Sound Check
This month's best new releases in our playlists, with tracks recommended by our editorial team
Finding your way through new music releases keeps getting harder. An abundance of choice doesn't mean easy access to what truly deserves attention, especially with a mainstream market so far removed from the most interesting realities out there. That's why we keep this initiative going: a regular update to explore the musical present through the Spotify playlists curated by the OndaRock staff. With the release calendar now in full swing, our selections get even richer: from boundary-free pop to ever-evolving rock, from electronic music to singer-songwriters, all the way to jazz, experimental sounds and the Italian scene, not forgetting the "dark" sonorities we've always followed closely. A journey in constant motion, to discover and be surprised.
Rock and Beyond
One track each from the brand-new albums by Momma, Postcards and Deafheaven open our selection from the world of rock, followed by the track that kicks off Alan Sparhawk's new project, along with other interesting new material from Tropical Fuck Storm and Hard Quartet. (Claudio Lancia)
Pop Muzik
This month's pop playlist opens with a little Destroyer masterpiece, "Cataract Time". But Little Simz and billy woods, These New Puritans and CMAT are also shaping up very well. In the second part of the monthly selection, you'll instead find a couple of names that are perhaps less well known, but definitely worth keeping an eye on. (Daniel Moor
Dark Corner
Plenty of new additions to the playlist. From the solid blues-rooted gothic rock of Bambara to the long-awaited new single by VNV Nation, by now the last standard-bearers of the futurepop movement. More electronic sounds come with the violent industrial of Youth Code and with the return of an Italian band with an illustrious past, Dish-Is-Nein (formerly Discipinatha). In the extreme metal field and beyond, the tracklist welcomes the increasingly evocative Hexvessel and the surprising This Gift Is A Curse, back with a truly intense work halfway between black metal and sludge detours. (Paolo Chemnitz)
Electronic
The DJ Koze, Sandwell District (OndaRock's Album of the Month for April) and Kassian releases are the three albums of the moment on the international electro circuit: these are the projects that open our monthly selection, followed by a run of excellent productions by female artists: Marie Davidson, Yaeji, Amelie Lens, Charlotte De Witte, Aya, FKA Twigs, Ela Minus, Rose Gray and Oklou. For dancing, but not only . . . (Claudio Lancia)
Songwriter
boygenius members Julien Baker (together with her friend Torres) and Lucy Dacus return with new music, and so do Hannah Cohen, Dean Wareham and Matt Berninger. But this April I'm sure I'll have the excellent new singles by Chantal Acda and Jenny Hval on constant repeat, while we wait for the LPs to drop. (Daniel Moor)
Other Sounds
March brought us the interesting new collaboration between More Eaze and Claire Rousay, and a track by Sarah Davachi paying tribute to Steve Reich, included on the new Portraits GRM installment shared with François J. Bonnet. Worth noting is the long-distance comparison between Robin Carolan's underwhelming score for "Nosferatu" and the fine work — our pick of the section — by Frederikke Hoffmeier aka Puce Mary for "The Girl With The Needle". Among this month's listens we also have a first preview from the new album by Lucy Railton, due out in April on Ideologic Organ. (Peppe Trotta)
Italy
Tracks from the brand-new albums by Messa, I Cani, Gaia Banfi, Baustelle and Lucio Corsi open our Italian Playlist, followed by the new tracks released by Gazebo Penguins, Populous, Giorgio Poi and Calibro 35. There's also a strong lineup of interesting female voices, from Giungla to Joan Thiele, from Laura Agnusdei to Giulia Impache and Angela Baraldi. Enjoy the listen . . . (Claudio Lancia)
Jazz
OndaRock's jazz year begins without haste: this is a field where time is needed to catch the most stimulating releases. Especially since, as is our way, our paths often develop beyond the boundaries of orthodoxy and its gatekeepers, weaving through electronic contamination, soul/r&b, progressive and singer-songwriter influences, often far from the most well-trodden routes. Without losing sight of some names already in the spotlight, here is our first look at trajectories that are talked about far less, yet increasingly decisive. A taste of what you'll find on our pages in the coming weeks. (Marco Sgrignoli)
Ride the wave of great music
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14/02/2026
This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by OndaRock Staff, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.
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