I listen to a lot of music. No, really. If I’m not catching up on what my fellow writers are putting down or doing homework for the Crushed Monocle Podcast (remember that?) I’ve always got my ear to the ground. There’s so much music out there that it’s hard to keep a cohesive list. While the podcast is a great way to discuss a few records each month, I feel I’m undercutting some of the other records that got repeated spins. What’s the remedy? This column! This is The Showcase April 2026.
Abrams – Loon
Somewhere between Converge and HUM, with a dash of Helmet, comes the latest from Abrams. It’s kinda weird to say a stoner rock/doom metal band has hooks, but an infectious record lies beneath the brutality and punch. But even with the subtle hints of hopefulness, it’s not what you would call an upbeat album. These dudes are just as angry as their previous releases. I think they’re just a little more poised and focused. Either way, Loon is already on my Year-End List, for sure.
Dovetail Joint – The Rock and Roll Conservancy
Maranatha – King of Ruin
The Antics – The Antics
The tedious debate over what defines “punk” has resurfaced in recent years. Everyone from political opportunists to cartoon icons have tried to claim the label. If you look past the noise and focus on the music, The Antics provide the definitive answer to the conflict. With thrashing guitars and wit as sharp as a switchblade, the record is fueled by a relentless attitude that transcends specific grievances. Whether it’s battling systemic injustice, raging against the machine, or navigating a male-dominated industry. The Antics fit the definition of punk. Stop talking about it and just do it.
Pretty Baby – Layaway Plot
I don’t know much about the noise rock scene in Charlotte, NC, but I want to imagine it as an uncanny mish-mash of influences. Half inviting and half dangerous, I hope that this hypothetical scene is soundtracked by Pretty Baby. Layaway Plot is a discordant adventure that’s deeply rooted in hardcore, with surprising flourishes of emo performance and the laconic nature of Dinosaur Jr. If this is what the DIY scene is about in Charlotte, I want to go there.
Head Sound – The Secret of Enjoying Life
It’s easy to dismiss shoegaze as a landscape of sadness or indifference, but the genre’s true power lies in its capacity for pure euphoria. This is where Head Sound thrives on their debut, The Secret of Enjoying Life. Rather than wallowing in emotional distance or “doom and gloom,” every swirling guitar, shimmering synth, and whispered vocal pulls the listener into a state of atmospheric immersion. In a world currently defined by chaos, this record is a vital reminder that music can still be a sanctuary. And you know what? It’s actually okay to feel good.
Vomitory – In Death Throes
Do you know someone who loves Swedish death metal? Of course you do! It’s me! Vomitory has been doing their brutal thing since the late ’90s, and on their 10th record, they show no signs of slowing down. Despite being traditional death metal at its core, In Death Throes proves the band can introduce elements of other metal sub-genres without reinventing the wheel. All of the pulsating grime of their previous work is on full display, but the flourishes of blast beats and Slayer-esque breakdowns are the icing on an already disgusting cake!
Yaya Bey – Fidelity
Whenever I review a Black woman in the R&B and soul space for The Showcase, I fear I’m repeating a cliché. “The album is a soulful exploration of love lost and found over lush, Motown-esque production.” While that description technically fits her latest album, Yaya Bey offers a biting correction to that narrative. She highlights how the music industry (and critics like me) often commodifies the self-reflection of Black women.
Fidelity is deeply personal and vulnerable, yet it refuses to let that vulnerability define her. As a person, Bey is resilient and fiercely independent; as an artist, she is a titan of songwriting and performance. I can’t speak to the lived experience of a Black woman from Brooklyn, but I can tell you this: Fidelity is breathtakingly gorgeous, and Yaya Bey stands shoulder to shoulder with any artist in music.
Velvet Graves – Heaven on Earth
Taking cues from ’90s shoegaze and ’80s no-wave, Velvet Graves are a pop band for people who hate pop. While there’s plenty of distortion and melancholy, Heaven on Earth isn’t afraid of melodies. I don’t know how they do it, but the upbeat synth-heavy hooks feel sadder than the acoustic vulnerability. I don’t really know what to feel, to be honest, but at least I’m feeling something.
Poison Ruin – Hymns From The Hills
Despite what the cover art suggests, Hymns From The Hills isn’t prog rock for the D&D crowd. Any medieval aesthetic here is strictly about the grueling reality of torture and endurance. Carving a space somewhere between Motörhead and Samhain, Poison Ruin uses warbly, disorienting production to deliver a sound that is as unique as it is brutal. Who cares about compression and limiters when you’re caving in a skull with an iron flail?
Reserver – Heart is A Bomb/Creams
If you like shoegaze, noise, garage rock, and music recorded from an input located in the deep canyons of your soul, you’ve found the perfect A and B sides. Oh, and they’re free to download, too. There’s really no excuse for you not to download these songs.
Lucia Dostal – Sour Cherries
There is a lot going on in the world at the moment. From civil unrest, wars, famine, and whatever colorful name you want to call what’s going on in Washington, it’s easy to lose track of the simple things in life. Those little things like breakups, crushes, and cutting your hair in a fit of emotional rage? Lucia Dosta handles them so beautifully. In just 6 songs, Dostal captures the entire adolescent experience. You can’t fake this kind of wholesome honesty.