A short film (8 minutes 43 seconds) from genius Damon Albarn & Gorillaz, The Mountain, The Moon Cave and The Sad God, to promote their fantastic new album The Mountain.

ThisSmallPlanet.com Cool New Music Spring Playlist March & April 2026

Updated February 28, 2026

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Cool New Albums

Gorillaz. The Mountain. Damon Albarn and numerous outstanding guests including Sparks, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Johnny Marr, Paul Simonon, Anoushka Shankar, Tony Allen, and Idles. It’s Damon’s gap year album. wherein he went to India to help process his father’s recent passing. Musical wafts of cool air from India and other points East are all over the album, made to feel most welcome there.

Neba Solo & Benego Diakité. A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking. Extraordinary! A modern take on traditional music from Mali.

Buck Meek. The Mirror. Solo effort from Big Thief’s guitarist who invites us to join him while he explores new territory.

Iron & Wine. Here’s Teeth. Good ol’ Sam Beam comes through again, with some familiar themes and some fresh departures.

Geese. Live at Third Man Records. Vinyl only for now, but I’m hoping a digital version emerges in time.

Paul McCartney. Man On The Run. (Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack).

Cool New Singles

(with links to YouTube)

Some of these were featured previously in the January/February 2026 Playlist but are still on Heavy Rotation and so are included here…

Anna Calvi. “God’s Lonely Man” (feat Iggy Pop).

Arctic Monkeys. “Opening Night”. First new song since 2022. From the Help(2) benefit album. Pre-Order Here.

Billy Bragg. “City Of Heroes”. Tribute to Minneapolis anti-ICE protests.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy“. “They Keep Trying To Find You“ & “Hey Little”.

Bruce Springsteen. “Streets of Minneapolis”. Anti-ICE song.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium - “WAP (What a Predicament)”. Les Claypool is friends with Sean Lennon.

Courtney Barnett. “Site Unseen” (feat Waxahatchee) & “Sugar Plum”. & “Mantis”

Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Grian Chatten (Fontaines D.C.) & Kae Tempest: “Flags”.

Father John Misty. “The Old Law“.

Flea. “Traffic Lights” (feat Thom Yorke) & “Thinking Bout You”. Solo jazz album from the renowned bassist from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, here on trumpet, bass, and vocals.

Gogol Bordello. “Hater Liquidator“ & “Ignition“ & “We Mean It, Man!”.

Good Day Father. “Sonic Amadea” feat Brian Futter (Catherine Wheel) and Tanya Donelly (Belly).

Gorillaz.”The Hardest Thing/Orange County” (feat Tony Allen & Anoushka Shankar) & “Orange County” (live on The Graham Norton Show)

Grian Chatten. “Puppet”. from Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)

Hiss Golden Messenger. “In The Middle Of It”.

José González. “A Perfect Storm”.

Kevin Morby. “Javelin”.

Kim Gordon. “Dirty Tech”.

Kneecap. “Smugglers & Scholars”.

Lana del Rey. “White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter”

Neil Young. “Big Crime”. Anti-Trump song.

Snail Mail. “Dead End” & “My Maker”.

Sugar. “Long Live Love”. Bob Mould (Husker Du) & Friends revive their 1990s vehicle and take us for a cool ride on a hot day. They released “House Of Dead Memories” in October 2025, their first new song in 30 years. Good excuse to check out Sugar’s 1990s releases again: Copper Blue (1992), Beaster (EP - 1993), and File Under: Easy Listening(1994), and while you’re at it, some Bob Mould solo work and, of course, Husker Du, starting with their singles “Makes No Sense At All” & “Eight Miles High”(Byrds cover).

Tinariwen. “Sagherat Assani” (feat Sulafa Elyas) & “Imidiwan Takyadam” (feat. José González)

Ultrabomb. “Checked Out” & “Look Forward In Anger”. Minneapolis punk supergroup Ultrabomb is: Greg Norton (Husker Du), Derek O’Brien (Social Distortion & Agent Orange), and Ryan Smith (Soul Asylum).

Highly Anticipated Cool New Releases

Various Artists. HELP(2). [War Child Records]. March 6, 2026. Incredible benefit album for War Child UK (which advocates for former child soldiers) feat Anna Calvi, Arctic Monkeys, Arlo Parks, Bat For Lashes, Beck, Beth Gibbons, Big Thief, Black Country/New Road, Cameron Winter, Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Depeche Mode, Ezra Collective, Foals, Fontaines D.C., Graham Coxon (Pulp), Grian Chatten (Fontaines D.C.), King Krule, Olivia Rodrigo, Pulp, Wet Leg and more. Pre-order here.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy. We Are Together Again [Domino/No Quarter]. March 6, 2026.

Tinariwen. Hoggar. [Wedge]. March 13, 2026.

Kim Gordon. Play Me [Matador]. March 13, 2026.

PUP. Megacity Madness (The Official Live Recordings) [Little Dipper/Rise]. March 13, 2026.

Anna Calvi. Is This All There Is? (EP) [Domino]. March 20, 2026.

Various Artists. Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Soundtrack from the Netflix Film. Feat Grian Chatten (Fontaines D.C.), Amyl And The Sniffers, and Nick Cave.

Courtney Barnett. Creature Of Habit. [Mom+Pop Music]. March 27, 2026. All Hail The Rock Queen! A Return To Form… (Thankfully).

José González. Against the Dying of the Light. [Mute]. March 27, 2026.

Snail Mail. Ricochet [Matador]. March 27, 2026.

Flea. Honora [Nonesuch]. March 27, 2026.

King Tuff. Moo [MUP Records/Thirty Tigers]. March 27, 2026.

Kneecap. Fenian. [Heavenly Recordings]. April 24, 2026.

Friko. Something Worth Waiting For. [ATO Records]. April 24, 2026.

White Fence. Orange. [Drag City]. April 24, 2026.

Hiss Golden Messenger. I’m People. [Chrysalis]. May 1, 2026.

UltraBomb. The Bridges That We Burn. [DC-Jam]. May 1, 2026. Minneapolis punk supergroup Ultrabomb is: Greg Norton (Husker Du), Derek O’Brien (Social Distortion & Agent Orange), and Ryan Smith (Soul Asylum).

Kevin Morby. Little Wide Open. [Dead Oceans]. May 15, 2026.

Lana Del Rey. Stove. (Previously rumored titles: Classic, The Right Person Will Stay, and Lasso) [Interscope]. Her country album? That’s what they say... Release Date: Delayed; To Be Announced.