February 2026 marked a vibrant period for music enthusiasts, with a series of significant new album releases across several Fridays. Highlights included the much-anticipated return of electronic music icons Boards of Canada, the first LP in over a decade from R&B star Jill Scott, and new offerings from artists such as WILLOW, Brent Faiyaz, and Ratboys.
On Friday, February 20, electronic music icons Boards of Canada, the Scottish sibling duo of Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin, unveiled their first LP since 2013, released via Warp Records. This date also saw new music from WILLOW, Altin Gün, and an intriguing project from Fugazi alumni, described as smashing punk into jazz. NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson, joined by Evan Miller from WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio, discussed these and other favorite albums released that day.
The preceding Friday, February 13, brought notable releases from August Ponthier and Brent Faiyaz. Critically, this day also marked the release of Jill Scott’s first album in more than a decade. Stephen Thompson of NPR Music was joined by Nastia Voynovskaya from KQED in San Francisco to chat about their top album picks from this week.
Earlier in the month, on Friday, February 6, new music arrived from Ratboys, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, and Caribou’s club alter-ego. Stephen Thompson from NPR Music, alongside Erin Wolf from Radio Milwaukee, shared their favorite new albums that debuted on this date.
Additional artists with new releases included Dua Saleh (Ghostly International), American Football (Alexa Viscius/Polyvinyl), Ella Langley (Columbia Records), Luke Combs (Robby Klein/Sony Nashville), and Sturgill Simpson (Frazer Harrison/Getty). WILLOW’s release was noted under Five Towers/Three Six Zero, while Brent Faiyaz’s was courtesy of the artist, with Mark Peaced.
