(Part 2) The Best Albums of 2026 So Far

A ranking and review of the top 100!

View the Substack version of this piece here!

See No. 100-51 here!

#50: JunSung, Not GEN - Z
Countless tiny details combine for a catchy, colorful sound that suits its message of tuning in only to the beat of one’s own drum. … Not GEN - Z is not just him preaching staying true to himself, though; it is him dramatizing that preaching! He puts on an infectiously lively show at the outset… Read more here! 

#49: Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Fujieda
With impressive efficiency, this rock band draws lines between what is literal and metaphorical. One of the best examples: their sewing machine lyrics in “Welcome Back Jonny”... Read more here! 

#48: Park Hyo Shin, A & E
This album gets its title from the Latin character “æ,” and when Park Hyo Shin sings about a lover being the “A” to his “E,” he is expressing the desire to be their own individuals yet also each other’s “other half.” He sings about the letter “O” for a similar reason, describing the ideal relationship as providing a sense of wholeness where dividing lines are obsolete. This care and concern behind his romantic commentary is conveyed throughout the rest of the album, too… Read more here!

#47: Quruli, Twelve Ephemeral Variations
Twelve Ephemeral Variations is an ironic yet apt exploration of the eternal nature of trying to grab and preserve what quickly comes and goes. The members put their instincts to good use, which include knowing when to prolong the point being made versus when to keep it concise and when to go from artsy to more simplistic statements... Read more here! 

#46: GLIM SPANKY, Éclore
Named after the French word for “to hatch,” this rock duo indeed cracks open a new side of themselves! Their classic fired-up sound is alive and well (although there are some well-made slower songs too, like “Éclore” and “I am You”), but their words show newfound wisdom and wit… Read more here! 

#45: Hinatazaka46, Cliffhanger Special Edition
In their own unique ways, Hinatazaka46 acknowledge where there is a lot more to unpack than some assume, and they stretch out the time spent revealing what’s in their emotional baggage… Read more here! 

#44: verycoybunny, Bunny Tale
Fittingly, verycoybunny pulls listeners down a rabbit hole with this album! Her love for someone grows deeper and deeper from track to track, until the last couple of songs depict her new reality as the stuff of dreams. Her lyrics change accordingly… Read more here! 

#43: EXO, REVERXE
REVERXE is a strong return to form. EXO’s musical synergy remains remarkably intact (most unmistakably on the best B-side, “Suffocate”), and they have restarted their ongoing music video narrative like no time has passed. Besides returning to the same dimension-hopping, superhuman characters they have always played and centering the same key symbols as day one, EXO also effortlessly return to their circa-2012/2013 sound… Read more here!

#42: T.O.P, TOP SPOT - ANOTHER DIMENSION
The best metaphor for T.O.P’s new era is a library bookshelf that keeps the most popular titles on the higher rows and the least-checked-out ones on the lower ones. T.O.P gravitates towards telling his eye-level stories and would rather avoid the ones that are purposefully less convenient to retrieve. He is inclined to tell the stories that the most people want to hear, which are not the same as the stories that he would personally benefit the most from letting out of his busy mind and onto the sheet music. What allows him to do both at once are deployments of two powerful tools: analogy and comedy… Read more here!

#41: Yves, NAIL
NAIL is an apt analogy for this era, because as Yves hammers down her multi-lane musicality that exhausts the bounds of “alternative” — alt-R&B meets alt-pop meets alt-hyper-pop — she plays with the screws she purposefully keeps loose in that foundation — loose screws with which her video personas thrive! Read more here! 

#40: Reol, Rhetorica
The album title refers to the articulation of an impactful statement through a culmination of communication elements. Therefore, “rhetoric” is an optimal theme for a self-introduction, and Reol succeeds at showing all of her many true colors (not least because of how hands-on she was in making this album). Different identity facets come out to play at different times… Read more here! 

#39: TenTwenty, Abyss Red
This rock band’s latest EP is an all-gas-no-brakes exclamation! Instrumental acceleration, seemingly spontaneous riffing amidst seemingly pre-planned segments, and rhythmic melodies despite the chaos circling them are hallmarks. In a similar fashion to their previous releases, the duo hides deep revelations within the frenzied soundscapes, turning philosophical and astute observations into bite-sized pieces… Read more here! 

#38: Kiro Akiyama, Magic if
This album is dismal yet defiant and, above all, distinguishable. It offers the “something different” that music enthusiasts are seeking... Read more here! 

