{"data":{"list":{"type":"albums","time_period":"month","slug":"best-albums-of-october-2026","title":"Best Albums of October 2026","description":"<p>The <strong>Best Albums of October 2026<\/strong> make for a lively, wide-ranging field, with a close race at the top and acclaimed records from both familiar names and less expected corners. The month's album releases offer plenty to compare, and the critical consensus points to several clear standouts.<\/p><p><strong>Caroline Rose<\/strong>'s <em>Gentling the Horse at the Walt Whitman Mall<\/em> leads with a 90.67 score from three reviews, narrowly ahead of <strong>Clara Mann<\/strong>'s <em>Wishbone<\/em>, at 89.38 from four. <strong>Richard Thompson<\/strong>'s <em>Hippies, Thugs and Heroes<\/em> follows at 87.5, while <strong>PISS<\/strong>'s <em>you made me \/ skin on linen<\/em> earns an 86.43 consensus across seven reviews. <em>Dopamine Chamber<\/em> by <strong>Fontaines D.C.<\/strong> also stands out, with 11 reviews contributing to its 85.64 score.<\/p><p>October's top albums span a notably varied lineup, from <strong>HAAi<\/strong> and <strong>The Avalanches<\/strong> to <strong>Queens of the Stone Age<\/strong> and <strong>Orchestra Baobab<\/strong>. Scores and review counts offer different measures of critical attention, so the ranking below brings both into view. Here are the month's most highly regarded releases, and the records that shaped the conversation around the best new music of October 2026.<\/p>","meta_description":"Explore the Best Albums of October 2026, led by Caroline Rose and Clara Mann, with critics' scores, review counts, and the month's standout new releases.","year":2026,"month":10,"month_name":"October","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/lists\/best-albums-of-october-2026","prev_url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/lists\/best-albums-of-september-2026","next_url":null,"item_count":25},"albums":[{"position":1,"title":"Nu Zamrock","slug":"sampa-the-great-nu-zamrock","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/sampa-the-great-nu-zamrock","release_date":"2026-10-30","image_url":"images\/sampa-the-great\/nu-zamrock\/7ea55098-0c92-5b73-9368-dc97e677c0b5.jpg","artist":{"name":"Sampa the Great","slug":"sampa-the-great","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/sampa-the-great"},"consensus_score":93,"review_count":3},{"position":2,"title":"Gentling the Horse at the Walt Whitman Mall","slug":"caroline-rose-gentling-the-horse-at-the-walt-whitman-mall","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/caroline-rose-gentling-the-horse-at-the-walt-whitman-mall","release_date":"2026-10-23","image_url":"images\/caroline-rose\/gentling-the-horse-at-the-walt-whitman-mall\/1ec5671c-2f4d-56b2-892c-5deb42dabfb3.jpg","artist":{"name":"Caroline Rose","slug":"caroline-rose","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/caroline-rose"},"consensus_score":91,"review_count":3},{"position":3,"title":"Wishbone","slug":"clara-mann-wishbone","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/clara-mann-wishbone","release_date":"2026-10-23","image_url":"images\/clara-mann\/wishbone\/7dee305e-43d7-5383-987c-9becb82dc1ad.jpg","artist":{"name":"Clara Mann","slug":"clara-mann","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/clara-mann"},"consensus_score":89,"review_count":4},{"position":4,"title":"Hippies, Thugs and Heroes","slug":"richard-thompson-hippies-thugs-and-heroes","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/richard-thompson-hippies-thugs-and-heroes","release_date":"2026-10-16","image_url":"images\/richard-thompson\/hippies-thugs-and-heroes\/5ec2fc2a-c327-5f59-b920-fda229cd8175.jpg","artist":{"name":"Richard Thompson","slug":"richard-thompson","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/richard-thompson"},"consensus_score":88,"review_count":4},{"position":5,"title":"you made me \/ skin on linen","slug":"piss-you-made-me-skin-on-linen","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/piss-you-made-me-skin-on-linen","release_date":"2026-10-30","image_url":"images\/piss\/you-made-me-skin-on-linen\/07d1619e-acfb-5f79-b288-0fb981aa0709.jpg","artist":{"name":"PISS","slug":"piss","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/piss"},"consensus_score":86,"review_count":7},{"position":6,"title":"Dopamine Chamber","slug":"fontaines-d-c-dopamine-chamber","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/fontaines-d-c-dopamine-chamber","release_date":"2026-10-16","image_url":"images\/fontaines-dc\/dopamine-chamber\/4d5ee8fb-d6b1-5594-a38a-1f464a7d10d5.jpg","artist":{"name":"Fontaines D.C.","slug":"fontaines-d-c","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/fontaines-d-c"},"consensus_score":86,"review_count":11},{"position":7,"title":"No Bad Memories","slug":"the-avalanches-no-bad-memories","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/the-avalanches-no-bad-memories","release_date":"2026-10-16","image_url":"images\/the-avalanches\/no-bad-memories\/7042698b-7e8d-5e09-b900-4f1c4f16e8a6.jpg","artist":{"name":"The Avalanches","slug":"the-avalanches","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/the-avalanches"},"consensus_score":85,"review_count":6},{"position":8,"title":"All Set The Bone","slug":"greg-freeman-all-set-the-bone","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/greg-freeman-all-set-the-bone","release_date":"2026-10-02","image_url":"images\/greg-freeman\/all-set-the-bone\/07e988b2-5236-506e-89c1-bedeac2afcc3.jpg","artist":{"name":"Greg