Of the four major/mega end of the year lists we put together (2 separate 2025 recaps/2 separate 2026 previews), the local 2026 one is hand’s down the easiest. Or so we thought. We don’t do rankings here and it’s way more loose but, par for course with our batting average (Look, kids! It’s sportsball references!), we have managed to make a relatively uncomplicated project way (Okay, a little…) more complicated.
Firstly, we have way more concrete dates for releases than we’ve had in the past (Cue the first of many shout out’s to Knyvet for that one). Secondly, we also feel like we have a lot more artists than we’ve covered before so bigger list on that note alone. That said, we’re splitting this thing into two parts but all within the same post! First up, there’s the dated stuff all listy like and featuring a lot of releases that have already been, ahem, released because we procrastinated and also because it’s our list and we have no problem double dipping when it comes to highlighting local talent. Second part is where we get to use our Miss Cleo powers and speculate some but also get our Benoit Blanc on a little as we utilize the socials to come up with a currently undated but on the way/in the works list. Some is a little more done than others (And some we’ve actually heard) while others are very much the power of wishful thinking that we’re hoping will materialize before we hit 2027.
As always, thanks in advance for reading/taking this ride and in the great words of Michael Scott: “Catch you on the flippity flip!”
January:
1/2: iwishyoucameback started 2026 off LOUDLY with new single “The Ache” which perpetuated their “Post Hardcore Adjacent Black Metal for the hopeless and broken hearted” aesthetic but also injected a good amount of melody that was the sonic equivalent of the sun peeking out at the tail end of a tumultuous storm. And if you dig this and other Alyce Smith-related projects then be on the look out for new stuff coming from APRICITY who unleash WICCAN SUICIDE on February 13th! To stay on top of what’s next, head to Smith’s socials here and here.
1/5: One of our favorite finds of 2025, Frankie Eris, started off 2026 with a beautifully shot (By Power Pro Media) new video for the unplugged version of killher track “Sorry Mother Mary” which was filmed in Smithfield, Rhode Island at Revive The Roots. Watching may cause an uncontrollable urge to seek out all Frankie Eris-related music, though, so viewer beware?
1/15: Ah yes, the inevitable “We already reviewed that!” bit of this preview list which in this case focuses on two STELLAR releases on different ends of the Rawk spectrum with slo-anne‘s cubs scout on one end and Damndest‘s What Did We Expect?. Check out what we thought of the former here and the latter here.
1/16: Newbury, MA’s own Ava Valianti began 2026 with lush new single “Deep Fuschia” that highlighted a compelling Bluesy Indie Rawk sound and is the first taste of what’s next following last year’s petunias EP.
1/23: Because of our friends at Knyvet (Told you we’d be mentioning them a lot but this will be the first time we’re mentioning that you should follow ALL they promote) we already knew that Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures would be dropping “Hollow Choir” on this date and now you, too, can find out what all the justifiable hype is on that one by listening below!
1/27: If all goes well then this will release just in time to add in/hype up the new video from our friends in Wayward Vine brought to you in part from our friends in Knyvet! “The Fall” is the clip in question and brings the badass title track from WV’s similarly badass album to our eyes in full majestic technicolor from Jeff Sussman who directed and edited the video treatment. In addition to the new visual accompaniment, Wayward Vine will not only be playing out at The Square Root on January 31st with Erin Bonnie and Molly Pinto Madigan but also be sporting some fancy new CD editions of The Fall for all you physical media fans! Get more deets on the show here.
1/28: The ramp up toward the release of Cape Crush‘s new album starts here (Another on the Knyvet roster as well. See what we mean when we say you should check out their roster???) with a KILLER lead single in “Calm & Delivered”! In fact, we may have let out an audible “Oh!” when we first heard the track while listening through the upcoming Place Memory (Yes, sorry, we’ve heard the May 1st release already) before we even knew it was the first single. Also of note, all proceeds from the “Calm & Delivered” digital Bandcamp sales will go to the Beyond Bond Boston Legal Defense Fund to combat the ongoing shittiness happening across the country currently so head below, purchase a GREAT track and support a great cause (Which also helps keeps Robby Roadsteamer out of jail).
1/30: Rounding out the month is another Knyvet artist with a brand new single as singer/songwriter Michelle Forziati returns with “Once More”. We’ve heard the follow up to 2024’s “Stranger” and “Strings” and feel like if you’re already into what Forziati is throwing down then you’re really going to dig this! For everyone else, if modern Pop infused with sultry Soul is your jam then make sure you set a reminder for January 30th (Or at least follow us because we’ll DEFINITELY be mentioning this again).