#37: P1Harmony, UNIQUE
UNIQUE is a fun form of revenge for P1Harmony’s superhero characters! They seemed ready to hang up their capes in the DUH! era, but the UNIQUE era says, “Psych! You thought you’d seen the last of us?!” It is a comeback about a comeback, and their fictional characters boast about knowing they’ve been missed. They do so through songs that remind fans what made them fans in the first place… Read more here!

#36: TIA RAY, NEW DAY
While TIA RAY tends to send multiple messages at once, her songs streamline those multitudes well. Her valuable advice-giving and personal confessions are woven together as seamlessly as her flirtatious suggestiveness and “I actually might be better off on my own” insistences do. Her acute degree of self-awareness allows each impact to land as intended... Read more here!

#35: Sakurazaka46, Lonesome rabbit / What’s “KAZOKU”? (Special Edition) 
This J-pop girl group is back with another batch of amusing antisocial anthems! This time, there is a recurring animal theme… Read more here!

#34: LiSA, LACE UP
LiSA keeps each element one of surprise, like she’s playing with lit matches and never knows when each one will strike! She dips into and out of nostalgia (with Easter eggs), folklore (often involving dark descriptions), and songs with the goal of simply shouting from the rooftops (with lots of fast-paced pop-rock). These songs scream “life in the fast lane,” and besides taking life by the handlebars, LiSA insists on living it up in an extra “DIY” way!... Read more here! 

#33: YongYong, yynitseD 
This electro-pop-punk project matches the “zig when expected to zag” mentality of someone making her own destiny, hence the album title being “destiny” backwards (with an extra “Y” for “YongYong”)! This album is an apt application of YongYong’s belief in manifestations over foregone conclusions. It has the subtle chord changes, harmony progressions, and other gradual tweaks befitting deliberately drawn-out wish-casting… Read more here! 

#32: WONPIL, Unpiltered
WONPIL’s mind is a vicious yet somewhat vexing place, and he plunges listeners straight into it with “Toxic Love” and “Highs and Lows.” Both represent internal conflicts through contrasts. … Recovering from any kind of internal, metaphorical breaking is not a linear project, and so while the album might not end on the hoped-for high note, it does end on a realistic one... Read more here! 

#31: Billlie, the collective soul and unconscious: chapter two
While Billlie’s music and videos still dress up psychological and philosophical components in some warmth and whimsy, the collective soul and unconscious: chapter two marks a significant shift. Their story’s core values are now more front-facing, with the academic concepts they used to leave breadcrumbs about in their material now being an overt storytelling centerpiece, and with their typical light and fizzy fun now sharing more space with a grittier, grayer aesthetic. Their new look and approach are simultaneously proof of personal growth and of professional and narrative maturity... Read the full deep-dive essay here! 

#30: Satoshi Hayashibe, Koibumi
These songs are poignant poems that cherish how love provides the strength to carry on, a power that Satoshi Hayashibe thinks so highly of that he cannot bring himself to do anything but praise it. His moments of wistfulness and regret are ones for which he blames himself; love is portrayed as always a savior, never a culprit… Read more here!  

#29: CNBLUE, 3LOGY
Two primary reasons to appreciate 3LOGY: CNBLUE’s hands-on roles in making it (they composed each song themselves, and this is the first time they are credited as album co-producers) and the sound-sentiment alignment… Read more here! 

#28: ORORA, On My Way
ORORA’s breathtaking voice glides across minimalist waves yet carries an unflinching honesty that cuts like glass. All of the attention is owed to her voice, as she sings about clinging to silver linings like life rafts. … On My Way is a moving message of self-love and the audacity of insisting one is worthy of it. Read more here! 

#27: FIRST CONTACT, Earth Nation
This J-rock group is for fans of BABYMETAL and PassCode sonically, but they take a different tack lyrically. Strong symphonic soundscapes define these odes to the Earth… Read more here! 

#26: ATEEZ, GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4
GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4 is best summarized as “playing around”! “Ghost” keeps electronic and auto-tune streams as equally pronounced as the more assertive aspects. “NASA” arranges its EDM components in many twisty ways. The synths rev up well during the pop ballad “On The Road.” “Choose” converts the breathlessness of the previous songs’ instrumentals into vocal haste instead, as they deliver another pop ballad but with urgency and more repetition. The other song is “Adrenaline,” and it is forgivable for not being the standout despite its promotional push. After all, ATEEZ’s albums are designed to prompt a second look! Read more here! 

