Music news: 5 upcoming albums that will soundtrack your summer
The next few months are undoubtedly packed with some of 2026’s most anticipated releases in music.
If you want to add some new tunes to your rotation, here are some releases that could feature on your playlist, writes Music News Blitz’s Grace Moore.
Niall Horan - ‘Dinner Party’
Irish artist and former One Direction star, Niall Horan, is releasing his 4th studio album on the 5th June.
Horan released the title track of the album as the lead single back in March, with the second single ‘Little More Time’ - which is Horan’s personal favourite - coming out in April.
The third and final pre-release track from the album is titled ‘End of an Era’.
It's a song that Horan believed needed its own space before the rest of the album came out.
From what we’ve heard so far, this album is certainly the epitome of summer - and if you really do like it, you can catch Niall on tour across the UK and Europe this Autumn.
READ MORE: Music news: Maisie Peters releases her third studio album ‘Florescence’
Overpass - ‘Elsewhere, Always’
Birmingham-based quartet, Overpass, are releasing their debut album on the 5th June.
This indie-rock band has had quite the rise since their first single, ‘One Night Lover’ was released in 2021.
From selling out rooms across the country and supporting bands like The Wombats, The Lathums and Inhaler, Overpass have built up their own supportive fanbase.
The ten-track album features fan favourites, ‘Union Station’ and ‘Is This Real?’, as well as eight more tracks to enjoy.
Overpass has an 11 - date UK and Ireland tour planned this year to support the release of Elsewhere, Always, starting in October.
Olivia Rodrigo - ‘You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love’
One of music’s biggest pop stars is releasing her eagerly awaited third album on the 12th June.
‘You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love’ subverts the classic Olivia Rodrigo purple colour and 4-letter album title theme, with the singer opting for a light pink, babydoll style aesthetic this time around.
With tracks ‘drop dead’ and ‘the cure’ already being hits among livies (that is, of course, Rodrigo’s dedicated fanbase), it’s exciting to see how the rest of the album will perform.
Olivia Rodrigo recently unveiled the tracklist of the album, splitting it into two sections - ‘Girl So In Love’ and ‘You Seem Pretty Sad’ - but which side will be your favourite?
There are only 2 weeks to go until the album is out in the world!
Gracie Abrams - ‘Daughter From Hell’
After her previous album ‘The Secret of Us’ took the worldwide charts by storm two years ago, Gracie Abrams is back with her next body of work, which will be released on July 17th.
We can already see a glimpse into this upcoming third album by Abrams, as she has released the first song from the album, titled ‘Hit The Wall’.
When touring last year, Gracie Abrams performed some unreleased tunes, with ‘In Between’ and ‘Death Wish’ making their mark within the fandom - it's highly speculated that these songs could make the 16-track album.
Abrams has collaborated with songwriter and producer Aaron Dessner for this project.
Dessner has also worked with artists such as Noah Kahan and Taylor Swift, so it’s not unlikely that we could expect a folklore, evermore and great divide-esque album.
Ariana Grande - ‘petal’
After spending the past few years in the land of Oz as Glinda in Wicked, Ariana Grande will release her eighth studio album, titled petal, on the 31st July.
The album was announced on April 28th, after several hints and clues were spread across social media by Grande and her team.
The first single from the album ‘hate that i made you love me’ is set to be released on the 29th May.
Grande also sets off on her ‘eternal sunshine’ tour this summer, with the lucky cities of Chicago and London getting to experience a show after ‘petal’ has been released.
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