The Swim Team’s Favorites of September 2026

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There’s new music coming out constantly, and oftentimes it can feel hard to keep up. Part of this is the constant swirl of social media and how fast everything moves, but it’s also a byproduct of how streaming platforms like Spotify are set up. If you’ve ever found yourself surprised to learn that your favorite band released a new song months ago, that’s kind of by design. Maybe there’s a record that you had on repeat earlier in the year but were only reminded of its existence because you scrolled deep enough back in your own library. These services would much rather keep you in their playlists and algorithmically generated radio stations than have you seek something out and make an intentional choice about what you listen to. 

Once you factor in all the other forms of entertainment vying for your attention, it can feel like an insurmountable task trying to stay up to date with any of it. I don’t wanna be “old man yells at cloud,” but part of me can’t help but think it was better when you’d get a CD or buy an album on iTunes and listen to it for weeks at a time. 

While most of us here at Swim Into The Sound spend a fair amount of time returning to old faves and digging into backlog blind spots, we’re also music nerds who love keeping up with the latest stuff and getting into needless debates over the buzzy band of the moment. Each month, The Swim Team will round up our favorite albums and songs in hopes of helping you keep up to date, see what you may have missed, or find something new you might love. 

If you find yourself wishing “I wish I were better at keeping up with new music,” this list is for you. If you find yourself overwhelmed when you open up your streaming service of choice, this list is for you. If you find yourself valuing actual human recommendations over whatever the streaming powers that be have elevated to the top, this list is for you. Fuck your algorithm, find something new. 

Records We Dug

  • Anthrax - Cursum Perficio (Logan’s Pick)

  • Arab Strap - Half-Told Tales (Review)

  • Babehoven - I see them, I see me

  • Bay Faction - Bay Faction (Acoustic)

  • Big Flowers, shemar - i love nature!

  • Carly Rae Jepsen - Day and Night

  • Celebration Guns - What Keeps Us Coming Back

  • Chat Pile - Who Loves The Sun (J.P.’s Pick)

  • Dogs on Shady Lane - Knots 

  • Gilla Band - Pugnello (Lillian’s Pick)

  • Godflesh - Decay

  • Harrison Gordon - BLISS (Review)

  • Hannah Cole - Switchbacks

  • hey, i’m outside - Loud Ass Barking Dogs (Taylor’s Pick)

  • Jawdropped - Secrets to Spare

  • Julia Jacklin - The Gem (Doyle’s Pick)

  • King's Evil - King's Evil

  • Lande Hekt - Threadbare

  • Lily Seabird - Lightspheres on Their Way

  • Microwave, Puddle Splasher - Step Inside

  • Neil Young - Second Song

  • Orville Peck - Mule

  • Otis Shanty - Shadow Of Doubt (Review)

  • Perennial - Modernism

  • Personal Trainer - Human Assholes

  • The Pink Tax - BIG MOUTH

  • A Place for Owls, All Thieves - All Thieves, Vol. 1

  • Pretty Sick - Anarchy (Braden’s Pick)

  • Scarves - Strays Forever

  • Sharp Pins - Mod Mayday 23

  • Short Fictions, Kwarter Zip, Lofting, Be Safe - Four Way Split

  • Slothrust - What We Grow In The Garden (Review)

  • Slow Pulp - Melodie

  • Smidley - Murphy Horse

  • Surgeon General - Don’t Mind The Body

  • tenmonthsummer - midwestern haikus (Review)

  • They Are Gutting A Body of Water - kool marder

  • This Is Lorelei - The Singer In My Band

  • Tinashe - Popstar

  • The Tubs - Hard Life (Review)

  • Wrong Man - Here’s That Feeling (Britta’s Pick)

  • Your Old Droog - Bread & Butter (Review)

Songs We Loved

  • 2hollis - “Warhorse”

  • Anamanaguchi - “Yeah I Guess”

  • Anxious - “Secret Weapon”

  • Armlock - “Half Time”

  • Brutalismus 3000 - “Drop Your Spirit”

  • Cameron Knowler - “Skipping Town”

  • Career Day - “Missed Alarms”

  • Careful Gaze - “SHALLOWS” (Noëlle’s Pick)

  • Caroline Rose - “Calm”

  • Charlie Kaplan - “Failed”

  • Chastity Belt - “I Could Say Less”

  • Dazy - “Ugly”

  • Deafheaven - “Punk Rock / Cody - 2026 Mix”

  • DIIV - “Kid”

  • Dosser - “Born For Nothing/Born By Mistake”

  • Emma Ogier - “Keep You”

  • Father John Misty - “The X-panded Universe”

  • Genital Shame - “Down Titration Strategy”

  • Gilla Band - “Jacobsons” (Lillian’s Pick)

  • Gollylagging - “Red Rish”

  • Greg Freeman - “Losers Prize”

  • Growing Pains - “Bottle Rocket”

  • Hell - “Shame”

  • Hello Shark - “The River”

  • Holidays in United States - “Girl Problems” (Brandon’s Pick)

  • Holidays in United States - “sybau” (Caroline’s Pick)

  • Holy Motors - “God Is A Feeling”

  • Kevin Morby - “PBJ”

  • Lily Konisberg - “Free Byrd”

  • Lily Seabird - “Lightspheres on Their Way”

  • Lowertown - “Forgive Yourself”

  • Moosecreek Park - “Stay Awhile”

  • Oso Oso - “Know You Know Me Better”

  • Pet Fox - “Avoidant”

  • Perfume Genius - “Natural High”

  • Phoebe Bridgers - “On Video”

  • PISS - “time loop at hot slit”

  • Raffaella - “Courtney”

  • Rosetta Stone & Thunder Bae - "Incubus Succubus”

  • Sadurn - “can’t stop”

  • Sean Solomon - “Finish Line - VHS Version”

  • Searows - “Blood Bank”

  • Soccer Mommy - “Rings of Saturn”

  • Soft Kill - “Dark Alley Thug”

  • Spanish Love Songs - “Good American”

  • Soul Glo - “February Theory”

  • Teenage Fanclub - “Be With You Tonight”

  • Toner - “Cleo”

  • Tummyache - “Porcelain Dish” 

  • Twisted Teens - “When We First Met”

  • Vulfpeck - “The Beachcomber”

  • Wagging - “Big Shadows”

  • wakelee - “Statue”

  • The War on Drugs - “Who’s That”

  • Wednesday - “June 2 (Early Version)”

  • Wishy - “Mona Lisa” 

  • With Sails Ahead - “Another Glance” (Ciara's Pick)

  • Young Jesus - “The Devil”

Deluxe Edition Corner

  • Colin Miller - Haw Creek Deluxe

  • Friko - Something Worth Waiting For (Expanded Edition)

  • Militarie Gun - God Save The Gun (Deluxe)

  • Ratboys - Singin’ To An Empty Chair (Deluxe)

  • Wednesday - Bleeds (Deluxe)