New Album Releases & Arrivals August 21, 2026
Some weeks the racks tell one story. This Friday tells five at once: Weezer's first album in four years, Sam Smith's love letter to New York, a Daptone debut with soul royalty in its bloodline, the Brazilian masterpiece finally rejoining its sequel, and the clown album we told you to reserve back in July, landing at last.
Deeper in, the drop turns gloriously strange: a 66-track Tobacco score in a four-LP box, a debut film composer's synth-dread thriller music on pearlescent red, Japanese fusion cut from the Alfa masters, and three Born Bad compilations of French boogie and punk. New albums, landmark reissues, and the weirdest corners of the wall, all in one Friday.
Here's everything landing August 21, alphabetized so you can find your artist fast. Shop the full August 21, 2026 collection here.
Casiopea - Recorded Live & Best: Early Alfa Years (180g) Vinyl LP
Casiopea's Recorded Live & Best: Early Alfa Years arrives as a 180g double LP pressed in Japan and cut from the Alfa masters, gathering live recordings and key studio cuts from the stretch when Issei Noro, Minoru Mukaiya, Tetsuo Sakurai, and Akira Jimbo were becoming the tightest fusion band on the planet. This is the era that produced Mint Jams, and the interplay still defies physics. Pick up Recorded Live & Best on 180g vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Two 180g LPs cut from the Alfa masters, pressed in Japan
- Live and studio highlights from the classic lineup
- Essential Japanese jazz-fusion, imported
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Rhino Hifi) Vinyl LP
The Rhino High Fidelity pressing of Superfly keeps earning its counter space: Curtis Mayfield's 1972 soul landmark in the audiophile treatment its arrangements deserve, from "Freddie's Dead" through "Pusherman." Order Superfly on Rhino Hifi vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Rhino High Fidelity audiophile pressing of the 1972 landmark
- Includes "Freddie's Dead" and "Pusherman"
- Soul's greatest soundtrack, treated accordingly
Dabeull - Intimate Fonk (2026 Repress) Vinyl LP
Dabeull's Intimate Fonk keeps the late-night corner stocked: the French producer's love letter to 80s boogie and electro-funk, DX7 keys and talkbox intact, repressed for 2026 and imported from France. Grab Intimate Fonk on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- 2026 repress of the modern-funk favorite, imported
- Period-correct boogie built on vintage gear
- For fans of Chromeo, Zapp, and midnight drives
DJ Shadow - The Mountain Will Fall (10 Year Anniversary Edition) Vinyl LP
DJ Shadow's The Mountain Will Fall marks ten years with an anniversary edition via Mass Appeal. The 2016 album paired the sample master with modern firepower, from the Run the Jewels collaboration "Nobody Speak" to the Nils Frahm co-write "Bergschrund," and a decade on it stands among his strongest post-Endtroducing statements. Pick up The Mountain Will Fall anniversary edition on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- 10 year anniversary edition of the 2016 album
- Includes "Nobody Speak" featuring Run the Jewels
- A pairing shelf-mate for last month's Mo' Wax singles box
Foodman - HIKARIGASASHIKOMU Vinyl LP
Foodman's HIKARIGASASHIKOMU lands this Friday on Hyperdub, its title translating as "light shines in." The Japanese experimentalist abstracts footwork, ghetto house, and baile funk into spiraling bursts of color, weaving his own looped vocals and half-remembered children's songs through beats that fracture mid-thought. Introspective and hyperactive at once, from one of electronic music's true originals. Order HIKARIGASASHIKOMU on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- The new album on Hyperdub, out August 21, imported
- Footwork and baile funk refracted into pure color
- Joyful, disorienting, unmistakably Foodman
Insane Clown Posse - The Great Milenko (Creme Soda Clear Color) Vinyl LP
Back in July we said reserve it; this Friday it lands. The Creme Soda Clear indie exclusive pressing of The Great Milenko delivers ICP's 1997 defining record, the one pulled from shelves by its original label within hours and reissued with Alice Cooper, Slash, and Steve Jones aboard. Pick up The Great Milenko on Creme Soda Clear vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Creme Soda Clear pressing only at independent record stores
- Guest turns from Alice Cooper, Slash, and Steve Jones
- One of the most storied releases in 90s hip-hop, finally here
Insane Clown Posse - The Great Milenko Vinyl LP
The standard Psychopathic pressing of The Great Milenko carries the same 1997 dark carnival without the variant premium. "Halls of Illusions" and "Hokus Pokus" built a whole culture; here's the cornerstone. Order The Great Milenko on standard vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Standard pressing of the 1997 landmark, out August 21
