Music Is Not Dead

The Art of the Album

By Jordan Staggs

A good musical album can define a season or a year. A great album can define a generation. In an age where so many songs are clipped and repeated only for social media, it’s more important than ever for consumers to support the artists they love by listening to new albums. The process of making music is a collaboration not only among the singer or band but also many studio musicians, producers, writers, and other creatives with a passion for what they do.

A full studio album tells a story, captures a feeling unique to its time and audience, and represents months, if not years, of hard work and human connection with a soul that can never truly be replicated by a computer. Nostalgia and a desire to support the people who make music have even driven vinyl records to become the preferred medium for people who buy albums—in 2023, vinyl sales surpassed CDs for the first time since 1987, and they have only grown since. Promotions such as Record Store Day, indie record store exclusives, and special editions even drive devoted fans and collectors to buy multiples of the same album if they love it. Companies such as Diggers Factory, Bad World, and Blood Records have capitalized on colored, patterned, picture-topped, and even liquid-filled LPs. For example, Noah Kahan’s 2026 release, The Great Divide, has at least eight vinyl variants, with color names like Cigarette Smoke, American Rust, and even the liquid-filled Pond Water variant.

The VIE team is excited to share some of our favorite studio albums of Spring/Summer 2026!

Prizefighter

Mumford & Sons – February 24

We know this isn’t technically a spring release, but we couldn’t leave it off our list of favorites. Are Mumford & Sons the kings of collaboration for this year? Their chart-topping sixth studio album would suggest the answer is yes, featuring a star-studded lineup of artists. Chris Stapleton, Hozier, Gigi Perez, Gracie Abrams, and Sierra Ferrell all join the band on this album and its extended cut. Prizefighter includes new hits like “Rubber Band Man,” “The Banjo Song,” and “Badlands,” while holding onto the soulful, bluegrass-inspired indie sound of this British powerhouse group.

Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally

Harry Styles – March 6

Returning after a four-year new music hiatus in the wake of his multi-platinum, three-Grammy album Harry’s House, Harry Styles ushered in Spring 2026 with Kiss All the Time, Disco, Occasionally. A fun dance-pop departure from his previous work, the album takes inspiration from the disco era, electronica, and Italian culture, drawing listeners into Harry’s world as he spent the past few years living in a small village in the Lazio region. The album’s artwork features disco balls, bold colors, and vinyl variants such as Kiss Pink, Tomato Red, Pop-Blue, and Smoke Machine.

WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA

Slayyyter – March 27

Slayyyter’s third studio album debuted in late March, inspired by the artist’s life growing up in St. Louis and the people she knew then. Described as “the portrait of a woman from the Midwest,” the album is a genre-bending mix of electro-pop, nu metal, pop punk, and industrial hip-hop. WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA quickly topped the Top Dance Albums chart, and critics have likened Slayyyter’s sound to the likes of Madonna, Robyn, and Blondie on various tracks. The visual album companion videos are available to stream for each track, lending an extra-immersive full-album experience that many artists now create.

Dandelion

Ella Langley – April 10

Featuring the highly beloved single “Choosin’ Texas,” country artist Ella Langley’s sophomore album, Dandelion, debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. Prior to its release, Langley shared the concept, saying, “Dandelions are masters of survival, thriving in even the harshest environments. Often dismissed as a common weed, this unassuming plant carries a deeper symbolism of hope, healing, and resilience.” With vinyl variants including a dreamy Puffball White and a bold Honey Bee Yellow, the visual theme carries over into the artwork, while the album’s tracks celebrate growth and strength.

Cruel World

Holly Humberstone – April 10

Indie-pop’s ethereal Holly Humberstone brought a poignantly dark yet hopeful album to 2026 with Cruel World. Full of the edge Humberstone has become known for, yet with upbeat tracks like the hit single “To Love Somebody,” the album was followed up in June by It’s a Real Cruel World, which features four reimagined tracks from the original project. Inspired by gothic themes and fairy tales, the album’s artwork, companion videos, and vinyl variants showcase Humberstone’s penchant for dark yet romantic vibes.

The Great Divide

Noah Kahan – April 24

It’s time for everyone’s favorite American son. The spotlight has shone bright on Noah Kahan leading up to his fourth studio album, The Great Divide, as well as his Netflix documentary, Noah Kahan: Out of Body, which premiered April 13. Heartfelt and heartbreaking as usual, The Great Divide and its extended edition, The Last of the Bugs, have been released in various vinyl editions. Promising as ever to “leave you a lot sadder than you were before,” Kahan’s latest opus reached number one on over a dozen charts worldwide, and The Great Divide Tour sold out throughout the US, Canada, and Europe.

