The Best Songs Released in May 2026

May was a super exciting time for new albums from a lot of our favorite artists, and we revieved several! Check out our reviews on albums from Maisie Peters, Bleachers, Kacey Musgraves, Ray Bull, Violet Grohl, Lykke Li, and The Jungle Giants.

We also interviewed Leanna Firestone about her debut album, The Answer, and got to cover MUNA’s album release show in Los Angeles.

Noteworthy album & EP releases:
LEMONADE – The 2nd Album, aespa
Train on the Island, Aldous Harding
Good on Paper, Aleksiah
Sandbox, All American Rejects
everyone for 10 minutes, Bleachers
U, Me & My Ego, Chxrry
ARCADE, Deb Never
Iceman, Drake
Of Earth & Wires, Dua Saleh
Sunshine for Happiness, Emma Louise
Bitknot, Feeble Litle Horse
Mother Of Pearl, Freya Ridings
REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, Genesis Owusu
BELOVED: ACT II, GIVÉON
(Mine), Hilary Duff
Hold Onto Me Infinity, HYD
Face The Feeling, Jobi Riccio
Experiencing Feelings of Joy, The Jungle Giants
Middle of Nowhere, Kacey Musgraves
Little Wide Open, Kevin Morby
American Teenage Prophecy, Kid Sistr
Detour, Kim Petras
BIG MAMA, Latto
The Answer, Leanna Firestone
Look For Your Mind!, The Lemon Twigs
Sugar Girl, Little Simz
UGLY DUCKING UNION, Lowertown
The Afterparty, Lykke Li
Wide Eyed, Mack Keane
Florescence, Maisie Peters
Maitreya Corso, Maya Hawke
Sweat, Melanie C
Dancing on The Wall, MUNA
The Boys of Dungeon Lane, Paul McCartney
MASK, Porches
Please Stop Laughing, Ray Bull
American Stories, Rostam
Emptiness is Godly, Royal & The Serpent
Big Trick, Sabrina Song
Easy EP, Smerz
Fondness, Etc., Shakey Graves
Leaving The House Is a Performance, Sofia and the Antoinettes
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Stephen Sanchez
The Last Balloon, Tank and The Bangas
The Lone Starlet, Tiffany Stringer
In Times of Dragons, Tori Amos
Gentleman, Towa Bird
Be Sweet to Me, Violet Grohl
Victory Garden, Young The Giant

In chronological order:

“Where Have All The Good Men Gone?” – Debbii Dawson
Release date – May 8

I’ve been a big fan of up and coming country pop artist Debbii Dawson for the last couple years, including her in Staged Haze’s “Artists to Watch in 2025” round-up and seeing her perform live a couple times in various settings. When I heard her newest single, “Where Have All The Good Men Gone?,” earlier this month, I had high hopes for her new era and upcoming EP of the same name, which drops on June 26.

Co-written and co-produced with Joel Little (Taylor Swift, Lorde), “Where Have All The Good Men Gone?” is a fun, retro folk-pop song with ’80s synths and glam-rock production, which builds to an epic hook: “Everybody’s missing their medullas / need somebody, need somebody super” (when did you last see a pop artist try to rhyme “medullas” with anything?). The song is silly, catchy, and honestly so relatable to any woman trying to date in this hellish year that is 2026. The accompanying music video plays into the kitschiness of the song, and shows Dawson as a crime fighting superhero that’s somehow a crossover between Princess Peach and Blossom from the Powerpuff Girls: and she even plays a keytar. If you love ’80s infused pop music with folk vocal elements, Debbii Dawson is surely your new It Girl. – Kristin

“Big Stick” – MUNA
Release date – May 8

MUNA has never shied away from getting political in their music, as their existence as an all-queer, mainstream band with women and non-binary members is “controversial” enough. But on “Big Stick,” a single off the band’s newest album, Dancing on the Wall, they take their outspokenness to the next level. It’s a no-holds barred, scathing indictment of America and the country’s tyrannical impact around the world. The song could have felt performative if done by other artists, but MUNA’s dedication to making music that’s meaningful from the very beginning of their career makes it hit that much harder.

The bridge alone is so powerful that it nearly brought me to tears on my first listen. “Make you want to build an army and wage a war / Make you want to show the world what America’s for / And how America gives more than America takes / We give weapons to dictators in apartheid states / We give kids in Palestine PTSD / But we’ll never fuckin’ ever give them something to eat. – Kristin

“SS26” – Charli xcx
Release date – May 21

I have to admit that when Charli xcx releases new music, I sometimes need a minute before I press play. It sounds ridiculous, considering she’s one of my favorite artists, but there’s something nerve-wracking about hearing what someone so consistently ahead of the curve is going to do next. That’s exactly how I felt about “SS26,” the latest glimpse into Charli’s post-Brat era. The rollout alone was enough to get me hooked. Presented like a fashion show invitation, the single arrived with a music video directed by Toro that contrasts the song’s low-key nature with rapid-fire shots of a runway show starring Charli herself, who is absolutely serving.

Following her first post-Brat single “Rock Music,” the track continues her recent embrace of guitars and softer rock influences while still sounding distinctly Charli.Written with A.G. Cook and Finn Keane, who also collaborated with Charli on her recent Wuthering Heights companion album, “SS26” is a black-and-white soft rock meditation on image, celebrity, and the end-of-the-world feeling that seems to linger over modern culture. “We’re walkin’ on a runway that goes straight to hell / Nothing’s gonna save us, not music, fashion or film,” she sings on the chorus, delivering one of the song’s sharpest observations. What I’ve always loved most about Charli is how confessional she is. On “SS26,” she jokes about politics as a press strategy, Notes app apologies, internet scandals, and taking the easy road if the outfit looks good enough. She remains the whole package: fierce, stylish, honest, and relentlessly self-aware. Few artists can turn their own contradictions into great pop songs quite like she can, and “SS26” is another reminder that she’s always a few steps ahead of everyone else. – Jesse

“The Cure” – Olivia Rodrigo
Release date – May 22

As a longtime fan of The Cure, it feels fitting that Olivia Rodrigo would eventually release a song called “the cure.” After all, this is the same artist who brought out Robert Smith during her headlining Glastonbury set for unforgettable performances of “Friday I’m In Love” and “Just Like Heaven.” While Olivia has clarified that the song itself isn’t actually about the legendary band, its title immediately caught the attention of fans who know just how much The Cure’s music has influenced her. The track opens with an acoustic guitar line that has listeners comparing it to the Foo Fighters’ “Everlong,” channeling the kind of ’90s alternative rock DNA that has become an increasingly important part of Olivia’s sound.

What makes “the cure” so compelling, though, is its emotional honesty. Rather than presenting love as the answer to all of life’s problems, Olivia wrestles with the realization that even the healthiest relationship can’t fix deep-seated insecurity, anxiety, or self-doubt. “I’m unraveled,” she confesses, a simple but devastating admission that cuts through the song’s warm acoustic instrumentation. Later, she delivers the song’s central thesis: “It don’t matter how your love feels anymore / It’ll never be the cure.” It’s one of the most mature moments in her catalog, recognizing that healing is an inside job rather than something another person can provide. – Jesse

Check out all of our monthly round-up posts HERE.