There is a lot of great new music being released these days, and not enough time in the world for one person to write about it all at length. Instead of falling into the trappings of messy playlists or content drops with no storytelling narratives or cohesion behind them, +rcmndedlisten is taking the time to curate a selection of recently released albums and EPs you should listen to that have been on regular rotation on this end over the past days, weeks, or even months for that matter.
The latest edition looks across the alternative pop spectrum at the latest by Avalon Emerson & The Charm, Charli XCX, Hilary Duff, and Robyn.
Avalon Emerson & The Charm – Written into Changes [Dead Oceans]
As Avalon Emerson continues fusing her DJ kicks with dreamy guitar-pop kisses with The Charm, it’s becoming more and more evident that this realm is one being sculpted to her own unique likings throughout her second album with the band, Written Into Changes. This is an insight which could only come from someone who over the last decade-plus made a name for herself honing her experimental electronic craft in front of dance-centric audiences at Berghain and Coachella and understands the movement of the body through sound. She now commands it through a worship of sapphic romance electrically-charged by rippling guitars and cool breakbeats (“Eden”, “Jupiter and Mars”) as well as French and Italo-inspired dance-pop (“Happy Birthday”, “Country Mouse”) that separates its synth-driven spell sound from the rest of the melodic milquetoast of a lot of today’s indie-pop with ease. These are the kind of Changes that are not only more than welcome in this world, but necessary in carving out your own evolution.
Charli XCX – Wuthering Heights [Atlantic Records]
Hey, who here is still talking about or going out of their way to see the film, Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordie, in April of 2026? Yeah, me neither. But like an eternal BRAT summer, Charli XCX’s companion album for the -directed film is what undyingly endures, because even in her least mainstream pop-dominating ambitions, a Charli XCX stopgap “project” until her next proper studio album comes to life is still a really tantalizing work of art.
Like the gothic romance period piece lit it was inspired by, this one will appease the XCX o.g. stans who were drawn toward her darker energy during those early Nuclear Seasons, satiated by the black sparks of True Romance, and don’t mind when she deviates into the avant-garde (John Cale, to bat.) Add in a developing underlying storyline that suggests some creative turmoil involving Charli, the album’s producer and co-writer, Justin Raisen, and guest vocalist Sky Ferreira, and you may find yourself revisiting this one just to unearth the signs of masochism beyond just that between Catherine and Heathcliff.
Hilary Duff – luck… or something [Atlantic Records]
Speaking of drama, Hilary Duff has stayed out of the musical spotlight for the past 11 years, but upon reentering the spotlight for something more than just a millennial nostalgia fix with her long-awaited sixth studio album, luck… or something, the one-time object of Charli’s “Boom Clap” intentions doesn’t shy away from embracing the messiness (as well as plenty of adult fun) that doesn’t stop just because you’ve become a mother of three and are now in your late 30s. Recorded and co-written alongside her husband, Matthew Koma, Duff’s sound in 2026 doesn’t living in the past of her Disney pop days.
Instead, this is a perfect blend of contemporary pop stylings colored in the hues of hot pink neon reminiscent of the emotional peaks of Koma’s ex, Carly Rae Jepsen (“Weather for Tennis”, “Mature”), Swiftian blush with a ’90s pop-rock sizzle over her relationship vulnerabilities (“Roommates”, “Tell Me That Won’t Happen”), darker indie-pop clouds befitting of the family drama discourse (“We Don’t Talk”, “The Optimist”), and — sure — a soft-sparkling interpolation of blink-182 (“Growing Up”.) Adding up the sum of the parts, luck… or something, is more than just a stroke of that — it’s the best pop album of the year so far.
Robyn – Sexistential [Konichiwa Records / Young Records]
Robyn is here again, and hornier for life than ever. In the time since her last release in 2018’s house-driven shimmer of Honey, the innovative Swedish future-pop visionary gave birth to a child (via dancing on her own à la surrogate) and is proudly waving the flag of motherhood while redefining what that looks like by embracing her primal inhibitions. They remain electric throughout her ninth studio album.
We have to acknowledge that at this point in her career, Robyn has firmly left an indelible mark on the modern pop landscape in a way that makes it more and more harder to outdo the same peaks of euphoria she gave us through her Body Talk classics. This is Robyn, however, and while you can only hit a familiar rush of “Dopamine” so many times with precision before its effects begin to wear off quicker than they used to, this album is more about getting off in the moment, which leaves a few surprises to be found in her pleasure domming of pop (see: the fast-wavering synths rising beneath “Sucker For Love”, the Max Martin dance sheen dripping over the sexting bubbles of “Talk To Me”, or its sexual spaceship trip set to an experimental house beat on its title track.)
+rcmndedlisten 
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