February:
2/6- February starts off with a bang with a slew of new music across a veritable musical spectrum! First up, Adam Sherman Band delivers the Knyvet approved Sorrows and Smiles which is an epic Bluesy Folk Rawk record that’s a mix of Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life (Think “The Passenger” especially) and Cameron Keiber’s recent solo outing Nurser. If you’d like a preview of the album then be sure to head on over to The Burren on February 5th for the album release party with The Daylilies (Deets on that here). Want something a little louder? Well, Lowell’s SkyTigers has you covered with their …Injustice For All full-length through Sound Investment Records (Pre-order/save here and here) which is a loud, fun slab of modern Punk Metal (Yes, we’ve heard this one as well so can confirm) with all the breakdowns and all the great sing-a-long gang vocal moments that’s preceded by single “Immortelevision” which you can check out below. And if all that’s your fancy then make sure you mark your calendars for February 11th as Tree takes the Deep Cuts stage (Advance tix here) supported by Hell Beach and, you guessed it, SkyTigers!
And if that wasn’t enough, Jennifer Tefft & The Strange will be releasing new single “A Little More” on that day as well (Backed by Knyvet to boot)! Tefft also recently shared that in addition to the effervescent new song (It’s gorgeous!), 2026 will bring “Lots of new music! We will be laying down a few more songs in March. We are also exploring a tour in Belgium and the Netherlands for the Fall so hopefully that will come together! We are also working on adding new production elements to our live shows and collaborating with other types of artists for live shows- think circus arts, dancers, video and lighting! We really want to make our live shows and event or experience. John (Parrillo, Electric guitar) and Sharky (Stephen Beccia, Bass) are such talented visual artists in addition to musical artists and we have lots of incredibly talented friends that we plan on drawing in to augment the live show.”
2/10: Are you a member of Red Sox Nation? Do you dig local history? Have you ever wondered how local indie label Bridge Nine Records was born? Then Fenway Punk: How a Boston Indie Label Scored Big on Baseball’s Greatest Rivalry about the fabulous origins of Bridge Nine Records as told by founder Chris Wrenn is a must have! Copies are available now for pre-order when you head here and if you’re really eager to get an earful early, Section 10’s own Jared Carrabis will be hosting a book release party at Bride Nine’s home base in Beverly and you can find out more on that event here.
2/13: Maybe bigger than the 6th, new Knyvet artist (Have we told you to follow the hell out of them and every artist they represent yet???) Michael freakin’ Des Barres (AKA Michael Des Barres) comes correct on Rum Bar Records (!!) with a new double single release featuring “Kiss or Kill Me Tonight” and “I Was Saved In ’64”. And yeah, we know it’s technically not local per se but it’s very much local “backed” so we’re sticking with it here. ANYWAY! The tracks are BANGERS and each modern Garage Rawk anthems from the master so do stay tuned! Also on the 13th, American Ocelot is back with a pair of new contagious Alternative instant classics that they’ll be celebrating on Valentine’s Day at Middle East Upstairs alongside Galaxy Cake, Girl With A Hawk and Happy Little Clouds and you can get tickets for that one here.
2/20: Arrows of Athena (Also on the Knyvet roster…) continues to preview their upcoming new LP (More on that a little later) with the release of new single “Comets” while musician/producer Kerrin Connolly drops concept album Simpleton ahead of a record release show at The Burren the next night (February 21st, deets and more here). Pre-order the fantastical Pop/Rawk collection of songs below or by heading here and get “Quiet” instantly!
March:
3/5-3/8: Boston Bitdown is BACK! Curated by Battlemode once again, Year 2 of the chiptune, nerdcore & vgm fest expands to 4 days and hits Somerville, Medford, Salem and Arlington with tons of artists and events to enjoy! You can check out the individual lineups, venues and view purchase options by heading here.
3/6: Linnea’s Garden kickstarts the month of March off in a big way with a new single and subsequent release show at Middle East Upstairs that evening with Adi Sun, Endation and Happy Little Clouds (Get tix now here) before a tour of the Southwest featuring stops at SXSW as well! You can find out about that and more by heading here.
3/14: Spirit Hotel‘s Rêve arrives and if, like us, you were completely enamored by recent singles “Perfume” and “Moon Eyes” then this one is high up on the anticipated list. If you maybe want a preview of what’s to come then be sure to head to O’Brien’s during the DAY (?!?!?) on January 31st for a matinee show featuring Spirit Hotel as well as Snowbeasts and Neponset Monastery (Direct ticket link for that one here).