#25: yanaginagi, Green Light
Green Light is both meta and a meta-analysis, raising interesting questions as to which elements in people’s subconscious and conscious minds trade places, expand, wither, or otherwise evolve. The J-pop/anime artist takes on the role of a dream-whisperer, singing about the “countless dreams” through which she travels... Read more here! 

#24: V8, V8
Replete with personalized references, early-aughts inspirations, and a range of hyper-pop sub-category combinations, the latest SEVENTEEN subunit offers less of an introduction than an extended version of their previous one. They tell their true stories with a widened view of how they can do so… Read more here! 

#23: GOOD BYE APRIL, HOW UNIQUE!
This smooth and city pop-rooted listening experience pairs polished and poetic moments with ones that convey simple and likable sentiments. There is nothing to dislike and much to love about this album, and its reversibility is an example of the latter. Listening to the album backwards actually helps the story’s chronology make more sense… Read more here! 

#22: LA POEM, ALIVE
This classically-trained quartet proves their musical mettle, with sublime vocal performances that guarantee each song soars. Operatic rock makes listeners feel “Alive” indeed during the song of the same name, and the following songs make time for each part of their vocal range to shine… Read more here! 

#21: DxS, Serenade
While Serenade is about people moving in further and further circles, it also closes one main loop. The album starts and ends on a hopeful note, starting with “Rockstar” and ending with “Prelude of love.” As SEUNGKWAN put it, what was disguised as a story’s end is actually just a chapter’s end… Read more here!

#20: BOYNEXTDOOR, HOME
The metaphorical musical doors between rooms in BOYNEXTDOOR’s house repeatedly open into one another, like when the bad mood within preceding songs rises and spills into “DIVE,” in which they blame a crush for making them feel out of their depth. The accountability evasion matches the immaturity and impatience that defines so much of their discography. However, HOME finally puts a ceiling on that immaturity… Read more here! 

#19: JOOHONEY, 光 (INSANITY)
Despite its anti-overthinking ethos, JOOHONEY has clearly put a lot of thought into 光 (INSANITY)! It fully represents what it means to have a fighting spirit, from the body language that shows he is ready for a fight (in his album concept photos and in the “STING” music video) to fight-related lyrics (life is “a bloody war with myself,” he says in “Fear;” “Face your reality and fight. This is a war,” he says in “Touch the sky;” “I never dodge a fight,” he states in “Bite”). He commits to the topic of keeping eyes on the prize… Read more here! 

#18: LE SSERAFIM, ‘PUREFLOW’, Pt. 1
‘PUREFLOW’, Pt. 1 is a classic LE SSERAFIM era because it preaches the same values they always have but, once again, does so in silly yet surprisingly spot-on ways! Read the full deep-dive essay here!

#17: Lil Ghost, 魁 (aka Kui)
Emotionally, 魁 is as much of a villain origin story as it is a cry for help, and both layers allow this album to keep its catharsis a two-way street. It is an album some people need to hear, and it is the album Lil Ghost needed to make. Read more here!  

#16: ChRocktikal, We break, you awake
This album skillfully mixes darkness and depth with plain word choices and dial-down phases, and those phases do not just maintain audience interest but serve a critical narrative purpose. We break, you awake starts with the hardest rock and the most performatively evil exterior… Read more here! 

#15: Chevon, San Sha San You
This eclectic Japanese band loves to play games with the audience, keeping it up-in-the-air exactly who and what on Earth they are talking about or alluding to in their songs! The songs distort the sense of past versus present, which is not even in the top three on the list of their music’s most puzzling parts! Each song is big and bold in its own ways, with cramped instrumental arrangements and words that tumble over each other… Read more here!  

#14: SHINee, Atmos
SHINee remain doing what they do best, crafting soundscapes that hum with hopefulness and heavenly harmonies, pairing sentimentality with the stuff of synth-pop enthusiasts’ dreams, and making even the most minute vocal details seem effortless yet thought-out. The essence of SHINee’s work is and always has been that they were born to be artists, and Atmos illuminates how besides teamwork, the instant impact of each track is key to the group’s longevity... Read more here!

