Notable vinyl releases out this Friday - February 13, 2026

There's no other band like Angel Du$t. In fact, the singular group is almostdefined by how far they stand apart from the pack. So if saying Angel Du$taren't like anyone else is a no-brainer, then what are they like? Are theycutting edge genre-destroyers or one of the last authentic guitar bandsstanding? Are they blunt force aggression incarnate or earnest experimen-talists? Are they the hardcore version of an indie band or is it the other wayaround? You might ask yourself these kinds of questions while taking inthe totality of Angel Dust's decade-plus journey-but the band's new album,COLD 2 THE TOUCH, suggests that maybe it's not so complicated afterall. Or as vocalist/mastermind Justice Tripp puts it: "Angel Du$t is rock &roll."COLD 2 THE TOUCH captures this simple fact better than ever before.The 26-minute blast of eclectic and hardhitting music makes it clear thatAngel Du$t can't be contained within the confines of narrow subgenres,and that a term as elemental as rock & roll might actually fit like a glove.This is the band's most overtly ferocious album in some time-a blender ofhard riffs and big hooks that are matched by Tripp's open-hearted existen-tialism.A constellation of collaborators makes COLD 2 THE TOUCH a captivatinglisten that's constantly surprising the listener: guitarist Jim Caroll makes hispresence especially felt on "Zero," a veritable Angel Du$t epic that clocksin at over three minutes of spiraling riffs and features vocals from WesEisold of American Nightmare and Cold Cave; "Downfall" has the growl ofRestraining Order's Patrick Cozens; "Man On Fire" taps UK punk legendFrank Carter; and "The Beat" includes guttural guest vitriol from TaylorYoung of Twitching Tongues, Deadbody, and more.The album's final one-two punch of "The Knife" and "The Beat" sum upexactly what makes Angel Du$t such a special band. This is a creativeendeavor where heart-on-sleeve musings about the finite nature of lifecan coexist with the unbridled thrill of violence-enducing riffs, where realhumanity can flourish and being true to yourself and your own spectrum ofthoughts, interests, and feelings takes primacy above all else. "This is whoI am," says Tripp. "and I speak for the band too: these are people who arealways going to be playing aggressive rock & roll. It's happening whetheryou like it or not. I'm me, and if you get in my way I'm gonna crush you."

On his fifth studio album, Julia, Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir enters intriguing and uncharted territory. After years of engaging translators such as John Grant and working with the poetry of his father, Einar Georg Einarsson, Ásgeir has penned his lyrics by himself for the first time in his long and celebrated career. The result is a deeply contemplative body of work, steeped in nostalgia, that sees Ásgeir meditating on his past regrets as well as his hopes for the future, guided by the spectre of the album’s title character. Ásgeir has long been lauded for his intricate folk-pop, lush production, and wistful, emotive falsetto. Julia marks a shift toward not just lyrical self-reliance but cathartic directness, songs that feel not just exquisitely performed, but lived in. “This was kind of the first time I was writing lyrics totally on my own,” he shares. “It was scary. I’m still trying to find myself within that. But I tried to open myself up and I learned a lot through that process, and it was definitely therapeutic for me.” This new sense of vulnerability threads through the album’s ten tracks, written and recorded over the course of nearly two years. Many of the songs were first composed on guitar, with Ásgeir aiming for simplicity, prioritising melody, clarity, and meaning. The production, co-developed with longtime collaborator Guðm. “Kiddi” Kristinn Jónsson, remains organic and understated, allowing Ásgeir’s voice, and importantly his voice as a writer, to come forward.

Cork's acclaimed Cardinals announce their much-anticipated debut album Masquerade. Set to release on tastemaker label So Young Records, the ten song album was recorded with producer Shrink at RAK Studios, London across the summer. It's a record that is at once grand and intimate, awash with romance and flickers of holy imagery, and most of all, it's an undeniable fulfilment of the innate promise the band have shown since their earliest beginnings. These are emotionally expansive songs, some simmering with an undercurrent of violence, cynicism or fervent discontent (Anhedonia, The Burning of Cork, Barbed Wire) and others gleaming with a bright-eyed vulnerability. A vivid first half contrasts a darker second and crafts a record with a clear A-side and B-side. A nod to the band’s collective love of vinyl, that tonal shift takes its cue from a variety of expected and unexpected influences - from the brittle honesty of folk to the theatrical melodrama of goth-rock.

