I listen primarily to punk, with my preferred subgenre being street punk. Speed rock, garage, skate punk, hardcore, pop punk, oi!, ska, grindcore, crust punk, mincecore, psychobilly and even rockabilly fit the bill if done right. If I can catch a live show, it gives the release an edge. Here are a few releases from 2026 that I recommend you check out. These are in no particular order; however, I’m only reviewing releases that are in contention for the best release of the year. If I’m reviewing it, I liked it. When the New Year rolls around, I’ll put them in order and do a final article of the best of the best. Drop a comment at the bottom if there is a 2026 release you think I should check out; I most definitely will.
Another hardcore banger from Detroit's Plan III. This has the short, fast, screaming energy of hardcore bands like Negative Approach and Poison Idea, while also incorporating the best of dirty rock-n-roll bands like The Hookers and The Dirtys. They released "It's (Not) A Cult" as a 10-song EP on Bandcamp as well as a full 20-song LP/CD "We The Poors" a few days later at their record release party at Flipside Records in Ferndale, MI. "That's Life", "Bad Rockin' Tonight", "You Ain't Shit", and "One More Beer" are all standouts, although there isn't a bad song here (and I'm not just saying that because they thanked me in the liner notes). This is the same band, led by vocalist Johnny Bourbon, that put out the "Wood Alcohol Is Not For Drinking" EP back in 1998 (also produced by Jim Diamond), and they are back with a vengeance. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this one, 28+ years later, is better. The CD is lacking metadata, but they made up for that by having the lyrics in the insert. What the Hell were they doing all those years with no releases (maybe the song "Greg's In The Clink" partially answers that)? While I look into it, the word is that a mini-tour of the Midwest is in the near future, so catch them quickly before they disappear again. I'd also highly recommend that you check out the other bands on Proudhouse Records, at least a few of them are going to be in my countdown of the top records of the year.
Self-described as punk/sludge/noise, they definitely have all three sounds, and I can tell you from experience that they are intense. A couple of weeks ago I caught their CD release party at Flipside Records in Ferndale, MI (also the record release party for Plan III's "We The Poors" CD), and it was an incredible set (singer Jake also came out and sang "Awake In A Nightmare" with Plan III). Normally I prefer my punk rock fast and crazy, but the slower, intense bands that really bring it (like Stubborn Assholes) are right up there. This brings me back to the classic EP by The Fuck-Ups ("FU82 EP"), a classic in my book, and they have the intensity of other local bands like EKG and M.D.O.P. The scene in Detroit is crazy good right now, and this is another feather in our cap. Most of the songs are right around 2 minutes with plenty of screaming and drug references, and just enough catchiness to scream along. "Anger Mismanagement" was my overall favorite, along with "Victim," which is technically a Grayling cover (Dave Bingham's prior band with Shawn Gryzb, R.I.P., ex-Michael Knight). The CD title comes from the final song, "Distortion Dealer," which is a bit long but worth a listen.
This is not the Michigan/Ohio beatdown hardcore band; this is the Concrete Teeth on Plague Noise Records out of Uruguay. "First EP. Three songs. No filler, no mercy. Raw punk built for confrontation. " That was from their Bandcamp page, and it's a perfect description. My take was that this might appeal more to fans of speed rock than hardcore, but I'm all about hardcore, and I liked it a lot. That being said, I'm not a fan of AI being used in punk, and it's a hard distinction to make these days. I hate to say it, but bands need to have a disclaimer. I assume this is a real band and that the video is just AI-enhanced (with some real people included, possibly the band members). It could be all AI, even the music; it's hard to tell. If you know, reach out and I'll amend this review. For now, I like it, but I need more info before they truly get the thumbs up (I only listen to, and review, real bands).
Oust's "Rather Be A Fuck Up" EP was one of my favorite EPs of 2025, and "Rather Be A Fuck Up Than A Fascist" still gets occasional play a year later. I was glad to see a new EP for 2026, and immediately added it to my review pile. Crazy screaming female vocals, with a sound very similar to their previous EP (and that's not a bad thing). The cool silkscreened sleeve makes me wish I still collected vinyl, and the breakdowns in this one make me think they could hold their own with some of my favorite beat-down hardcore bands. Fans of their prior EP, Slutbomb, Anklebiter, G.L.O.S.S., Bad Egg will want to pick this up right away (vinyl limited to just 525 copies).
The Unseen started back in 1993, and are one of the reasons that street punk is my top punk rock genre. I caught their show in Detroit in 2004 at The Shelter, touring "Explode" (their 4th album) and they were amazing. I was excited to see that they are still recording and that singer Mark Unseen still has his trademark mohawk. Both of the originals are great, and bring me right back to their earlier classics. They also add their cover of Social Distortion's "Down On The World Again" (their contribution to a recent tribute album). What I'm really hoping for is a tour, so I get the chance to see them live again. Fans of The Casualties, The Exploited, A Global Threat, The Virus, Defiance.
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