hellripper- Coronach I loved this really speedy, anthemic take on the black metal style, just one banger after another with excellent guitar work. Honorable mentions- Olivia, By Storm, Slayyyter, both Converges Oddly enough though I feel like this year is kinda slow so far compared to previous, there hasn't been an album that completely blew me away yet.

Isabelle Inc.

My Ghosts Go Ghost is honestly one of the most breathtaking albums i've ever heard. the textures and the soundscapes on that record are completely incomparable to anything else i've heard really. hemlocke springs is a strong #2 worst i've heard is probably either Habibti or the completely worthless and unlistenable Teens of Denial remake

Adam Backus

The best record so far this year is the new American Football record because it makes me realize there is someone in this world who is more depressed than I am

Jim 🤘

Hemlocke springs

Kyle Cahill

for me the BEST album of the year so far is My Ghosts Go Ghost. a haunting, beautiful, intense, and undefinable album that processes grief, the past, and the future in a way that is immensely powerful and presented in a way that is unlike anything that will be heard for the rest of the year and beyond. and the WORST album of the year so far is Brown by Chris Brown. 90 minutes of Chris's whack ass ego over some of the most copy/paste and presumably AI generated R&B "songs" of the year. a complete waste of time

Skullring27

MGGG was my album of the year so far, then it got taken over by Spontaneous Music Live. Such incredible jamming with multiple layers that reward multiple relistens. While it’s neck and neck with both MGGG and play monk by Ahmed.