Here’s why I listened to a new album every day for a month (MWE26) As part of MWE 2026, I listened to a new album every day of February. Here’s why.

An album a day keeps the keeps the blues away

quasistellar.space/2026/03/27/h...

#MWE #MWE26 #MWE2026 #queerwritere #musicjournalism #hemlockesprings #kerokerobonito

The album cover for Nothing's About to Happen to Me by Mitski. It shows a painting of a white cat with heterochromatic yellow and blue eyes and a neutral expression in front of yellow wallpaper.

Day 28: Nothing's About to Happen to Me by Mitski. A natural evolution from her last album, yet a different, darker beast. As beautiful as you'd expect from her, with some truly mesmerising moments that stop you in your tracks. Fave song: In A Lake #MWE #Mitski #MWE2026

The album cover for Fear of the Black Doll by Chloe Hotline. It's a grainy photograph of the artist standing in an empty room wearing a long dress. Behind her stands a grandfather clock, in front of her kneels a figure facing away from the camera.

Day 27: Fear of the Black Doll by Chloe Hotline. Not a single second is wasted in this mixtape. A whirlwind of bounce, rap, and anthemic choruses that ends leaving you wanting more. Bring on the album that's coming this year. Fave song: Fallbaque #MWE #ChloeHotline #MWE2026

The album cover for Lost Corner by Kenshi Yonezu. It shows the artist sat in front of a pinkish background, smiling. Behind him, a left arrow sign can be seen, and in the foreground, the album title is shown in yellow serif font.

Day 26: Lost Corner by Kenshi Yonezu. One of the most incredible pop songwriters about, Lost Corner acts as a portfolio of sorts for his talents. He can do it all, blending UK garage with vocal group balladry, and makes it look easy. Fave song: Kick Back #KenshiYonezu #MWE #MWE2026

The cover art for Earth to Ursa Major by Jordaan Mason. It shows the artist reclining on a blue canvas, upon which the Ursa Major constellation is sewn with red thread and blue stars. They wear black starry leggings and socks marked with constellations.

Day 25: Earth to Ursa Major by Jordaan Mason. In a word: devastating. In a few more: one of the most emotionally raw albums I've heard in a long time. Unlike anything else. Listening is like drifting into space untethered. Fave song: it does not get better (reprise) #MWE #JordaanMason #MWE2026

The album cover for My Ghosts Go Ghost by By Storm. It features 10 white rings on a black background. An upside down "y" is near the top, and a "y" is near the bottom, both in cursive font.

Day 24: My Ghosts Go Ghost by By Storm. Uncompromising, unstoppable, disorienting, disarming, and absolutely gripping. Some of the most truly out-there production and arrangements I've heard in a long time, and crushing lyrics. Will continue to haunt me. Fave song: Dead Weight #MWE #ByStorm #MWE2026

The album cover for Megan by Megan Thee Stallion. It shows the artist crawling out of a hatched egg, in a pool of orange fluid. The bottom half of the cover shows her reflection against a white background.

Day 23: Megan by Megan Thee Stallion. Being independent suits her. A sprawling work that dips into various waters, with occasionally perfect results. Her voice and lyrics remain as impeccable as ever through it all. Fave song: Hiss. #MeganTheeStallion #MWE #MWE2026

The album cover for Queen Of Hearts by Zolita. It's a close-up photograph of the artist under dark red lighting, with the centre of her face illuminated by a heart shape.

Day 22: Queen of Hearts by Zolita. Reminiscent of some of the best bits of Chappell and Rina, yet her own beast - pop with a punch that draws you in with the sticky hooks only to hit you with an emotional dropkick in the last two songs. Fave song: Grown Up #Zolita #MWE #MWE2026

The album cover for Dance Arts Center Presents by Dance Arts Center. It's a close up of a person's face at a 90° angle. They wear smudged eyeshadow and red lipstick.

Day 21: Dance Arts Center Presents by Dance Arts Center. Theatrical house music? Don't mind if I do. Incredibly intimate, catchy as hell, and perhaps above all, absolutely bangs. Fave song: phone games #MWE #DanceArtsCenter #MWE2026

Day 20: Flower Moth Tarot by Trees and Flowers & Pure Mothman. A pristine album. Beautifully constructed art-pop with harmonies that Brian Wilson would have been proud of. FFO lushly arranged lofi instant classics. Fave song: The Devil. #TreesAndFlowers #PureMothman #MWE #MWE2026

Day 20: Flower Moth Tarot by Trees and Flowers & Pure Mothman. A pristine album. Beautifully constructed art-pop with harmonies that Brian Wilson would have been proud of. FFO lushly arranged lofi instant classics. Fave song: The Devil. #TreesAndFlowers #PureMothman #MWE #MWE2026

The album cover for StarX Lover by Dreamer Isioma. It shows the artist stood facing the camera. The exposure highlights his braids, necklace, and shirt collar. They're stood in front of a sun-like object with light poking through.

Day 19: StarX Lover by Dreamer Isioma. A constantly-shifting avant-garde pop enigma. Incredible songwriting and production, with visceral lyrics and a cinematic scope. Amazing album cover, too. Fave song: Dream Chasing. #MWE #MWE2026 #DreamerIsioma

The album cover for Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?! by McKinley Dixon. It features an illustration of a figure in a red room. The figure is slightly turned toward the camera with a raised hand, with a halo above their head.