April:
4/3: The long wait is almost over as Arrows Of Athena‘s sophomore LP Daydreaming drops featuring the aforementioned “Comets”, last year’s “Abandoned Love” single as well as what we assume will be a plethora of modern Alternative that makes you feel like you’re hearing artists like Garbage or Elastica for the first time again.
May:
5/1: We could talk up Place Memory from Cape Crush a LOT if we wanted but we don’t want to be that publication taunting our readers with something that’s still a little ways off (Cuz May). What we will say is that if you’ve liked what’s come before from the North Shore-based Emo Alt Punk quartet and love the upcoming “Calm & Delivered” single (Out on 1/28) then you’re in for a treat this May! We’ll ALSO say that we’ve heard a lot of AOTY talk already for this debut so yeah, maybe start getting excited now…
And now we get to the predict-a-thon. Sort of. Here we focus on the stuff we know is coming but doesn’t have a date yet, stuff that’s been announced by artists via social media and stuff that we’re hoping that by posting about in this wills something into existence at some point during 2026!
2026 TBD:
–Alreckque: From a recent-ish social media post, Alreckque vocalist and guitarist Jim Healey has let it be knowm that new music is on the way from the trio that also features Grayskull Booking mainman Aaron Gray on Bass and Vocals and Drumer Rob Davol which will be their first since the harder Rawk outfit unleashed their debut EP in the summer of ’24.
–bad//verb: The noisy Post-Grunge Alternative band spent the end of 2025 at Mystic Valley Studio and emerged with three new tracks that are slated for release in early 2026 so keep your ears peeled for more news on that release hopefully soon.
–BEDTIMEMAGIC: Lie Down With Dogs is coming in early 2026 on The Ghost Is Clear Records and if you’ve been paying attention to this page we recently shared our interview with BEDTIMEMAGIC’s Nicholas Pentabona (And if you haven’t been paying attention, check it out here) talking up the upcoming 13-track opus among other things. We’ve had the pleasure of hearing the record a few times already and are happy to report that it RIPS! A little Unsane, a little Big Business, some (the)melvins and a whole lotta neat sounding noise is just a little bit of what we’re comfortable sharing right now (Because we don’t wanna spoil our upcoming review) about this seriously fantastic new full-length.
–blindspot: Your favorite Alterna-Rawk duo from Boston is hoping to release some new music in the new year but while you wait for that, you can catch the band out and about as they hit The Shaskeen Pub on February 6th with Horsefly Gulch, The Worthen Attic on February 27th and Middle East Upstairs on March 13th with Carissa Johnson & The Cure-Alls, Lover Of Eve and Joshua Sweet!
–Chainlacing: We’re looking for any excuse to talk up Chainlacing in 2026 and we guess the first thing to mention is that their debut LP is in the can and ready for release through These Hands Melt Records at some point soon and you can be the first of your friends to be in the know by staying up-to-date here. Secondly, if you’re in town and need a break from Snowpocalypse ’26 then know that Chainlacing along with Tears From A Grieving Heart, Deathless Forever and Crippling Alcoholism will be taking part in the Little Miss Clackamas Records sponsored show on January 31st at First Church in Cambridge that also serves as a donation drive for Food Not Bombs Boston. More info on that plus the latest list of donation items to bring can be found here.
–Crippling Alcoholism: Speaking of the band that topped our big end of the year list, CA ended 2025 with an announcement that they signed with The Flenser, reconfigured their lineup and welcomed ameokama into the group, will be re-releasing concept record Camgirl in the spring (Pre-orders plus addition merch located here) AND have new music on the way. What?!?!
–Dyr Faser: The band that can’t be stopped! Or at least can’t stop putting out albums. Following 2025’s THREE releases (!!!), the DF camp has informed us that their newest will be here imminently and if it’s anything like what we’ve previously heard from Amelia May and Eric Boomhower then we know it is indeed cause to start those happy dances now.
–Gozu: According to recent socials, Gozu has completed the follow-up to 2023’s gargantuan Remedy and we are ready for it! They’ll be taking part in this year’s annual Hopsmoker Festival happening at Widowmaker Brewing in Braintree from April 17th-18th and appearing during Saturday’s lineup (4/18) so hopefully fans might get to hear something new during their set on a bill which also features High Command, Mother Iron Horse, Bonginator, and Sunburster! Tix are running low so make sure you get yours soon by heading here.
–Graveyard of the Atlantic: GotA ended 2025 with a brand new song (Hear “A Crossing” below) ahead of their upcoming debut release slated to drop at some point in this new year and we’re thinking if it sounds anything like what’s already come, and especially new track “A Crossing”, then folks should start reserving spots on their end of the year lists already.
