Five artists who need to return with new music in 2026
It’s becoming more commonly accepted for musicians to endure the spotlight for a full album cycle before retreating into the dark – many take this approach, from Chappell Roan to Wet Leg.
There are a fair few reasons for this. One is that creating an album takes time, and if an artist wants to put out something that they really care about, then rushing it will get them nowhere. Roan tackled this recently when she addressed the pressure to release a follow-up album to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, saying that it doesn’t exist yet and probably won’t for several years.
From their perspective, and to an extent, their audiences, too, this is one of the most frustrating aspects of the business. If an artist takes a few years out, they face allegations of flopping or becoming irrelevant, when usually, it’s just time taken to recalibrate, reinvent, and focus on making something actually worth putting out. It happened to Wet Leg – after their successful 2022 debut and a string of tour dates, people thought they’d left the spotlight, or worse, faded into irrelevance.
This was, of course, complete rubbish, but it just proves that visibility doesn’t equate success, and usually, it’s indicative of artists who actually respect their own art. Still, from the other side, all of that doesn’t make it any less painful as a fan or music lover in the midst of the waiting game, when an artist releases an album you love only to disappear without any teaser as to when they might be back.
It’s only natural to expect our favourite musicians to take time, but when they become even more elusive, neglecting social media and other means of connecting with their audiences, people get a little fidgety. And if the following names don’t make an appearance in 2026, the year is going to feel a whole lot emptier.
Five artists who should release music in 2026:
Angel Olsen
Since Angel Olson released Cosmic Waves Volume 1 in December 2024, the singer has appeared in dribs and drabs – most notably with David Franklin Courtright’s single ‘in a tangerine light’ from his 2025 record Brutal Tenderness.
However, even her latest full-length drop did little to satiate the need for new material, with Cosmic Waves Volume 1 half-filled with songs by other, lesser-known artists and half-filled with Olsen taking on covers of songs from each of the featured artists. Although a fascinating listen and good proof that Olsen is the best at reimagining others’ work, it increases the thirst for more original material, and hopefully, 2026 will be the year we witness a full comeback.
Frank Ocean
In the last few weeks, an old post from 2016 has been re-circulating on X. “Frank Ocean dropped two albums, two visuals and a magazine in just 48 hours. He’s about to disappear for 13 years.” The quotes are about what you’d expect, ranging from “how did he know?” to “it’s your fault”. At the time, Ocean had, of course, just released Blonde and Endless, and then he did, in fact, completely vanish from the music industry.
Ocean hasn’t completely disappeared per se, but, to a fan, his frequent inactivity is about as good as complete inactivity, and many are still wondering whether he will ever fully return to music. All we know so far is that he’s planning a film with A25, making his potential musical comeback one of the most overdue in recent history.
Phoebe Bridgers
Like many who appear occasionally only to vanish for a little while, Phoebe Bridgers seems to be enjoying a well-earned break after the success of her 2020 record, Punisher. Of course, her other project, Boygenius, released a record in 2023, but everything else has seemed a little radio silent when it comes to Bridgers, leaving people wondering whether she will return in the near future.
The only indication that Bridgers will return is a comment from last year when she said she was taking a little break, but some would argue that it’s been longer than anticipated, especially since the demand for new material remains high. Could we possibly see another record from Bridgers in 2026? Fingers crossed – the landscape is currently in dire need of a voice as unique and authentic as hers.
Childish Gambino
It takes a lot to be a master of multiple disciplines and still have respect across all of them, and yet Donald Glover seems to have done just that. His musical project, Childish Gambino, seems less of a side hustle and more like a fully realised creative vision that many of his hip-hop peers merely aspired to.
Glover’s reasons for taking it easy in recent years are more than valid, but selfishly, you can’t help but wish for more material, whether under Childish Gambino or another one-off. Even if Childish Gambino has truly wrapped up for now, hopefully Glover’s love for music will re-emerge in 2026, health challenges permitting, and the music landscape will be reminded of what it sounds like to bring fresh ideas to an oversaturated arena.
Arctic Monkeys
Ever since 2013’s smash record AM, Arctic Monkeys have been hard to put your finger on. Not because the music went through such a hefty transformation that it left AM fans scrambling to defend their beloved Sheffield band for the rest of time, but because each member seems about as elusive as Bigfoot.
Alex Turner, especially, only shows his face every once in a while, and even then, it’s usually in the form of someone on social having accidentally bumped into him near Fagan’s or some random street in East London. Regardless, their indefinite detachment from the music industry seems less charming than straight-up frustrating these days, especially after the release of The Car, which did little to satiate even a fraction of that lingering thirst.
