The Inkwell is the quarterly post where we compile albums we haven’t highlighted yet, but which are highly recommended stops on your musical radar.
The 113: The Hedonist
If one of the standout new voices of last year was To Combat Regret, The 113 returns to gift us another wonderful post-punk EP, The Hedonist. The Leeds band kicks off strong from the first track, with the powerful “Leach,” and delights us with (only) four cuts that leave us wanting more.
So far, the only downside of The 113 is precisely that they’ve only released two fourteen-minute EPs. Eagerly awaiting their first full-length album.
Aldous Harding: Train on the Island
The New Zealand songwriter reaches new heights of excellence on her fifth album. Supported once again by John Parish’s production (especially known for his close collaboration with PJ Harvey), the songs shine in their instrumental minimalism, with a pristine elegance achieved by very few artists. Unexpected echoes of Nick Drake, blue-eyed neo-soul, and indie-folk articulate an irresistible collection of songs that you’ll want to return to again and again.
Another Taste: Another Taste II
In a world where analog is increasingly left behind due to the ease that digitalization offers in production, every now and then bands emerge that simply do the opposite. Everything Another Taste signs is recorded live and analog: they don’t use computers or loops, nor do they digitally correct any of their music. The definition of perfect imperfection in the form of funk and boogie.
Boards of Canada: Inferno
The return of one of ambient music’s totems was preceded by a cryptic and unconventional advertising campaign and the enormous anticipation befitting the 13 years since their previous album. Once again, the Scottish duo spreads across the album’s 70 minutes all the elements that have kept them on the altar of electronic music for 30 years: electronic music with a slow but steady development (an ideal soundtrack for those working glued to a monitor and keyboard), tense vocal samples, and, above all, their tireless desire to reflect the dark sign of the times.
Converge: Hum of Heart
That Hum Of Hurt is Converge’s second album in 2026, following the scorching Love Is Not Enough released in February, is impressive; that it manages to live up to it while being so different is extraordinary. With four decades of experience, the band proves to still be at their absolute peak. Although both works share the concept of the degradation of love and despair, they are not mere complements. While the first was a direct and fast metalcore assault, this new installment emerges as a more artistic, conceptual, textured, and thoughtful post-hardcore proposition.
Compared to the visceral reaction of its predecessor, the songs on Hum Of Hurt feel like somber reflections after the catastrophe. It’s a less immediate album, but it offers an emotional odyssey that sprinkles thrash with variable structures, complex riffs, and atmospheric moments. Tracks like “Slip the Noose” erupt with mathematical chaos, while “It Only Gets Worse” or “It’s Not Up to Us” recapture the raw essence of their mythical Jane Doe.
Despite its brilliance and great production, the album has small debatable details, as some songs feel unnecessarily stretched (like the intro to “Dream Debris” or the extension of “It Used to Matter”). Nevertheless, it’s a minor quibble in a superb repertoire where the heartbreaking “Doom In Bloom,” the renewed force of “I Won’t Let You Go,” and the masterful crescendo of the title track stand out.
In conclusion, the choice between both works will depend on personal taste: Love Is Not Enough stands out for its crushing consistency for a quick adrenaline rush, while Hum Of Hurt will captivate those who prefer creative risks and deep exploration. A quarter-century after bursting onto the scene, Converge refuses to settle, demonstrating that they maintain absolute control of their chaos.
Modest Mouse: An Eraser and a Maze
It’s impossible to listen to Modest Mouse’s new material without recalling their golden era (from This Is a Long Drive… to We Were Dead…). After a decade of decline, the lackluster The Golden Casket, and the devastating blow of drummer Jeremiah Green’s death, this An Eraser and a Maze seemed like a sad formality. However, the album is a huge surprise: a tremendous journey that resurrects them, following the pattern of their best years.
The album is born from the gut and from grief. Jeremiah’s absence adds a dark, cynical, and real tint. Isaac Brock regains his ingenious sparkle on raw and free tracks like “Dogbed in Heaven / Give It a Skeleton” or “Speak ‘N Spell (Or Not),” while “Third Side of the Moon” is among the best they’ve composed since the mid-2000s.
Unlike the eclecticism of We Were Dead… (2007), here they simmer slowly, moving gracefully between indie rock, slowcore, and alt-country. It’s a work that demands a patient listen, where even melodic hooks like “Life’s a Dream” flow wonderfully.
The dispensable: As often happens in their discography, the central part suffers from excessive length and experiments that feel like filler. Tracks like “Song About Nothing,” “Rotten Fruit,” or the electronic “Stoner Party” could be removed without issue.
Fortunately, the final stretch is perfect. “Look How Far…” and “Impossible Somedays” demonstrate that, even though Brock is now alone at the helm, he has rediscovered the band’s basic manual. A comeback worthy of celebration that opens a new mature and psychedelic era.
Oddisee & Heno: From Takoma with Love
Oddisee & Heno release a collaborative album that works for hip-hop lovers, newcomers, and even those resistant to the genre. Oddisee, who fully produces the album, achieves a jazzy sound that lulls and relaxes you.
An open conversation about the past, present, and future of community life and the roots of these two rappers.
Prism Shores: Softest Attack
The young Canadian band presents their third album with the same positive energy and good vibes as their previous works. Their signature sixties pop riffs run throughout the album, with the more energetic “Kid Gloves,” the melancholic “I Didn’t Mean to Change My Mind,” and the introspective “Magical Thinking” standing out.
Ecca Vandal: Looking For People To Unfollow
Ecca Vandal’s path has been marked by breaking molds. Raised under a strict Sri Lankan education and with a life journey from South Africa to Australia, she channeled her identity disconnection by swapping her jazz studies for alternative influences like Fugazi or Björk. After her 2017 debut, pandemic isolation led her to compose the 17 tracks of LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW, a second album where her alternative rock proposal flourishes with audacity and daring.
The album kicks off with its most direct and hardcore-leaning side on imposing and political tracks like “EYES SHUT,” balancing fury with vulnerability on visceral songs like “BLEED BUT NEVER DIE” or the anthem “VERTICAL WORLDS.” However, the second half divisively shifts towards neo-soul, bhangra, and electronic music. Although it yields successes like the collision of hardcore and trap in “CAME HERE FOR THE LOOT,” this final section proves more exploratory and uneven. Despite this excess of ambition and scattered interludes somewhat dispersing the overall focus, the work confirms Ecca Vandal’s versatility and overwhelming personality in shattering expectations.