–Jim Healey: Y’know what? We could’ve very easily stated that the singer/songwriter/guitarist from Blood Lightning and Set Fire had new solo music on the way in our earlier piece on Alreckque but it’s Jim and Jim deserves an extra shine with the amount of projects he’s apart of. Anyway, new music to come and Healey never disappoints.
–Junius: It’s been a LONG time since the last Junius full-length, coming up on about nine years actually, but it looks like the almost decade wait for that next chapter after Eternal Rituals for the Acretion of Light might be here sooner rather than later with socials hinting that new music is actually on the way. One thing we know for sure, though, is that Junius will definitely be making an appearance at this year’s Post.Festival in Indianapolis from July 23rd to the 25th which also features Idle Heirs, Torche, Kylesa and you can find out the rest of the lineup that’s been announced so far, get your tickets and more by heading here.
–Sepsiss: Our new friends in Sepsiss have already stated via their socials that new music (BREAKING! New single “No Kings” arrives on February 11th!) is on the way in 2026 but in addition to all that they have SHOWS! Oh so many shows are on the horizon beginning on March 6th at The Stone Church in Brattleboro, VT with Awaiting Abigail, Under The Horizon and Pulsifier and followed by a show at Magic Room in Norwood, MA the next night (March 7th) also with Awaiting Abigail and Under The Horizon plus SEXCoffee. Then it’s off to Akron, OH and Afterlife Nightclub for a show with Circle Of Snakes and Living Dead Girl before heading up to Maine for a set at Rumors in Biddeford on July 18th with Dour, Dark Rain, Pulsifier and Midnight Posession. For advance tix to all those dates and more, including where to find their weekly podcast “The Sepsiss Show”, hit the home page here. And to support directly, head here.
–Stop That Man: The “special new band from boston + north shore” according to their Bandcamp bio put out one of our most favorite releases of 2025 with their No Sir release so we will be first in line when new music in the form of “Bubblegum” comes a knocking which according to late 2025 social media posts might be pretty soon.
–The Endorphins: The last time we saw The Endorphins live, the bulk of their set was made up of unreleased music that may or may not be headed for release as part of their upcoming new album which only added to the fervor (For us at least!) since they last left us with 2022’s BRILLIANT Nothing Is Real. It’s been some time, and while we’re sure the wait will be more than worth it, we’re also hoping the wait into 2026 won’t be too long.
–The Freqs: 2023’s Poachers is still a staple ’round these parts so you can bet your bottom dollar that we’re ready for new music from Salem’s The Freqs! In addition to playing out, 2025 saw some of the fruits of The Freqs’ recorded labor with singles “Jellyfish Cadaver” and “Tag Maggot” being unleashed upon us mere mortals ahead of their debut LP which, according to a recent piece in The Obelisk (Yes, we read other publications), should see the light of day in the first half of 2026.
–The Magic City: There seem to be a LOT of debut LP’s coming our way in 2026 and we’re not mad about that one bit. Another one in the books and ready to release comes from The Magic City who not only have a record ready to go but have updated previous singles like “Roadrunner Vs. Your Mother” and “A Series Of Chemicals” (Below) with the versions that will appear on their forthcoming effort.
–The Only Humans: Recorded last year and seeing the light of day later this year is a new EP from The Only Humans who put out one heckuva concept record in 2024 so while the stage is set on a slightly smaller sonic scale we still imagine the scope will be just as grand.
–The Rupert Selection: As of social media posts from January 2nd, drums and basic tracking are in the can! As huge fans of 2023’s Crumbs For The Sun, this one’s also way up there on the anticipated list for us. Maybe there’ll be a preview of what’s to come when TRS play O’Brien’s on January 30th supporting Ghosts Of Jupiter featuring Nate Wilson of moe. (Tix for that one can be found here) or on the next night (January 31st) when they play The Stone Church in Newmarket, NH also with Ghosts Of Jupiter along with Marble Eyes (Tix here) or perhaps maybe when they play The Cut Live in Gloucester with Terrafunk on February 5th (Advance tickets here).
–Viruette: Last but not least comes LP #2 from Viruette who had a phenomenal 2025 with award noms, new music and new music videos. Of that new music came “DEADTOOTH” and “PUNKTURED” featuring Layzi which were, hands down, some of the best material the band has recorded to date. They packaged up those two songs as a special EP release next to a grand cover of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Featuring Layzi) and two demo tracks for the last Bandcamp Friday of ’25 with funds going towards finishing up the successor to 2024’s Your Lacuna.