Wuthering Heights is Charli xcx’s album written for Emerald Fennel’s highly anticipated film Wuthering Heights, starring and . The album will be released alongside the film on Valentine’s Day 2026.

Danny L Harle’s album Cerulean marks his first full-length release on XL Recordings and his most definitive artistic statement to date. Following 2021’s immersive Harlecore project, Harle considers Cerulean his true debut. “This is my debut album—It really is the big one.” Cerulean is a voyage into vast, alien sonic landscapes where speaker-blowing bass and euphoric trance synths meet intricate textures, from tactile sound design to field recordings of waves. It embodies Harle’s pursuit of melancholic euphoria - a blend of megalophobic majesty and raw humanity - inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker, existing “on the threshold between dreams and reality.” Seeking “the best melodies sung by the best voices,” Harle enlisted an exceptional cast of collaborators, including Caroline Polachek, Clairo, Julia Michaels, PinkPantheress, Oklou, and MNEK, alongside newer voices like kacha—even his own daughters. Cerulean balances dancefloor power with emotional resonance to brilliant effect. Harle’s wide-ranging influences - from hedonistic rave to the haunting Dark Souls video game series, Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach, and Renaissance composers John Dowland, Thomas Tallis, and William Byrd - underpin the album’s dazzling, genre (and centuries)-spanning focus. Born in North London, Harle’s early exposure to avant-garde concerts and chart pop shaped his singular musical lens. Emerging from the visionary PC Music collective with 2013’s “Broken Flowers,” he became one of pop’s most adventurous producers, collaborating with Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen,& co-executive producing Polachek’s acclaimed Pang, his credits span Oklou, FKA twigs, Shygirl, and Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism, earning him a GRAMMY nomination for Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. Fusing rave maximalism, classical composition and emotional depth, Cerulean distills Harle’s lifelong fascination with beauty, wonder, and the unknown “I just have this mad desire to make my own favorite music,” he says. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” A1. Noctilucence A2. Starlight (feat PinkPantheress) A3. Azimuth (feat. Caroline Polachek) A4. Facing Away (feat. Clairo) A5. Raft In The Sea (feat Julia Michaels) A6. Island (da da da) A7. Te Re Re (feat. feat. Kacha) B1. Laa B2. O Now Am I Truly Lost B3. Two Hearts B4. Crystallise My Tears ( feat oklou & MNEK) B5. On & On (feat. Caroline Polachek) B6. Teardrop in the Ocean

For this new Gogol Bordello album, songwriter Eugene Hutz set out to blend post-punk textures and aggro to Gogol Bordello's free-wheeling gypsy-punk - He chose to work with the production team of Nick Launay (Gang of Four, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Idles) and Adam "Atom" Greenspan (Nick Cave, Idles, Flogging Molly) to accomplish this goal - Together with his long running band, they knocked out twelve super punchy and hook-laden songs The title track, We Mean It, Man! is all pile-driving punk intensity which crescendoes into no-wave sax skronk. "No Time For Idiots" is a Strummer/Jones-esque riff-punk with a giant chorus payoff. "Life Is Possible Again" voices an optimism against the dread of the Ukraine war. "Solidarity" features New Order's Bernard Sumner on the Cockney Rejects Solidarnosc-punk anthem updated to address the Ukraine war effort. This is the album and political message the world needs now.

the apple tree under the sea, the debut album from breakout alt-pop artist hemlocke springs, marks an exciting new chapter for the singer/songwriter/producer. This is a fever dream of a concept album in which our heroine sets off on a journey of self-discovery—one that requires her to confront the chaos and repression of her past in order to claim the full, liberatory life she once didn’t even know was possible. throughout the project hemlocke displays her most adventurous songcraft and playful vocals yet, while co-producing the apple tree under the sea with close collaborator BURNS (Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Charli xcx).

After a decade away from new music, Jill Scott returns with To Whom This May Concern, a soul-stirring body of work rich with texture, rhythm, and emotional truth. Rooted in community, reflection, and sonic exploration, the album weaves melodies, horns, and rhythms into an immersive listening experience that invites audiences to feel deeply, reflect freely, and take exactly what they need.