Beat the Algorithm: Seven great albums you may have missed from January 2026
You’d be forgiven for thinking that in our roles as music journalists, keeping our finger firmly on the pulse is something that comes naturally when it comes to picking out new music, but despite our best efforts, things can still slip through the cracks.
So much new music is coming out on a weekly basis these days, thanks to the fact that artists have been given the power to release their own work to the world at the click of a button, and it’s easy to find yourself being overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of things you could choose to dive headfirst into. I get it, and it’s quite exhausting to constantly feel as though you’re not on top of all of the hottest new releases.
That’s also applicable to us journalists as well; some things are placed under our noses, whether through organic recommendation or through the existence of the dreaded algorithm, and then it gets to a point where laziness prevails, where we end up only able to listen to what the rest of the world deems the most significant on a given week.
The same music being fed to us adds to a homogenisation of our tastes, and the hope of finding something truly unique begins to dwindle. “Have you heard the new Geese record?” I am so frequently asked. Of course I fucking have. My mum has heard the new Geese record. It’s obviously good, but it’s tiring having people repeatedly attempt to recommend the same thing.
But, not all hope is lost, and it comes as a result of a burning desire to constantly broaden our musical horizons that we’ve chosen to take the time to celebrate the under-celebrated records of each month that ‘Beat the Algorithm’ makes a grand return, showcasing a handful of stellar records that you may have missed each month.
While January often suffers from being the most miserable month, serving as both a festive and financial hangover for many of us, that doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of anything inspiring being released. With that in mind, here are seven of the best records that deserve to have a little more light shone upon them that came out at the start of 2026.
Seven records that went under the radar in January 2026:
Alex Pester – ‘Yours’
Release date: January 1st, 2026 | Producer: Alex Pester | Label: Stripy Jumper Records
The Skinny: Bless anyone who feels compelled to release on New Year’s Day. Taking such a bold move when half the world is still asleep really takes the notion of starting the year on the right foot to a whole new level, and Bath-based polymath Alex Pester seems to have built a tradition of this while becoming one of the most quietly prolific folk acts operating in the UK.
An album of understated and heartfelt songs recorded from the comfort of his bedroom, Yours may have been easy to miss as a result of its release on day one of 365, but it’s certainly not lacking in beauty or sublime quality. If you were in search of a way of kicking things off in sublime fashion and creating a benchmark for all of the rest of the year’s releases, this ought to have been it.
Renatto Olivares – ‘Aguas Raras’
Release date: January 5th, 2026 | Producer: Victor Borgert, Renatto Olivares & Emanuel Irarrazaval | Label: Self-released
The Skinny: South America has always been known for its ability to produce artists who make ornate music that merges together a variety of influences, and Renatto Olivares’ second album is truly a hodgepodge of insane ideas being thrown together. While there are conflicting sounds being thrown at its audience from all angles across the six tracks of Aguas Raras, taking a step back and appreciating them all as they come together leads to an ultimately rewarding listen.
It’s chaotic, but the chaos is organised, and the Chilean multi-instrumentalist fluctuates between jazz, folk and prog rock with a sense of ease. Nothing feels forced here, and his drawling baritone adds so much flavour to these sumptuously complex tracks he’s proffered, which, when compared to the catalogue he’s been mounting up as the leader of post-rock group Hesse Kassel, proves he’s one of the most forward-thinking songwriters in Santiago.
Skiving – ‘The Family Computer’
Release date: January 8th, 2026 | Producer: Adam Brown & Conor Kearney | Label: EXAG’ Records
The Skinny: Taking the mundane and turning it into a fever dream, Skiving epitomise how the slog of office culture can drive us to insanity on their debut album, The Family Computer. While the band appropriately used to go by the moniker Human Resources, they’ve evidently chosen to bunk off from their loftier responsibilities and chosen to go down a route that feels considerably more anarchic, and it’s certainly for the best.
The unhinged rants of Harry Handford sit front and centre as he yelps about talking to David Berman and fantasises about winning the lottery, but the maniacal yet taut musicianship of the rest of the band lends itself to being one of the most original art punk records you’re bound to hear all year. It’s a promising first offering from a band who have risen from the ashes and rebirthed themselves as something even more fearless.
Sunday Mourners – ‘A-Rhythm Absolute’
Release date: January 19th, 2026 | Producer: Jonny Bell | Label: Curation Records
The Skinny: Having a penchant for the past isn’t a bad thing, so long as your efforts to emulate your heroes don’t drive you to create a carbon copy of the work that was being done half a century ago. Los Angeles foursome Sunday Mourners appear to be going the right way about overcoming this, and while it pays tribute to the icons of yesteryear in its approach, it’s a refreshing and modern spin on the formula.
You could have told me that A-Rhythm Absolute was an unearthed record from a band who played at CBGB a few times in the 1970s, and I’d have believed you, but the Television and Velvet Underground-influenced sound of the record is so authentic and instead gives you reason to believe that this lot might be the rightful heirs to their throne. If 12-minute epic ‘Darling’ doesn’t convince you of that, I’m not sure what will.
Langkamer – ‘No’
Release date: January 22nd, 2026 | Producer: Remko Schouten | Label: Breakfast Records
The Skinny: As cult heroes of the Bristol scene for almost a decade at this point, alt-country stalwarts Langkamer have made a habit of sticking to a rigorous release schedule over the course of the 2020s. However, while they’ve previously proven their excellence on their records, they haven’t managed to sound quite as assured or direct as they do on their fourth full-length effort.
Regularly seen as the lynchpin of an entire community, with half of the band operating as the duo behind beloved label Breakfast Records, it only seems right that Langkamer should be able to assert their position with a record that feels like a celebration of the community they’ve fostered around them, and the stoically DIY approach of the band can be felt in full-bodied fashion over the rapid-fire 11 tracks on No.
Dialect – ‘Full Serpent’ [EP]
Release date: January 23rd, 2026 | Producer: Andrew PM Hunt | Label: RVNG Intl
The Skinny: Only a label like RVNG Intl could provide the perfect home for an artist like Andrew PM Hunt, better known as Dialect. The Liverpool-based producer has been serving up warped electronic experiments here for some time, fitting right into the long-established ethos of his label home, but Full Serpent feels like the most buoyant thing he’s done in a while, with its technicolour sound palette coming into full view.
The scope of the EP’s ideas is staggering, and the attention to detail is immaculate. Samples might burst into life for only a few seconds at a time, giving a slightly hyperactive and twitchy feel to it, but there are plenty of albums that came out this month that won’t have a fraction of the amount to sink your teeth into that this blissful 18-minute offering gives.
Hank Bee – ‘A Sudden Hankering’ [EP]
Release date: January 30th, 2026 | Producer: Sean Fearon & Hannah Brown | Label: Memorials of Distinction
The Skinny: Far from being the outlaw country star that her name suggests, Northumbrian singer-songwriter Hannah Brown’s first offering as Hank Bee is alt-folk and slacker rock at its finest. Even if its brief runtime gives you a ‘hankering’ for a little more, there’s plenty here to whet the appetite for what’s to come.
It’s an earnest representation of the artist and her journey as a queer woman from a remote area, but Brown is able to build incredible worlds with her lyrics across this brief yet promising insight into what might yet come from the project. You’re delicately being cradled by her songs one moment, and then they’ll suddenly choose to burst into life in ways that feel precise and not laboured, and for me, that’s the sign of a mature songwriter ready to have a major moment in the spotlight.
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