Sonic calendars at the ready: 2026 is already shaping up to be huge.
From long-teased comeback records to surprise soundtracks and highly anticipated follow-ups, some of the biggest names in music are quietly (and not so quietly) lining up their next eras. Whether it’s legacy icons returning to form, festival-dominating stars plotting their next move, or fan-favourite bands finally emerging from the studio, there’s plenty to get excited about.
Below, we’ve rounded up all the 2026 albums we know are on the way so far – plus a few that are still deliciously unconfirmed. Consider this your early briefing.
1. The Mountain by Gorillaz
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Release date: 27 February 2026
This will be the ninth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz (the first new music from the group since 2023's Cracker Island). For a taste, you can listen to the first single from the album Damascus on streaming platforms now.
2. Act III by Beyoncé
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Release date: TBC
While there's no official release date yet, fans have been waiting for the third and final instalment of Beyoncé's Renaissance – the dominant theory being that Act III is Beyoncé’s long-rumoured rock album. We'll keep you updated on this one.
3. untitled by BTS
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Release date: 20 March 2026
All seven members of BTS came together last year during a live broadcast on fan platform Weverse to announced their post-military return and that they were working on a album and tour. And now, the untitled, 14-track album has been revealed to fans through handwritten New Year’s letters sent to their Weverse fan-club members, with personal messages of thanks from the group.
4. Wuthering Heights by Charli XCX
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Release date: 13 February 2026
Charli has been gearing up for her first movie soundtrack for Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights and has already released her first single from the project titled Chains of Love. All 12 original songs will be yours from 13 February (a day before the film releases globally).
5. Stove by Lana Del Rey
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Release date: TBC
Lana has been teasing Stove for a minute now, but fans know that not every album teaser from Del Rey should be taken seriously. This one in particular has gone through a couple names already (Lasso and then The Right Person Will Stay), but we're thinking this one is likely to see the light in 2026 (if at all).
6. untitled by Olivia Rodrigo
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Release date: TBC
Rodrigo has finished her masterful festival-headlining run for Guts and has been teasing lyrics and new music for at least six months now. So, we've got to be close... right?
7. Confessions on a Dance Floor Part 2 by Madonna
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Release date: TBC
Madge has apparently reunited with her original Confessions album producer Stuart Price to put together a part II this year. We'll be keeping vigil for this one.
8. DOGS and GHEMB by The 1975
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Release date: TBC
Matty Healy has been in the studio since 2024, and releasing teaser IG stories alluding to their sixth studio album – in fact, there are allegedly two new The 1975 albums incoming. One is reportedly called DOGS and the other is GHEMB (God has entered my body, like a body my same size; like me floating into you or you floating into me). You can read the full deposition on what we have confirmed so far and get into the fan theories yourself.
9. untitled by Robyn
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Release date: TBC
Robyn is back to cathartically heal us all. Last year, the Swedish pop goddess dropped a new single called Dopamine last November, so we're thinking there's a project en route.
10. untitled by Harry Styles
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Release date: TBC
Styles broke his years-long hiatus from public life just prior to Christmas, linking fans to a brand new visual of his tour-ending piano solo Forever, Forever. Those in the know have been speculating he's on the verge of returning with a new album in 2026 – so we're thinking this was just a nice ice breaker.
11. untitled by Gracie Abrams
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Release date: TBC
Abrams has been teasing her third album for a while now – ever since she debuted an unreleased track at Glastonbury last year. At a Chateau Marmont-hosted launch party for her new Chanel Coco Crush campaign in early January 2026, Abrams toldThe Hollywood Reporter about her upcoming music:" It’s definitely my favourite music I’ve ever made, and I feel very closely connected to it. I appreciate so much that these albums are time capsules of where I’m at in my life at any given point, but right now it does feel very like me. I hope that whoever finds it, connects with it and that they make it theirs when it’s out one day. But not yet."