- Includes "Halls of Illusions" and "Hokus Pokus"
- The Dark Carnival's foundation stone
Joey Bada$$ - 1999 (2026 Press) Vinyl LP
Joey Bada$$'s 1999 returns in a 2026 pressing, the mixtape that arrived in 2012 sounding like a transmission from the golden era it was named for. A 17-year-old channeling boom bap's spirit alongside Capital STEEZ and the Pro Era crew, "Survival Tactics" and "Waves" still play like prophecy fulfilled. Grab 1999 on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- 2026 pressing of the breakout 2012 mixtape
- Includes "Survival Tactics" and "Waves"
- The record that announced Pro Era to the world
Large Professor - 1st Class Vinyl LP + 7"
Large Professor's 1st Class holds its rack space: the 2002 album as a 2LP with bonus 7", with "Stay Chisel" featuring Nas still the draw and Extra P's beats still the argument. Pick up 1st Class on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- 2LP reissue with bonus 7" of the 2002 album
- Includes "Stay Chisel" featuring Nas
- Foundational Queens production, timeless as ever
Milton Nascimento, Lo Borges - Clube da Esquina Vinyl LP
The original Clube da Esquina arrives at last: the 1972 double album where Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges led the Minas Gerais collective through folk, jazz, psychedelia, and orchestral MPB into one of the greatest records Brazil has ever produced. "Tudo Que Você Podia Ser," "O Trem Azul," "Cais": song after song of impossible beauty, imported via Transoceanica and finally sitting beside its sequel in our racks. Order Clube da Esquina on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- The 1972 Brazilian masterpiece, imported
- Includes "Tudo Que Você Podia Ser" and "O Trem Azul"
- Completes the pair with Clube da Esquina 2 in the racks
Minor Threat - First Two Seven Inches (Clear Color) Vinyl LP
Minor Threat's First Two Seven Inches returns on clear vinyl via Dischord, collecting the 1981 EPs that detonated American hardcore in under twenty minutes. "Straight Edge" named a movement; "Minor Threat" and "Filler" set its tempo. Every punk shelf starts here whether it knows it or not. Grab First Two Seven Inches on clear vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Clear pressing of the 1981 EPs on Dischord
- Includes "Straight Edge" and "Minor Threat"
- The foundation of American hardcore, complete
Open Mike Eagle & Kenny Segal - DOOMED! Vinyl LP
DOOMED! landed Friday and it's everything the twenty-year wait promised: Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal's absurdist black-comedy breakup album, fifteen tracks of heartbreak refracted through every possible universe, with billy woods and Hemlock Ernst aboard. Underground rap's team-up of the year, now in the racks. Pick up DOOMED! on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- The first full OME and Kenny Segal album, out now
- Features billy woods and Hemlock Ernst
- Art rap's sharpest pen over its warmest beats
Phoebe Bridgers - Lost Weekend (Rogue Planet Color) Vinyl LP
Lost Weekend is here, and the Rogue Planet pressing is moving exactly as fast as you'd expect for the first Phoebe Bridgers solo album in six years. Sixteen tracks led by "Lost Boys," closing on the hard-earned catharsis of "Lost Weekend (Reprise)," with Alex G, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus among the contributors. Order Lost Weekend on Rogue Planet vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Rogue Planet pressing of the long-awaited third album
- 16 tracks led by "Lost Boys"
- The solo return, finally on the turntable
Robyn - Complete Body Talk (Coke Bottle Green Color) Vinyl LP
Robyn's Complete Body Talk arrives on coke bottle green vinyl, gathering the full sweep of the 2010 project that redefined pop heartbreak. "Dancing on My Own," "Call Your Girlfriend," and "Hang with Me" taught a generation to cry on the dance floor, and the lesson has never stopped landing. Grab Complete Body Talk on coke bottle green vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Coke bottle green pressing of the complete 2010 project
- Includes "Dancing on My Own" and "Call Your Girlfriend"
- The blueprint for a decade of sad-banger pop
Rock Burwell - Obsession (Original Soundtrack) (Pearlescent Red Color) Vinyl LP
Waxwork presents Rock Burwell's score for Obsession, the composer's feature debut, built in close collaboration with director Curry Barker for a film about getting exactly what you wished for at a sinister price. Atmospheric, synth-driven, and deliberately disorienting, the complete 26-cue score arrives on pearlescent red vinyl in a matte UV gatefold with new Robert Sammelin artwork. Pick up the Obsession soundtrack on pearlescent red vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Complete 26-cue score on pearlescent red Waxwork vinyl
