Release Radar: March 2026

Here are our favorite albums and singles released during March 2026. For more reviews of recent releases, check out our album review page!

Shiny Singles We Loved This Month

“3am” by Ava Della Pietra

Rising singer-songwriter Ava Della Pietra recounts the pain of a sporadic relationship in her new pop single “3am.” Over a resonant bass-line and drum beats, Pietra’s strong voice expresses the tendency of her lover to “Come back again / back / back again,” and the layered, harmonic vocals enhance the repetitive nature of this relationship. While she claims that “Nothing bad’s gonna happen at 3am,” the lack of romantic commitment and the heartache that comes with that are read clearly through this nuanced track. — Rachel Yost

“595” by Violet Grohl

Violet Grohl fiercely asserts independence with her provocative new single, “595.” The track is an ethereal blend of shoegaze and dream-pop with a distorted bassline that conveys power and desire. Through the transition from the yearning line, “When you call / I’ll be waiting” to the commanding line,“I’ll be your 1-900 G-spot baby/ 595 I’m on the line,” Grohl brilliantly displays a primal longing to the relic of a ‘90s sexual phoneline. — Jayda Carrejo

“Billy Elliot” by Sorry

British indie-rock band Sorry thumps to heartbreak in their newest single, “Billy Elliot.” With angular guitar licks, a bumping bassline, irate vocals, and techno influences, the band's sound is a creative mishmash of various influences.. Lyrics like “Ahh, the drugs don't work / They just make me lost” and “The saddest thing I ever did hear / Sings like a chorus in my teenage years” evoke loneliness and despair, which work in tandem with their catchy genre-blending style to create a repeat-worthy song. — Declan Garvey

“Rodeo Clown (Reimagined)” by flipturn and Odie Leigh

Odie Leigh contributes her powerful, soulful voice to flipturn’s reimagined version of the band’s original track “Rodeo Clown.” Besides layering harmonies onto most of the track, Odie Leigh takes over the second verse to directly address the “rodeo clown” in question, declaring that “Nothing's ever good enough for me / No, I'm used to being let down.” While the song maintains its catchy indie-rock beat, Leigh’s vocals express the original’s repressed emotions in a fuller outpouring. This shift is especially striking when she belts the line “getting off, getting down.” The result is a dynamic collaboration that gives the song new emotional force. — Alan Jian

Glowing Albums & EPs We Loved This Month

Saputjiji by Tanya Tagaq

Experimental Inuktitut artist Tanya Tagaq condemns colonialism and war in her seventh studio album Saputjiji. Saputjiji, meaning “designated protector,” boldly advocates for indigenous land and people. Through spoken word, guttural throat singing, and dreamy instrumentation, Tagaq scares the listener into understanding the magnitude of damage done by warfare. The opening track “F**k War” by no means misconstrues Tagaq’s intended message. A mellow yet ominous intro of patterned drum beats is layered with sounds of heavy breathing. These sounds transition into angry, visceral screams. The only lyrics in this track are “Fuck War,” chanted over these passionate cries of fury and pain. The third track of the album “Foxtrot” shares the opener's intensity. A similar back beat of deep yet dispersed drums and synth notes counteract the roared lyrics of “Foxtrot / Uniform / Charlie / Kilo / Yankee / Oscar / Uniform / You’re fucking it up,” which is the Navy’s code for “FUCK YOU.” The threat of revenge against uniformed Yankees, most likely representing New England colonists, is clear in this maddened track, reminding the listener that the effects of colonialism are anything but dormant. Contrasting the fervent rage in “F**k War” and “Foxtrot,” the album’s seventh track “Bohica” alludes to the sorrowful effects of war. This track opens with vibrato violin, complemented by smooth vocal harmonies. There are no lyrics, but the panting breath from “F**k War” returns, along with sharp cries from both a woman and an infant. As the violin rounds out the track, it leads the listener to sympathize with the melancholic life after war. On Saputjiji, Tagaq poignantly encompasses the rage and sorrow warfare provokes. — Rachel Yost

