Praed – ‘Al Wahem’

Release Date: March 6th, 2026 | Producer: Paed Conca & Raed Yassin | Label: Annihaya Records

While those not well-versed in music from other parts of the world might think that certain styles sound otherworldly due to their lack of familiarity with the pool of influences the artists are pulling from, this is perhaps one of the only fair ways of evaluating the music of the Lebanese-Swiss duo Praed and the Middle Eastern electronic fusion displayed across their hypnotic four-track album, Al Wahem.

Performing in a style comparable to Egyptian shaabi music, which in itself borrows heavily from underground street culture, the pairing of Paed Conca and Raed Yassin leads to some of the most entrancing dance music that is relentless in its groove and the way it continues to mutate over the course of the album. The title track warps in arresting fashion over the course of almost 20 minutes and develops in a way that sends the listener into an almost euphoric state of being, and the remaining three cuts continue to plunge you deeper into their confounding idea of what the dancefloor should sound like.

Ben Wendel – ‘BaRcoDe’

Release Date: March 13th, 2026 | Producer: Ben Wendel | Label: Edition Records

You might think that the scope for an album almost built solely around vibraphone and saxophone is limited, but when the task of presenting a piece of such a concept is left in the capable hands of Kneebody’s Ben Wendel, it’s bound to somehow manage to translate into a work of beauty. There’s an innate prettiness to the twinkle of the tuned percussion, and with four separate players joining Wendel as he floats his fluid saxophone melodies over the top, the gorgeousness is instantly dialled up to the max.

There are going to be moments where this serene beauty almost turns into something mesmeric, where the listener will be carried along on a bed of tranquil sounds that usher them towards a state of ecstasy, and while the complexity of Wendel and his ensemble’s compositions aren’t exactly the easiest thing to grapple with for a listener who isn’t used to jazz, the sheer elegance with which BaRcoDe is presented ought to be enough to turn a sceptic into a convert.

Bill Orcutt – ‘Music in Continuous Motion’

Release Date: March 13th, 2026 | Producer: Bill Orcutt | Label: Palilalia

A titan of free improvisation and avant-garde music for four decades, making something confounding is nothing new to Bill Orcutt, and fans of the Floridian guitarist will be thrilled to see him make one of his most grand statements in the form of Music in Continuous Motion. Having created many works that attempt to overlay multiple guitar motifs to create something almost overwhelming, his latest offering is perhaps one of his easiest entry points, with him having constructed a dozen pieces for an ensemble of four guitars.

Orcutt fans ought not worry if this sounds like he’s simplifying his approach or softening the harsher aspects of his earlier work, as the maestro is heard here creating sublime contrapuntal melodies and textures with his quartet of instruments, plays them all himself, and still manages to make the results sound just as spectacular as they would have done on his collaborative works with the likes of Chris Corsano or Sir Richard Bishop. It may be one of his easiest works to parse, but it doesn’t compromise on the raw talent that Orcutt has always had.

Karoline Wallace – ‘Eon’

Release Date: March 20th, 2026 | Producer: Karoline Wallace & Martin Langlie | Label: Sauajazz

Perhaps best known in the world of music for its contrasting extremes of icy synthpop and black metal, Norway also appears to be producing some of the finest jazz that manages to straddle both the soothing aspects of the former and the intimidating elements of the latter. Karoline Wallace’s third effort Eon focuses on the gorgeousness of her vocals while dismantling the form and structure of everything around it, resulting in one of the headiest records of the year’s first quarter.

Opener ‘Tycho’ simmers with experimental tension before erupting into a vicious outburst of noise towards the end, ‘Klokkestein’ is erratic in the way it plays with multiple styles and shows Wallace’s versatility as both a composer and performer, and ‘To Benedikte from Heather’ is a gorgeous ambient piece for vocals and percussion which is overlaid with a voice message from a young girl that will warm the heart. It’s an album that rewards the listener with the sheer variety on display, and unfurls more delights the more you revisit.

Gladie – ‘No Need To Be Lonely’

Release Date: March 20th, 2026 | Producer: Jeff Rosenstock | Label: Get Better Records

The members of Philadelphia indie rockers Gladie have been around in various disparate projects for some time, and have undergone several lineup changes themselves since forming in 2020, but that hasn’t stopped them from slowly rising towards a level where their identity is as strong and fully-formed as it is on No Need To Be Lonely, their third overall and first for Get Better Records. With pop punk powerhouse Jeff Rosenstock on production duties, a band that was already close to being the perfect version of themselves has even exceeded expectations.

Songwriter Augusta Koch appears to have nailed down all of the hallmarks of earnest slacker rock, layered power pop hooks over the top, and turned the band into a beast that blurts out songs that tread the line between being sentimental and neurotic in ways that few other acts are able to successfully balance. There’s a decent amount of ‘90s worship emanating from songs like ‘Car Alarm’ and ‘Future Spring’, but it’s easy to look beyond there being some elements of pastiche when you’re unlikely to hear it done better than this.

SUEP – ‘Forever’

Release Date: March 27th, 2026 | Producer: Matthew Green & Mike O’Malley | Label: Memorials of Distinction

While the collapse of a project is rarely ever something to be celebrated, it can sometimes pave the way for something even more exciting to become your primary focus and creative outlet. While Brighton indie rockers Porridge Radio had a fruitful run that lasted almost a decade, the recent demise of the band has led keyboard player Georgie Stott to be able to focus more fully on her other band, SUEP, and if their debut full-length is anything to go by, then the future is bright despite having to start over again.

Flanked by members of other past DIY stalwarts such as Garden Centre and Joanna Gruesome, the London-based outfit seems to be tapping into a new wave and post-punk-inspired sound that is brimming with inventiveness, packed with jangling guitars and emphatic choruses, and it appears to be suiting the members’ respective strengths no matter what they’re attempting over the course of Forever. The album might be over in a flash, but you don’t always need to have over half an hour to demonstrate your brilliance, and this is one of the great debuts of 2026 so far.