Release Radar: April 2026

At the end of each month, Afterglow presents a staff-picked list of new albums and singles that left a lasting impression on our ears. 

Written by Afterglow Staffers

Photos courtesy of Bandcamp and Spotify

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

Shiny Singles We Loved This Month:

“Adeline” by Dino Gala

Boston-based band Dino Gala longingly sings of devastating heartache through raw, emotional delivery and roaring drums on their new song “Adeline.” The first single in the lead up to their new album, Ronny Music, delivers harrowing lyrics like, “Breath aligned, not a trace of doubt in our eyes / You'll have me herе until my blood runs still,” evokes the nostalgic pain of early-2000s emo tracks that will simultaneously break you and have you headbanging to its bold guitar. — Noah Keany

“No Dice” by Pippy 

The up and coming Brooklyn based indie-rock band incorporates a soft-rock melody in their first single for their upcoming self titled album, Pippy, while enchantingly singing about yearning for someone through lyrics like, “You make me want to hold my breath.” The band incorporates a delicate yet intense electric guitar riff with psychedelic-sounding vocals and a combination of instruments that make you feel lost in the waves of the music. — Brooklyn Slie 

“Smoking In Bed” by The Bends

Louisiana’s indie-rock band The Bends lights another sonic match with “Smoking In Bed,” the newest garage-born single resembling The Strokes and Kings of Leon. The song describes the tumultuous relationship of depending on ADHD medicine through the metaphor of a high-stakes romance with lines like “She’s lying / High on her mistakes / Knows me better / So I can’t move away.” — Caroline McConnico

Glowing Albums & EPs We Loved This Month:

Birding by deary

Image courtesy of Bandcamp

The alternative, indie-rock band, dreary, released its 11-track debut album, Birding, which explores themes of vulnerability and self-interest. Softly-sung, high-pitched vocals that sound delicate and fragile mark the album’s sound. The opening track “Smile” sets the scene of the record with enchanting vocals crying about fearing vicious men and the manipulation that they cause. Lead singer, Rebecca “Dottie” Cockram, exhibits the fear and tone by lightly singing the lyrics, ”I wear a skirt / And fear with a smile.” The vocals throughout the tracks are featherlight and angelic, but contrast with the fast-paced, psychedelic clash of drums and strums of the guitar that follow the light, slow nature that mark tracks like “Smile” or “Blue Ribbon.” The album is soft while also incorporating new, edgy psychedelic themes in songs like “Terra Fable,” with a multitude of layered tones and instruments that make listening to the track feel like you’re floating. Rather than have each track stick to a certain theme, mood, or melody, the tracks often pivot in the bridge by altering the melody and tone by layering different sounds along with echoing vocals, making the tracks all the more interesting to listen to. The final track on the debut album “Birding” begins with a dark, lingering sound that makes the track feel ominous or wallowing. The sound lingers for the majority of the song, incorporating bits of piano and keys that make the ending of the album feel like the triumphant end of a story. — Brooklyn Slie 

Support deary on Spotify and Apple Music 

trinket by tsubi club

Image courtesy of Bandcamp

The hyperpop artist tsubi club or tsunami bitch club, otherwise known as Soren, released his debut album trinket earlier this month. The Los Angeles native had released his first single “burbank house” to roaring success in 2021 which was followed by a three year hiatus. After yet another hiatus of almost two years after his next two singles, trinket released with the same spontaneous production choices and glitchy sound design that made audiences fall in love with his previous singles. With lines like, “I'm feelin' the pressure, only gets better / I'm keeping my head up, my turn to step up,” on the final track of the album, “landslide,” indicates a feeling of dissatisfaction with current fan expectations for his potential as a new artist. At just 27 minutes across 12 tracks, trinket is a compact, kinetic listen that’s bubbly and glitchy on the surface, with a warmer, more nostalgic undercurrent beneath it akin to Porter Robinson and early Jane Remover. It's the kind of album that feels spontaneous without feeling unfinished. — Noah Keany
Support tsubi club on Spotify and Apple Music

Ode to the Greyhouse by Edgehill

Image courtesy of Spotify

Edgehill’s debut album Ode to the Greyhouse is a moody, emotionally charged collection leaning into the tension between chaos and clarity. Rooted in alternative and indie rock influences, the band pairs distorted, driving guitars with intimate vocal delivery and lyrics that sit heavily in reflection. Across the album, the songwriting explores themes of uncertainty, fractured relationships, and self-definition, capturing the feeling of being stuck between who you were and who you’re becoming. The “Greyhouse” itself is both a literal place and a metaphor for the emotional state between boredom, uncertainty, and bursts of creative momentum. With its blend of ‘90s-tinged indie rock textures and modern emotional directness, Ode to the Greyhouse establishes Edgehill as a band unafraid to sit inside discomfort. The lyrics don’t aim to neatly resolve their questions so much as articulate them clearly, giving the album a raw honesty that lingers after it ends. — Caroline McConnico

Support Edgehill on Spotify and Apple Music