Middle of Nowhere

Kacey Musgraves – May 1

Texas native Kacey Musgraves returned to her roots with Middle of Nowhere, the country star’s seventh studio album. Deeply introspective and drawing on Western swing and bluegrass influences, the album features the hit tracks “Dry Spell,” “Loneliest Girl,” and “Mexico Honey.” Musgraves says she really “leaned into herself” and her origins, examining how the in-between, “middle of nowhere” emotional places aren’t always negative. The Rodeo Clown Edition LP variant is a favorite, featuring a translucent mixed-color vinyl.

The Boys of Dungeon Lane

Paul McCartney – May 29

Even legends take time to look back and reflect on all they’ve experienced. The Boys of Dungeon Lane is McCartney’s walk down memory lane, from childhood memories growing up in Liverpool to the energetic, no-holds-barred life he was catapulted into when The Beatles became an international music sensation. At 84, McCartney proves he’s not only still relevant but still able to capture the spirit of something new with his twentieth solo studio album. Ringo Starr joins on vocals and drums for the track “Home to Us.”

you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

Olivia Rodrigo – June 12

On her third album, Olivia Rodrigo continues to tell the story of her journey from girlhood to womanhood, navigating life, love, heartbreak, and dreams. Calling it a collection of “sad love songs,” Rodrigo’s vulnerable yet pop-fueled album kicks off with the hit single “drop dead.” It is stylistically divided into the opening “Girl So in Love” section and the “You Seem Pretty Sad” section. The album order seems to emulate the stages of a relationship and subsequent breakup, ending with “cigarette smoke.” Target stores featured two exclusive vinyl variants: a Pretty Sad pink edition and a Hope Like Snow white edition, while Rodrigo’s online store released a picture disc edition featuring an original oil painting by Chloe Wise.

My Mess, My Heart, My Life.

Myles Smith – June 19

Building success up to now through his 2024 debut EP and singles, including “Stargazing” and “Nice To Meet You,” which launched him to stardom on social media, Myles Smith is vulnerable, raw, and powerful on his debut studio album, My Mess, My Heart, My Life. The energy he brought to his first two stage tours has gained him even more fans—who Smith affectionately refers to as “pookies”—who have lauded his authenticity and willingness to open up onstage and online. The Luton vinyl variant, named after the artist’s hometown, features a beautiful blue-and-orange disc that mirrors the Luton Football Club’s official colors.

Daughter from Hell

Gracie Abrams – July 17

An admitted nepo baby (did you know? I didn’t), Gracie Abrams has nevertheless proved she’s in the music business by talent and her own personality as she continues to gain steam in her career. From collaborating with Mumford & Sons to releasing her third album, 2026 might just be her best year yet, but we’re willing to bet she’ll continue to soar. Stepping into confidence and her own skin, Abrams cited that she was anxiously anticipating the release of Daughter from Hell earlier this spring, but that she also felt calm and collected about it, like she is exactly where she’s meant to be.

Music, Fashion, Film

Charli xcx – July 24

The brat is back! Following the extremely popular release of her Brat album in 2024, Charli xcx’s highly anticipated Music, Fashion, Film brought energy and honesty in equal measure. Lauded for its lyrics and experimental sounds, the album topped the charts in Australia, Belgium (Flanders), Hungary, New Zealand, Scotland, and the United Kingdom. It also hit the top ten in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. With a full promotional package of limited-edition 180g black vinyl, three seven-inch singles, a 48-page companion book, and two art prints, all in custom packaging. And she’s just getting started! Charli hits the stage on tour starting in September.

petal

Ariana Grande – July 31

A memorable July finale and the possible end of an era? Ariana Grande’s eighth studio album, petal, made waves on the charts when it debuted July 31. But even more than the music, fans were talking about the singer’s plans to step away from the spotlight for a while following her Eternal Sunshine Tour this fall. We applaud a diva who knows when it’s time to rest, and we’re loving the honesty and vulnerability in petal, which Ari says is about “romance, self-worth, and fame.” Taking its title from the metaphor of a flower growing through cracks in concrete, the album “revolves around finding hope and resilience from emotional and mental turmoil.”

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