The Lead Sheet ~ 1/13/2026

The Lead Sheet is your guide to this week’s new music - taking a look at newly released albums, who made them, and how listeners are responding.

English post-punk group Dry Cleaning released their third studio album, Secret Love on Friday, which was quickly met with glowing reviews from critics. The new project also marks some major changes for the band; Dry Cleaning shook things up with a new producer, Cate Le Bon, after previously working with John Parish. The band’s frontman Florence Shaw breaks from her traditional spoken-word delivery, to a more melodic, catchy-chorus sound. Additionally, the group collaborated with dance duo BULLYACHE to develop original choreography for every song on the album, to be performed during live tours. Unlike the band’s previous albums which were more punk, Secret Love is more atmospheric. This is accentuated by LP’s distinctive mixing giving individual instruments more breathing room. Dry Cleaning is currently on tour in the UK and Europe, with a North American leg scheduled for April and May of 2026. 

This week country musician and songwriter Zach Bryan released his sixth LP, a new twenty-five track album called With Heaven on Top. With Heaven on Top is a deeply intimate, diary-style project that covers Bryan’s personal struggles such as grief and romance. Bryan has developed a unique, alt-country sound, incorporating lo-fi elements, cleverly layered string sections and cinematic swells, including horns and choral arrangements. Bryan is considered by many a lyrical genius, but despite generally positive critical reception, many fans admit the album suffers from bloat, with a near seventy-eight minute runtime. In response to critics who harped that the album even sounded over-produced and sterile, Bryan released a tandem fully acoustic version of the record on January 12th, which strips away some of the post-production embellishments in exchange for a more authentic tone. Zach Bryan will kick off his most ambitious live tour yet, With Heaven on Tour in March of this year, performing in forty stadiums across the US and Europe. 

Jenny Hollingworth, one half of the pop-rock duo Let’s Eat Grandma, launched a debut solo project this week under the playful moniker Jenny on Holiday, in reference to her time away from the group. Quicksand Heart is her first solo release, a ten-track LP that so far is impressing critics and listeners. The album is chiefly alt-pop, taking inspiration from the 80’s with nostalgic synth stabs and Lauper-esque melodies. Hollingworth’s voice is praised for effortless power and range, channeling beltable ballads from the era. For all its upbeat bops, Quicksand Heart confronts darker themes like grief and longing, a juxtaposition that creates a sense of unease throughout. Jenny on Holiday is mostly a success, but Quicksand Heart also isn’t without its pain points; listeners point out muddiness within the mix on some tracks as well as an over-similarity between songs. Hollingworth is just now wrapping up a mini-tour of smaller venues and music stores, with no major album tour announced as of yet.

Australian rapper-turned-pop-star The Kid Laroi (known for his massive 2021 hit “Stay” with Justin Bieber) returns this week with his second album, BEFORE I FORGET. BEFORE I FORGET is the result of a break-up; Laroi had previously written an entirely different album, but during relationship fallout, scrapped the release of the project, stating he no longer felt it authentically reflected his emotional state. BEFORE I FORGET emerged just four months later. His new album is a deeply vulnerable blend of hip-hop and R&B, with standout tracks like “A Cold Play” and “Back When You Were Mine”. Critics appreciate Laroi’s vocal exploration, branching out into floaty falsettos in contrast to his trademark raspy chest voice sound. 

After a five year break from releasing new music, British indie-rock trio The Cribs published their ninth album Selling a Vibe this week. Early reviews are generally positive, and most listeners like the direction the band is taking, shifting into shoegaze and pop-rock. To give the album an added degree of polish, the group hired MGMT and Caroline Polachek producer Patrick Wimberly, whose firm foundation in indie-pop production influenced Selling a Vibe’s sound. Thematically, the new LP focuses on themes of brotherhood and perseverance, topics familiar to the group, who are also all real-life brothers. Despite its mild-tempered praise, not everyone “vibes” with the new work, with a common criticism being that the album is monotonous, lyrically uninspired and doesn’t take any exciting risks – gently nudging The Crib’s sound while staying well within their safe zone. The Cribs will tour in the UK and Europe through late summer of 2026.

Dry Cleaning - Secret Love

Released Jan 9, 2026

4AD Records

Zach Bryan - With Heaven on Top

Released Jan 11, 2026

Belting Bronco and Warner Records

Jenny on Holiday - Quicksand Heart

Released Jan 9, 2026

Transgressive Records

The Kid Laroi - BEFORE I FORGET

Released Jan 9, 2026

Columbia Records

The Cribs - Selling a Vibe 

Released Jan 9, 2026

Sonic Blew Records