Beat the Algorithm: Five great albums you might have missed from April 2026
Well, the sun’s out – that’s good, right? If, like me, the weather dictates the way you hear and interpret the music you listen to, with songs and records of a sunnier disposition hitting harder when the corresponding meteorological phenomena are occurring, then yes, it’s good.
That isn’t to say that it’s harder to appreciate music during the colder months, and believe me, as a Brit, that would make my life hellish, but the way in which our brains process certain stimuli is almost certainly affected by our environment. Put it this way: there’s a good reason calypso hails from between the tropics and not within the Arctic Circle, and the Trinidadian climate is arguably far more appropriate for the feel-good nature of their traditional music than anywhere else in the world has any right to be.
With that in mind, as the sun chooses to awaken from its six-month slumber in Northern Europe and threatens to bring along a level of warmth that I’ll no doubt be complaining about by the time the June edition of this column rolls around, the records selected for April’s Beat the Algorithm are arguably of a much brighter disposition than the first three months of the year were.
Granted, not all of these albums that I’m waving in your face are jovial, but they might stir something in the listener that spurs on a greater zest for life. After a dour start to the year, which admittedly is still raging on in certain respects, the hope is that these will hopefully awaken something in you, or failing that, simply draw your attention to something that you otherwise wouldn’t have come across.
From alt-country slacker anthems to progressive folk and futuristic jazz, here are five underrated albums from April 2026 that caught my ears, and will hopefully do the same for you.
Five records that went under the radar in April 2026:
Wax Head – ‘GNAT’
Release Date: April 1st, 2026 | Producer: Borja Reguiera | Label: Sour Grapes
Manchester psych-punks Wax Head may have opted for an unconventional midweek April Fools’ Day release for their debut album, but barely a handful of seconds into the album, it becomes pretty evident that the trio aren’t messing around. Barely scraping half an hour in length, the album propulsively kicks itself through nine rip-roaring tracks of garage-influenced noise rock without relenting for a single moment, making for an exhilarating introduction to the band.
While there are more than a few nods to acts like Osees and early King Gizzard, complete with the same pre-chorus yelps of John Dwyer and Stu Mackenzie, the sheer barbarism of the sonic onslaught delivered on GNAT is what makes it such a compelling listen, rendering all of its referential shortcomings easily ignorable. Listening only makes you wish you were sweating buckets and being hurled around a pit at the same time, but I’m sure you can see to that if you so desire.
Wendy Eisenberg – ‘Wendy Eisenberg’
Release Date: April 3rd, 2026 | Producer: Wendy Eisenberg | Label: Joyful Noise Recordings
While their previous records tend not to follow any particular pattern in terms of adhering to any particular style, usually exploring the worlds of avant-garde jazz and improvised solo guitar without restriction, Wendy Eisenberg’s new and aptly self-titled record sees the Maryland-born artist deliver their most conventional and personal set of songs to date, with them settling into a progressive folk style that seems to fit like a glove.
There are shades of CSNY’s opulence gelling with the gentler end of the Chicago post-rock scene that brought the world Gastr Del Sol and The Sea and Cake, but what Eisenberg has created is a singular vision that demonstrates their versatility as an artist. Where 2024’s Viewfinder may have felt impenetrable to some listeners as a result of its shapeshifting qualities, Wendy Eisenberg and its luscious arrangements are much more inviting, and the sort of stunning record that will help ease people into their more abstract work.
National Photo Committee – ‘Red Hot Photo Committee’
Release Date: April 3rd, 2026 | Producer: Paul Gold | Label: Ever/Never Records
While the worlds of alternative country and slacker rock frequently find themselves overlapping, rarely do they ever produce something quite as buoyant as the debut album from Chicago’s National Photo Committee. The titans of the genre, whether you regard those as fellow Windy City natives Wilco or perhaps the languid poeticism of Silver Jews, have tended to lean into introspective lyricism that is underpinned by bittersweet songcraft, there’s something remarkably joyful about the way that Red Hot Photo Committee approaches the genre.
The deep baritone of Max Bottner can sometimes make it seem like there’s a misery to his humorous observations, but the liveliness of the band he’s assembled around him and the sheer passion that he occasionally allows to burst out of him are a wonder to behold. Opener ‘Foam the Field’ welcomes the listener in with immediate effect, and ‘Before The Feeling’s Gone’ will almost certainly retain the interest as the band whip through eight songs that have an air of cult classic written all over them.
upsammy & Valentina Magaletti – ‘Seismo’
Release Date: April 10th, 2026 | Producer: upsammy & Valentina Magaletti | Label: PAN
Given how Dutch producer upsammy’s glitchy IDM has taken a rather singular approach since the release of her 2020 debut, Zoom, it’s hard to pin down any artist who would be able to make an impactful contribution to a collaborative album alongside her. Step forward Italian drummer and percussionist Valentina Magaletti, whose untethered style across the multitude of records she’s released under numerous guises seems to know no bounds.
Naturally, with Magaletti supplying breakbeats for Thessa Torsing to manipulate beyond belief, Seismo transforms into a cerebral whirlwind of soundscapes that combine their respective acoustic and electronic disciplines in a delightful manner. There are moments where the synthetic elements come across as playful while the organic parts offer a more threatening undertone, and then all of a sudden, these will trade roles and demonstrate something of equal heft. Of course this was a match made in heaven.
Black Nile – ‘Indigo Garden’
Release Date: April 10th, 2026 | Producer: Harlan Steinberger | Label: MASS MoCA
Jazz is in a truly great place at the moment, and while a decade ago we were singing the praises of the artists who were welcoming us into a renaissance of the genre, we appear to have reached a point where things are in full swing, with some of the most forward-thinking music coming from acts who are not just taking influence from the genre, but who are deeply rooted in it. On their fourth album, Californian brotherly duo Black Nile demonstrate more than just a passing appreciation for the form and express an innate understanding of the language of the genre.
Saxophonist Aaron Shaw has already had an impressive year on his own, with his solo album And So It Is garnering praise for its approach to the spiritual side of the genre, but when flanked by his bassist sibling Lawrence, their style morphs into the frantic fusion heard on Indigo Garden, which is only aided by the performances of guest musicians who complete the album alongside the pair. Besides, when you take your name from a Wayne Shorter composition, things should find themselves getting a bit adventurous, and the Shaw brothers duly oblige.
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