2026 in American music

February

March

• 6 – Gnarls Barkley released their first studio album in eighteen years, and also their final album, Atlanta.
• Surfbort released their first studio album in five years, Reality Star.
• Vial released their first studio album in five years, Hellhound.
• Whiplash released their first studio album in seventeen years, Thrashquake.
• 13 – Lamb of God released their first studio album in four years, Into Oblivion.
• The Fray released their first studio album in twelve years, A Light That Waits.
• Sweet Pill released their first studio album in four years, Still There's a Glow.
• 20 – Exodus released their first studio album in five years, Goliath. It will be the band's first album in sixteen years to feature returning vocalist Rob Dukes, following Steve "Zetro" Souza's second departure in 2025.
• Neurosis released their first studio album in ten years, An Undying Love for a Burning World. It is the band's first album to feature new vocalist/guitarist Aaron Turner, following former frontman Scott Kelly's firing in 2019 and subsequent retirement in 2022, their first since drummer Jason Roeder's touring retirement in 2025 and their first in thirty years to not be produced by Steve Albini following his death in 2024.
• Tyketto released their first album in ten years, Closer to the Sun.
• Gladie released their first studio album in four years, No Need to Be Lonely.
• Poison the Well released their first studio album in seventeen years, Peace in Place.
• Attila released their first studio album in five years, Concrete Throne.
• 27 – Charlie Puth released his first studio album in four years, Whatever's Clever!.
• Black Label Society released their first studio album in five years, Engines of Demolition.
• Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea released his debut solo studio album, Honora.
• The Academy Is... released their first studio album in nearly eighteen years, Almost There.
• Melissa Etheridge released her first studio album in five years, Rise.
• Good Riddance released their first studio album in seven years, Before the World Caves In.
• Dälek released their first studio album in four years, Brilliance of a Falling Moon.
• Snail Mail released her first studio album in nearly five years, Ricochet.
• Paula Kelley released her first solo studio album in twenty-three years, Blinking as the Starlight Burns Out.
• Tigers Jaw released their first studio album in five years, Lost on You.
• 28 – Kanye West released his first solo studio album in nearly five years, Bully.

April

• 3 – Corrosion of Conformity will release their first studio album in eight years, Good God / Baad Man. It will be their first album in more than three decades without original bassist Mike Dean, who was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, and their first in more than two decades with drummer Stanton Moore, who replaced Reed Mullin after his death in 2020.
• Thundercat will release his first studio album in six years, Distracted.
• Sunn O))) will release their self-titled studio album, their first in seven years.
• 10 – Immolation will release their first studio album in four years, Descent.
• 17 – Crimson Glory will release their first studio album in twenty-seven years, Chasing the Hydra.
• 22 – Akon will release his first studio album in seven years, Beautiful Day.
• 24 – Noah Kahan will release his first studio album in four years, The Great Divide.
• Failure will release their first studio album in nearly five years, Location Lost.
• Terror will release their first studio album in four years, Still Suffer.

May

• 1 – Tori Amos will release her first studio album in five years, In Times of Dragons.
• American Football will release their fourth self-titled studio album, their first in seven years.
• Toadies will release their first studio album in nine years, The Charmer.
• Rita Wilson will release her first studio album in four years and her first of original material in seven years, Sound of a Woman.
• Young the Giant will release their first studio album in four years, Victory Garden.
• 8 – Muna will release their first studio album in four years, Dancing on the Wall.
• Social Distortion will release their first studio album in fifteen years, Born to Kill.
• Black Veil Brides will release their first studio album in five years, Vindicate.
• War on Women will release their first studio album in six years, Time Under Tension.
• 15 – The All-American Rejects will release their first studio album in fourteen years, Sandbox.
• Kevin Morby will release his first studio album in four years, Little Wide Open.
• Pro-Pain will release their first studio album in eleven years, Stone Cold Anger.
• Rostam will release his first studio album in five years, American Stories.
• 22 – Armored Saint will release their first studio album in six years, Emotion Factory Reset.
• Lowertown will release their first studio album in four years, Ugly Duckling Union.
• Alela Diane will release her first studio album in four years, Who's Keeping Time?
• 29 – Shinedown will release their first studio album in four years, Eight.

June

• 5 – Death Cab for Cutie will release their first studio album in four years, I Built You a Tower.
• Lee Brice will release his first album in six years, Sunriser.
• 12 – Dirty Heads will release their first studio album in four years, 7 Seas.
• 26 – Butthole Surfers will release their first album in twenty-five years, After the Astronaut. Originally intended as the follow-up to Electriclarryland (1996), this will be the first time the album has officially been released twenty-eight years after it was shelved due to record label politics.
• The Pretty Reckless will release their first album in five years, Dear God.

Second quarter

• The Ataris will release their first studio album in nineteen years.
• Blondie will release their first studio album in nine years, High Noon. It will be their first since the 2025 death of longtime drummer Clem Burke, who contributed to the album prior to his death.
• Meliah Rage will release their first studio album in eight years, Slaves in the Afterlife.

