As the year draws to a close, we begin to look back at the records that defined it, the sounds we kept returning to, and the moments that made it memorable. But taking stock doesn’t mean the music has stopped. After a remarkable year for new releases, November and December still have plenty in store, with some of the most compelling names in electronic music, experimental pop, and rap preparing to unveil their latest projects. From long-awaited returns to ambitious debut albums, these are the releases we're looking forward to before 2026 comes to an end.
Shygirl – Swallow!
Shygirl remains one of the most compelling voices in British electronic and experimental pop. After Mantra, Alyse and Lucky (Hymn), her new album finally arrives on November 6. Four years after Nymph, she describes Swallow! as an artistic reintroduction, shaped by a period of falling in love and discovering more about herself. Her signature club sound meets indie-leaning songwriting, cinematic arrangements, and choral textures, finding new emotional depth without abandoning the electronic foundations that made her name.
Boys Noize – 7LLVSION
Five years after +/−, Alex Ridha returns to his solo project with 7LLVSION, arriving November 6. Following his collaboration with Nine Inch Nails as Nine Inch Noize, the German-Iraqi producer returns to darker, more abrasive territory, with 1+1+1 featuring Zep and offering a first taste of the record. Rooted in EBM, new wave, and industrial electronics, the album also features Brutalismus 3000, Abra, and Taichu. Expect a record designed to push electronic music to its rawest and most intense limits.
daine – In Endless Awe & Agony
There’s something special about a debut, especially when it promises an artist’s full creative vision. On November 6, daine releases In Endless Awe & Agony, moving beyond maximalist pop towards something more introspective. Inspired by Carl Jung’s concept of individuation, the album explores identity, desire, fear, and personal transformation. Tracks such as PQC, I Used to Kill and Wishing Well hint at a world of inner conflict and emotional reinvention, filtered through daine’s experimental pop sensibility.
La Roux – Old Flames
La Roux’s flame is burning brighter than ever. Six years after Supervision, Elly Jackson returns on November 6 with Old Flames, her most personal album in years. Drawing on the end of a long-term relationship, addiction, and the search for identity, the record looks back in order to move forward. Cabin Fever and Lose Myself capture its introspective side, while Babyline offers a more liberating perspective. Musically, her unmistakable synth-pop meets the influence of ’90s and early-2000s R&B. A potential late-year pop highlight, it is full of nostalgia and hard-won honesty.
Skepta – The Fork and Knife
The fork and knife. The United Kingdom and Nigeria. Two identities in dialogue at the heart of Skepta’s new album, arriving November 6. It’s his first solo album since Ignorance Is Bliss (2019). In this project, the artist explores identity, diaspora, and cultural belonging without sacrificing the energy that defines his music. Its visual world draws on British-Nigerian imagery and football culture, while the sound moves beyond traditional grime into UK garage, jungle, and electronic music. The result could mark a new chapter for one of British rap’s defining figures.
2hollis – Pirouette
Barely a year after star, 2hollis returns on November 11 with Pirouette, another chapter in his restless collision of rap, experimental pop, and electronic music. Singles Sex, Hurt and Warhorse hint at a sound that balances digital production and melodic hooks with his trademark emotional intensity. The album artwork, illustrated by Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano, adds a striking fantasy dimension to the project, further expanding the visual world surrounding the artist’s ever-evolving sound.
Blackhaine – Saints In The Wethouse
Another debut worth watching. On November 13, Manchester artist Blackhaine releases Saints In The Wethouse, his first full-length album and his most expansive statement to date. Following the 2022 EP Armour II, the record pushes his industrial rap into harsher territory, where abrasive noise collides with moments of unexpected intimacy. Executive-produced by Wraith9, it also features contributions from Rainy Miller, Croww, and Space Afrika. Lead single Consumer sets the tone for a bleak, uncompromising world in which sonic aggression and emotional vulnerability coexist.
Björk – Björk Orkestral With the Hamrahlíð Choir (live)
Few artists can revisit their own catalogue and make familiar songs feel new. Recorded at Reykjavík’s Harpa concert hall in 2021, Björk Orkestral With the Hamrahlíð Choir receives its international release on November 27 via One Little Independent. Across eleven songs, Björk reimagines her work alongside the Icelandic choir, bringing renewed focus to the human voice and the interplay between acoustic textures and electronics. Echoes of Medúlla (2004) are particularly striking, offering a fresh perspective on a singular musical universe.
Slayyyter – wor$t man in america
Hype barely begins to cover it. On December 4, Slayyyter releases wor$t man in america, the companion album to Wor$t Girl in America, released in March 2026. Expanding that record’s provocative, maximalist universe with nine new tracks, the project offers a complementary perspective rather than a simple reissue. brand new chanel$ and crank 2 provide an early taste of its irreverent, hedonistic energy, while titles such as i think he’s got a girl bring the humour, unapologetic electropop, and unfiltered fantasy. Slayyyter’s larger-than-life pop universe is far from finished.
serpentwithfeet – Sentinel
Arriving December 4, Sentinel sees serpentwithfeet return two years after Grip with a new seven-track EP exploring desire, intimacy, power, and spirituality. Focusing on relationships between men in male-dominated spaces, the project examines how masculinity, hierarchy, and attraction intersect. The title track draws on gospel and sea shanties, transforming the language of devotion into something more ambiguous and sensual. As ever, serpentwithfeet finds beauty in the tension between the sacred and the erotic, creating music that feels as emotionally intimate as it is conceptually rich.