Support Tanya Tagaq on Spotify and Apple Music

Crónica de un cometa anunciado by Cometa a la Deriva

The Peruvian indie pop-rock trio Cometa a la Deriva captures the fleeting, luminous energy of their latest live EP, Crónica de un cometa anunciado. Recorded during their high-octane performance in Bogotá, Colombia, the EP serves as a gritty, sonic diary, documenting the raw intensity of the three musicians' rich experiences on the road. Driven by the depths of what once was the opening track “9:45” sets a soft pace, longing for the past, where Vanessa Angulo’s airy yet piercing vocals cut through a wall of distorted bass and rhythmic urgency. This energy peaks in “Pedazos,” a track that leans heavily into their punk-inflected attitude, using jagged guitar riffs to mirror the lyrics of fragmentation. “No ves que me has dejado hecha pedazos? / No queda nada de mí”(“Don't you see you have torn me to pieces?/There's nothing left of me”). However, it is the closing performance of “Galileo” that truly anchors the EP’s sound. Dipping their alternative rock into shoegaze, in collaboration with saxophone player, Sebax Dobleu. Leaving the listener suspended in a beautiful uncertainty of the lyrics that display doubt about truly being loved in romantic light despite what one might tell them and show.“Me cuesta creer que en verdad / tú me quieres,”(“I find it hard to believe that you really / love me”). This EP serves as a testament to the trio's growth and that their trajectory is anything but a one-hit wonder. — Jayda Carrejo

Support Cometa a la Deriva on Spotify and Apple Music

The Refrigerator by Remember Sports

Remember Sports’ new album, The Refrigerator, is the Philadelphia-based band’s fifth studio album that fuses relatable lyricism, twangy guitars, storming drums, and slippery basslines to create an evocative album. The album's intro track “Across the Line” is a thundering intro with lead singer Carmen Perry’s vocal talents on full display, with a vocal style that can be best described as sounding like Waxahatchee and Karly Hartzman of Wednesday’s long lost Pennsylvanian cousin. Complimented by rapid and tenacious drumming, alt-rock inspired guitar riffs and slippery bass lines, “Across the Line” feels like a fittingly thunderous opening track. “Soothe/Seethe” is a standout, encompassing a range of emotions as diverse as its title would suggest. Initiated by a slow buildup, with Perry embracing a more hushed style of singing and stripped down guitar work, creating a sense of comfort. However, when the song bursts into its catchy chorus is where the song shines. With the lyrics, “You soothe, and you seethe” the song transitions into a break with Sonic Youth-esque guitar work, creating an eclectic soundscape, fitting of a song about someone who elicits so many emotions. The album finishes off with, “Nevermind”, a pensive look at a stalled out relationship. Combining some of Perry’s most melancholic lyrics with jangly guitar riffs, finishes off an album that, contrary to the song's name, feels worth sharing and remembering. — Declan Garvey

Support Remember Sports on Spotify and Apple Music.

SUN by Sammy Rae & The Friends

Sammy Rae & The Friends’ latest album, SUN, is an ode to musical joy. Recorded entirely at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis — widely considered the “Birthplace of Rock ’N’ Roll” — the album’s setting pays tribute to the musical traditions that shaped the band’s sound. Comprising mostly rerecordings of the band’s fan-favorite tracks, SUN enlivens familiar songs by embracing the constraints of vintage recording technology, including manipulating limited takes and tight studio space. The result is a wild energy that allows Sammy Rae’s expressive vocal tone to shine. In the track “Good Time Tavern,” Rae exclaims that “You could smoke a joint out back” with a playful swagger and sass, while the vocal growl in “Talk It Up” adds personality that distinguishes it from the song’s original recording. Throughout the album, the band’s multigenre style comes into full display – funk, rock, and the burst of French horn arrangements that pay homage to jazz music’s improvisational spirit. The album closes with “That’s How I Got to Memphis,” a cover of Tom T. Hall’s 1968 song, which honors the city’s music legacy. Altogether, SUN pays tribute to the roots that shaped the band, celebrating them in Sammy Rae & The Friends’ unmistakably vibrant style. — Alan Jian

Support Sammy Rae & The Friends on Spotify and Apple Music