Unknown date

• 4 Non Blondes will release their first studio album in thirty-four years. Vocalist Linda Perry will also release her first solo studio album in eleven years, Let It Die Here.
• Abysmal Dawn will release their first studio album in six years.
• Adema will release their first studio album in nineteen years, Cruel Machine.
• American Hi-Fi will release their first studio album in twelve years.
• Anthrax will release their first studio album in ten years.
• Bad Religion will release their first studio album in seven years.
• Lindsey Buckingham will release his first solo studio album in five years.
• Cake will release their first studio album in fifteen years.
• Cartel will release their first studio album in thirteen years.
• Chiodos will release their first studio album in twelve years.
• Clutch will release their first studio album in four years.
• Cold will release their first studio album in seven years.
• Cro-Mags will release their first studio album in six years.
• Dangerous Toys will release their first studio album in thirty-one years.
• Death Angel will release their first studio album in seven years.
• DJ Khaled will release his first studio album in four years, Aalam of God.
• Down will release their first studio album in nineteen years.
• Drowning Pool will release their first studio album in four years. It will be the band's first album in sixteen years to feature returning vocalist Ryan McCombs, following Jasen Moreno's departure in 2023.
• Evanescence will release their first studio album in five years.
• Everclear will release their first studio album in eleven years.
• Excel will release their first studio album in thirty-one years.
• Fear Factory will release their first studio album in five years. It will be the band's first album with current lead vocalist Milo Silvestro and current drummer Pete Webber, both of whom joined in 2023.
• Five Finger Death Punch will release their first studio album in four years.
• Forbidden will release their first studio album in sixteen years. It will be the band's first album to feature their new lead vocalist Norman Skinner as the replacement of original vocalist Russ Anderson, who is retired.
• Lita Ford will release her first studio album in ten years and her first of all-new material in fourteen years.
• Guns N' Roses will release their first studio album in eighteen years. It will be the band's first album in thirty-three years, and their first of all-new material in thirty-five years, to feature guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan.
• Hatebreed will release their first studio album in six years.
• Heathen will release their first studio album in six years.
• Icon will release their first studio album in thirty-seven years.
• Incubus will release their first studio album in nine years, Something in the Water. It will be their first studio album to feature Nicole Row on bass following the departure of longtime bassist Ben Kenney in 2023.
• The Interrupters will release their first studio album in four years.
• Korn will release their first studio album in four years.
• Limp Bizkit will release their first studio album in five years. It will be their first since the 2025 death of original bassist Sam Rivers, who had contributed to new music with the band by the time he died.
• Living Colour will release their first studio album in nine years.
• Madonna will release her first studio album in seven years.
• Motionless in White will release their first studio album in four years.
• Mudvayne will release their first studio album in seventeen years.
• Murphy's Law will release their first studio album in twenty-five years.
• Stevie Nicks will release her first solo studio album in twelve years, and her first of all-new material in fifteen years.
• Papa Roach will release their first studio album in four years.
• Power Trip will release their first studio album in nine years. It will be their first album recorded since the death of original frontman Riley Gale in 2020, and also their first to feature lead vocals by his replacement, Seth Gilmore.
• Queensrÿche will release their first studio album in four years.
• Red Hot Chili Peppers will release their first studio album in four years. It will be their third album together with guitarist John Frusciante since his second return to the band in 2019.
• Russian Circles will release their first studio album in four years.
• Sacred Reich will release their first studio album in seven years, Into the Abyss.
• Savatage will release their first studio album in twenty-five years, Curtain Call.
• Snot will release their first studio album in twenty-six years. It will be the band's first album to feature their new lead vocalist Andy Knapp as the replacement of original vocalist Lynn Strait, who died in 1998.
• Soil will release their first studio album in thirteen years.
• Soundgarden will release their first studio album in fourteen years. Intended as their final studio album, it will include the final recordings of frontman Chris Cornell, who died in 2017.
• Spineshank will release their first studio album in fourteen years.
• Bruce Springsteen will release his first studio album in four years and his first non-archival album of original material in six years.
• The Strokes will release their first studio album in six years.
• Sublime will release their first studio album in thirty years. It will be their first album recorded since the death of original frontman Bradley Nowell in 1996, and also their first to feature lead vocals by his son, Jakob.
• Suicidal Tendencies will release their first studio album in eight years, and their first of all-new material in ten years. It will be their first release with guitarist Ben Weinman and bassist Tye Trujillo (son of former Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo).
• Symphony X will release their first studio album in eleven years.
• Trivium will release their first studio album in five years.
• Ugly Kid Joe will release their first studio album in four years.
• Vinnie Vincent Invasion will release their first studio album in thirty-eight years, Judgment Day Guitarmageddon.
• Vio-lence will release their first studio album in thirty-three years.
• Joe Walsh will release his first solo studio album in fourteen years.
• ZZ Top will release their first studio album in fourteen years. It will be their first since the 2021 death of original bassist Dusty Hill, and will include unreleased tracks recorded with him.

List of albums released

January

February

March

List of albums set to be released

April

May