- Synth-dread atmosphere from a striking feature debut
- Deluxe gatefold with new Robert Sammelin artwork
Rolling Stones - Forty Licks (Transparent Yellow, Red, Blue, & Orange Color) Vinyl LP
Forty Licks returns in a four-color transparent edition via Abkco, the 2002 career-spanning collection that put four decades of Stones on one shelf, from "Satisfaction" to the then-new "Don't Stop." With Foreign Tongues still fresh in the racks, this is the origin-story companion. Order Forty Licks on four-color transparent vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Four transparent colors across the career-spanning set
- Forty tracks from "Satisfaction" onward
- The perfect companion to this summer's Foreign Tongues
Sam Smith - Hazel Eyes (Transparent Color) Vinyl LP
Sam Smith's Hazel Eyes arrives this Friday, a fifth album written as a love letter to New York, the city they now call home. Built with longtime collaborator Simon Aldred, it trades recent pop maximalism for vulnerability and quiet self-reflection, led by "My Guy" and the tender "To Be Free." The transparent pressing is exclusive to independent record stores. Grab Hazel Eyes on transparent vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Transparent pressing only at independent record stores
- The fifth album, out August 21, led by "My Guy"
- Smith's most intimate and reflective record yet
She Wants Revenge - She Wants Revenge Vinyl LP
She Wants Revenge's self-titled debut returns via Geffen, the 2006 album that smuggled Joy Division's chill into the mid-2000s dance floor. "Tear You Apart" has outlived every trend that surrounded it, resurfacing generation after generation, and the whole record's deadpan darkwave holds up. Pick up She Wants Revenge on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- The 2006 darkwave debut back in print
- Includes the perennial "Tear You Apart"
- Post-punk revival essential for the new wave shelf
Slick Rick - Behind Bars (180g) Vinyl LP
Slick Rick's Behind Bars returns on 180g via Music On Vinyl, the 1994 album the Ruler made under the hardest circumstances of his career. The title track's weary storytelling ranks with his finest, proof that hip-hop's greatest narrator never lost the thread. An import for the golden-age shelf. Order Behind Bars on 180g vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- 180g import pressing of the 1994 album
- The Ruler's storytelling at its most vivid
- Completes the run for golden-age collectors
Stevie Nicks - Stand Back: 1981-2017 Vinyl LP
Stand Back: 1981-2017 distills Stevie Nicks' solo mythology onto a 180g double LP: "Edge of Seventeen," "Stand Back," the Tom Petty duet "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," and the Don Henley duet "Leather and Lace," rounded out with long-unreleased demos and expanded liner notes. The shawl-twirling canon, in one set. Grab Stand Back on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- 180g double LP spanning the solo career
- Includes "Edge of Seventeen" and both classic duets
- Adds unreleased demos and expanded notes
The Womack Sisters - The Womack Sisters (Indie Exclusive Opaque Purple Color) Vinyl LP
The Womack Sisters' self-titled debut arrives on Daptone, and the opaque purple pressing is the independent record store exclusive. Kucha, Zeimani, and BG Womack grew up on the road behind their parents, formerly Womack & Womack, and this Gabriel Roth-produced debut is what that upbringing sounds like once it finds its own shape: soul lineage honored, then pushed somewhere only these three voices reach. Pick up The Womack Sisters on opaque purple vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Opaque purple pressing only at independent record stores
- Gabriel Roth-produced Daptone debut from soul royalty
- Three-part family harmony you can't manufacture
The Womack Sisters - The Womack Sisters (self-titled) Vinyl LP
The standard pressing of The Womack Sisters delivers the Daptone debut in classic black, unipack gatefold with full lyrics and a download card included. A family legacy stretching through Womack & Womack, carried forward in real time. Order The Womack Sisters on standard vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Standard pressing of the Daptone debut, out August 21
- Gatefold with full lyrics and download card
- Modern soul with generations behind it
Tobacco - High on Life 2 (Original Soundtrack) (Box Set) Vinyl LP
Tobacco's High on Life 2 score arrives as a four-LP box set via Rad Cult: 66 tracks of woozy tape loops, blown-out drum machines, and melted melodies from the Black Moth Super Rainbow mastermind, spread across red-and-yellow and blue-and-purple swirl vinyl in a deluxe slipcase. A game soundtrack that plays like a full psychedelic head trip. Grab the High on Life 2 box set.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- 66-track score across four swirl-color LPs