#13: CHUU, XO, My Cyberlove
While CHUU’s playful presentation of a love story is open to interpretations as wide as her imagination, here is one theory: XO, My Cyberlove is an ode to a snowman! … XO, My Cyberlove proves that CHUU’s best eras are those in which she uses surprising and silly avatars to explore less-obvious emotional states. Read more here! 

#12: natori, The Abyss
The Abyss is a mind-boggling, madcap marvel! The best metaphor is a circus, because as soon as the audience gets the gist, they both know and have no idea what to expect from the rest of the act! He puts on a circuitous show, finding countless ways to repeat the same bottom lines... Read more here! 

#11: BTS, ARIRANG
Explore both the surface layer and deeper ones of this great album here!

#10: IVE, REVIVE+
IVE both talk the talk and walk the walk when it comes to prioritizing self-esteem, and this time, they project their lessons onto the wider world, hoping to inspire more people to follow their lead. Fortunately, IVE change their “I am fierce” message to a “We are fierce” one without being cut-and-dry about it… Read more here! 

#9: HEART OF WOMAN, Heart Byte : LEGACY
This girl group represents a musical timeline. They opt for old-school influences throughout the album that bring First- and Second-Generation K-pop and early-aughts pop/R&B stars to mind. They also bring to mind music of a bygone era at technical levels, in terms of melodic structures and marketing tactics… Read more here!

#8: SCANDAL, ECHO
One song on ECHO after another unleashes jaunty guitars, anthemic percussion, and plenty of zigzags. This is all to be expected from these J-rock extraordinaires, but what is less expected are the profound ways they express their passion for music. They practically personify music, treating it as something with the power of a tangible, physical force, something strong enough to break out of the realm of the abstract and into the core of humans, of nature, and of human nature… Read more here! 

#7: TXT, 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns
TXT’s story is underhandedly empowering. In clever and collective ways, it shows that life is what one makes it… Read the full deep-dive essay here! 

#6: ENHYPEN, THE SIN : VANISH
THE SIN : VANISH era is a meta one, with the album taking the form of investigative audio journalism. The podcast-like program unfolds through a mix of songs, a commercial break, witness statements, and news segments. … Vampires are the conduits through which they explore the human condition; seeing the world from a vampire’s perspective gets people to see aspects of being a human being that they usually overlook and take for granted, like a sense of belonging and visibility… Read the full deep-dive essay here!

#5: AKMU, FLOWERING
What could have sounded like an overwrought, corny jamboree is something much more sincere and satisfying. That is not to say that calmness comes at the cost of liveliness or vice versa; there is plenty of room for both, and many of the songs sound suited for sitting around and clapping along at a campfire. … AKMU celebrate the bountiful blessings that life offers those who look for them, those who are willing to travel for them, and those who understand that optimism is much less groundless than many assume. Read more here! 

#4: Xdinary Heroes, DEAD AND
Each song on DEAD AND is its own brand of dynamite! There are constant adjustments to the tempo, the degree of vocal filtering or lack thereof, and the times when “more is more” or “less is more” for a dramatic effect. … A different but just as deliriously delightful game is played via lyrics… Read more here!

#3: TAEYONG, WYLD
WYLD crackles with the kind of energy that can only come from someone in his element, someone who feels fully alive and externalizes that internal electricity. The songs are one swerve after another, with components that repeat themselves at a basic level but completely change at another… Read more here! 

#2: Jay Chou, Children of the Sun
No succinct way of describing Children of the Sun does it justice. It is a sprawling, cinematic score with enviable penmanship, vivid depictions, and a corresponding short film with top-tier, IMAX-worthy production. It is one giant, epic saga, yet it is also a richly moving mosaic when each piece of it is seen and heard in isolation. … Each song is its own world and a corner of a larger shared one, familiar in some ways and new in others, making Children of the Sun a radiant and in-progress time capsule. Read more here! 

#1: WOODZ, Archive. 1
Archive. 1 is the musical equivalent of a stuffed and unsorted filing cabinet, and this comeback is WOODZ’s painstaking process of restoring order and context to its contents. The audience is right there with him organizing the “archives,” taking in chill grooves one moment and metal-adjacent anthems the next, his memories of the highest highs and lowest lows sans buffers between them — after all, real life doesn’t have smooth transitions! By making music that covers so many markers on the extreme spectrum of human emotions, WOODZ proves two things... Read more here! 

Catch up on all of the “Best of 2026 So Far” lists here!