Freeman","slug":"greg-freeman","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/greg-freeman"},"consensus_score":85,"review_count":6},{"position":9,"title":"DIGITiSE","slug":"haai-digitise","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/haai-digitise","release_date":"2026-10-09","image_url":"images\/haai\/digitise\/85cf3eea-32b8-5eb3-8642-4f246533d678.jpg","artist":{"name":"HAAi","slug":"haai","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/haai"},"consensus_score":83,"review_count":6},{"position":10,"title":"Perfecth","slug":"queens-of-the-stone-age-perfecth","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/queens-of-the-stone-age-perfecth","release_date":"2026-10-30","image_url":"images\/queens-of-the-stone-age\/perfecth\/8df357e0-d1d9-519a-9534-11d8b2433b70.jpg","artist":{"name":"Queens of the Stone Age","slug":"queens-of-the-stone-age","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/queens-of-the-stone-age"},"consensus_score":80,"review_count":17},{"position":11,"title":"Do You Love the Color of the Sky?","slug":"dummy-do-you-love-the-color-of-the-sky","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/dummy-do-you-love-the-color-of-the-sky","release_date":"2026-10-16","image_url":"images\/dummy\/do-you-love-the-color-of-the-sky\/dde26025-69ba-5225-ada7-bd1b2b4e59c9.jpg","artist":{"name":"Dummy","slug":"dummy","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/dummy"},"consensus_score":79,"review_count":5},{"position":12,"title":"Synonym","slug":"meshell-ndegeocello-synonym","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/meshell-ndegeocello-synonym","release_date":"2026-10-02","image_url":"images\/meshell-ndegeocello\/synonym\/9310c628-275c-5e4f-96b4-93cb9c623b63.jpg","artist":{"name":"Meshell Ndegeocello","slug":"meshell-ndegeocello","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/meshell-ndegeocello"},"consensus_score":78,"review_count":4},{"position":13,"title":"I think I spoke too 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Baobab","slug":"orchestra-baobab","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/orchestra-baobab"},"consensus_score":77,"review_count":3},{"position":15,"title":"Crisco","slug":"miranda-lambert-crisco","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/miranda-lambert-crisco","release_date":"2026-10-02","image_url":"images\/miranda-lambert\/crisco\/5bcf6ef3-b07c-5a35-bf96-82662b91ebe7.jpg","artist":{"name":"Miranda Lambert","slug":"miranda-lambert","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/miranda-lambert"},"consensus_score":76,"review_count":3},{"position":16,"title":"It's a Style Sport","slug":"shabazz-palaces-it-s-a-style-sport","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/shabazz-palaces-it-s-a-style-sport","release_date":"2026-10-23","image_url":"images\/shabazz-palaces\/its-a-style-sport\/6b9b9901-9d8d-5f2a-8a41-8814bf8344e6.jpg","artist":{"name":"Shabazz Palaces","slug":"shabazz-palaces","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/shabazz-palaces"},"consensus_score":75,"review_count":3},{"position":17,"title":"FUDGE","slug":"michael-kiwanuka-fudge","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/michael-kiwanuka-fudge","release_date":"2026-10-23","image_url":"images\/michael-kiwanuka\/fudge\/ecf46910-14a0-5dff-af63-25cd4a1e64b3.jpg","artist":{"name":"Michael Kiwanuka","slug":"michael-kiwanuka","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/michael-kiwanuka"},"consensus_score":75,"review_count":8},{"position":18,"title":"Nature's Pill","slug":"wishy-nature-s-pill","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/wishy-nature-s-pill","release_date":"2026-10-02","image_url":"images\/wishy\/natures-pill\/981406cb-64f3-5f58-bfe3-6b6703c20028.jpg","artist":{"name":"Wishy","slug":"wishy","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/wishy"},"consensus_score":75,"review_count":4},{"position":19,"title":"Cookie 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Water","slug":"they-are-gutting-a-body-of-water","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/they-are-gutting-a-body-of-water"},"consensus_score":73,"review_count":3},{"position":23,"title":"Cancel Me (I'm Tired)","slug":"fat-dog-cancel-me-i-m-tired","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/fat-dog-cancel-me-i-m-tired","release_date":"2026-10-02","image_url":"images\/fat-dog\/cancel-me-im-tired\/7dbe29b7-20da-5859-b8c1-3ebfeb721b96.jpg","artist":{"name":"Fat Dog","slug":"fat-dog","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/fat-dog"},"consensus_score":73,"review_count":4},{"position":24,"title":"Do Not Dare To Dream","slug":"teenage-fanclub-do-not-dare-to-dream","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/teenage-fanclub-do-not-dare-to-dream","release_date":"2026-10-09","image_url":"images\/teenage-fanclub\/do-not-dare-to-dream\/3fb12d87-371f-55b2-9dd4-3b6fa17f4026.jpg","artist":{"name":"Teenage Fanclub","slug":"teenage-fanclub","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/teenage-fanclub"},"consensus_score":72,"review_count":8},{"position":25,"title":"The Age Of Everything","slug":"johnny-marr-the-age-of-everything","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/albums\/johnny-marr-the-age-of-everything","release_date":"2026-10-02","image_url":"images\/johnny-marr\/the-age-of-everything\/53546976-65ec-594f-bcb6-f6bf1a9917d4.jpg","artist":{"name":"Johnny Marr","slug":"johnny-marr","url":"https:\/\/chorus.reviews\/artists\/johnny-marr"},"consensus_score":72,"review_count":6}]},"meta":{"source":"Chorus - Critical Music Consensus","last_updated":"2026-11-02T10:42:33.365367Z"}}