- Deluxe slipcase from Tobacco's own Rad Cult label
- Analog psychedelia for synth freaks and VGM heads alike
Twenty One Pilots - More Than We Ever Imagined (Live In Mexico City) (Red Color) Vinyl LP
More Than We Ever Imagined captures Twenty One Pilots across two nights at Mexico City's Palacio de los Deportes, where the crowd sings so much back that the record becomes a duet with twenty thousand people. Clancy material and deep cuts across two red LPs, with Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun leaning all the way into the theater of it. Pick up More Than We Ever Imagined on red vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Two red LPs recorded live in Mexico City
- Clancy-era set with deep catalog cuts
- The loudest crowd on any live album this year
Various - Chebran Volume 2: French Boogie 1979-1982 Vinyl LP
Chebran Volume 2 digs further into French boogie's golden hour, Born Bad's second excavation of 1979-1982 synth-funk oddities that sound like Paris trying to out-groove New York and occasionally succeeding. Imported, compiled with love, and guaranteed to fill a floor. Order Chebran Volume 2 on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Born Bad's second French boogie excavation, imported
- Synth-funk rarities from 1979-1982
- DJ ammunition and living-room joy alike
Various - Chebran: French Boogie 1980-1985 Vinyl LP
The original Chebran started it all: Born Bad's survey of French boogie 1980-1985, where disco's afterglow met drum machines and Parisian cool. Pair it with Volume 2 and the Dabeull repress for a complete French funk lineage in one trip. Grab Chebran on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- The original French boogie compilation, imported
- Disco-to-drum-machine transition years, lovingly curated
- Completes the Chebran pair
Various - Empire Records (Soundtrack) Vinyl LP
The Empire Records soundtrack returns on vinyl, the 1995 time capsule from the movie every record store employee secretly measures their shift against. Gin Blossoms' "Til I Hear It from You" and Edwyn Collins' "A Girl Like You" anchor an alt-rock lineup that outgrew the box office. Damn the man; save the Empire. Pick up the Empire Records soundtrack on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- The 1995 soundtrack back on vinyl
- Includes "Til I Hear It from You" and "A Girl Like You"
- Mandatory hardware for record store loyalists
Various - In Reggae Time (Picture Disc) Vinyl LP
In Reggae Time keeps spinning heads at the listening station: Cinedelic's picture-disc snapshot of 1960s Jamaican ska and rocksteady colliding with British R&B and northern soul floors. Sound-system history you can watch rotate. Order In Reggae Time on picture disc.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Picture disc of 1960s UK reggae and soul crossover
- Ska, rocksteady, and northern soul on one plate
- An import that plays as good as it looks
Various - Paink: French Punk Anthems 1975-1982 Vinyl LP
Paink rounds out the Born Bad trio: French punk anthems 1975-1982, snotty, wired, and gloriously unbothered by English-language convention. The Chebran comps' leather-jacketed sibling, imported and essential for the punk shelf's international wing. Grab Paink on vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Born Bad's French punk excavation, imported
- Wired 1975-1982 anthems beyond the English canon
- Pairs with Minor Threat for a Friday of pure attitude
Weezer - Gold Album (Gold Color) Vinyl LP
Weezer close the drop with their first album in four years: the seventh self-titled record, already nicknamed the Gold Album, here on gold vinyl as an indie exclusive. Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson wrote together the way they did on the debut, producers Klas Ahlund and Kenneth Blume promise the most violent Weezer album yet, and the singles "Shine Again" and "We Might as Well Be Strangers" with Wednesday's Karly Hartzman deliver crunch and hooks in equal measure. Order the Gold Album on gold vinyl.
Why it's worth purchasing:
- Gold pressing only available at independent record stores
- The first Weezer album in four years, out August 21
- Includes "Shine Again" and the Karly Hartzman collaboration
That's the drop: two long-awaited returns, soul royalty's next generation, Brazil's masterpiece made whole, and the strangest boxes on the wall. Come flip through it all at 4 Thacher St in the North End, or shop the full August 21, 2026 collection online. Four or more new albums takes 10% off automatically at checkout.
It's all in GOOD TASTE.