Day 18: Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?! by McKinley Dixon. Unreal album. One listen wasn't enough, I'm blown away. Truly one of the most exciting artists there is right now. Listen to this. Fave song: Live! From the Kitchen Table #MWE #McKinleyDixon #MWE2026

The album cover for Haitian Folk Songs by Lolita Cuevas and Frantz Casseus. It has the title and artists written on the right side, while in the top left, Cuevas can be seen singing. The image is a monochrome purple and white.

Day 17: Haitian Folk Songs by Lolita Cuevas and Frantz Casseus. Absolutely stunning listen. Cuevas' voice sounds otherworldly, and Casseus' guitar is spellbinding. Fave song: Haiti. #MWE #MWE2026 #FrantzCasseus #LolitaCuevas

The album cover for Man Bites Dog by Femtanyl. It shows an illustration of a field, centred on a silhouette of an anthropomorphic feline. Emerging from them is a plume of flame, spelling out stylised lettering in the dark sky.

Day 16: Man Bites Dog by Femtanyl. Chaotic and all- encompassing, it demands your attention and rewards it with some of the most exciting EDM I've heard in a while. The opening three songs are especially phenomenal. Fave song: SICK OF IT. #MWE #Femtanyl #MWE2026

The album cover for Gymnastics by Sneaks. It is a monochrome black and blue photo of the artist stood in a stairwell.

Day 15: Gymnastics by Sneaks. As minimal as a skeleton, the bass lines make me feel like unearthed an old Breeders demo. Sharp as a razor, over and done with quick enough to leave you wanting more. Will be listening again tomorrow for sure. Fave song: Red. #MWE #MWE2026 #Sneaks #MWE26

The album cover for Gay Story by In Love With A Ghost. It features an illustration of four figures reclining. One wears a yellow pointy hat and a big scarf, one is smoking while wearing a blue jumper, one wears yellow dungarees and a pink baseball cap, and one has long pink hair and is curled up wearing a witch's hat.

Day 14: Gay Story by In Love With A Ghost. Simply stunning music. Ethereal and entrancing while remaining unpredictable in its beautiful arrangements, it may be my favourite of ILWAG's releases. Fave song: feeling empty because there's no more spaghetti #MWE #InLoveWithAGhost #MWE2026 #MWE26

The album cover for the Apple Tree Under the Sea by Hemlocke Springs. It shows a painting of Hemlocke Springs in a fantastical scene, holding out a hand. A shiny red apple levitates above her hand. Her long pink and blue hair blends into the scenery.

Day 13: the Apple Tree Under the Sea by Hemlocke Springs. I love weird pop music so much. A perfect love potion of emo rock and synthpop, equal parts My Chem and Chappell, yet completely unique. I dare you to find anyone doing it like Hemlocke. Fave song: w-w-w-w-w #HemlockeSprings #MWE2026 #MWE26

The cover for Romanian Names by John Vanderslice. It shows three buildings: one white, one pale brick, one yellow, in front of a blue sky.

Day 12: Romanian Names by John Vanderslice. Beautifully understated folk, almost proto-Perfume Genius in places. The Garfunkel-esque harmonies did a lot for me, and the title track is so pretty. Fave song: Sunken Union Boat #MWE #MWE2026 #JohnVanderslice

The album cover for Gaucho by Steely Dan. It shows a golden-framed painting on a grey wall. The painting has a turquoise backdrop, and depicts two figures dancing. One figure wears a ruffled blue dress and faces away from the camera. The other figure wears an all-black boiler suit and wearing a black hat, and has a thick black moustache. To the right of the painting, text reads "steely dan Gaucho"

Day 11: Gaucho by Steely Dan. It's hard not to love the Dan. As my second album of theirs, it's a different beast from Aja for sure: moodier, tenser, more ominous. Some of the guitar work is sensational, and that closing number is haunting. Fave song: Gaucho #MWE #SteelyDan #MWE2026

The album cover for White by RAY. It depicts a white flower facing downwards.

Day 10: White by RAY. Melodic proggy shoegaze heaven. I love how unpredictable a listen this was, with trance breakdowns and slick hooks hiding around every corner. A must-listen for anyone into guitar music. Fave song: Seizo No Yozora. #RAY #MWE2026 #MWE

The album cover for Drive Home by Portraits of Tracy. It shows a field of red flowers at sunset. Silhouettes of two figures can be seen, and a flock of birds are flying through the sky.

Day 9: Drive Home by Portraits of Tracy. If there was a Best Cinematography award for albums, this would win. A stunning smorgasbord of ethereal textures and gripping storytelling, truly a one-of-a-kind album. Fave song: The Afterparty. #MWE2026 #MWE #PortraitsOfTracy #MWE26

The album cover for Donuts by J Dilla. It shows J Dilla smiling and looking downwards, his eyes covered by the brim of his black baseball cap. Text at the top reads "J Dilla Jay Dee Donuts" in block capitals.

Day 8: Donuts by J Dilla. One listen and it's obvious how much of Dilla's DNA is in uncountable pockets of music I love. An incredible suite of constantly shifting landscapes - I can't wait to dive back in and see what I discover next. Fave song: Last Donut of the Night #MWE #MWE2026 #JDilla #MWE26

A bright pink square with a white text bubble on it saying Kero Kero Bonito!! in black katakana text.

Day 7: Intro Bonito by Kero Kero Bonito. Beneath the joke tracks and skits, there's a sincere heart. The last three songs in particular stand out as more reflective of the slicker pop auteurs they'd become. Fave song: Small Town
#MWE #MWE2026 #MWE26 #KeroKetoBonito

The album cover for Purple by Baroness. It shows a painting of four long-haired figures surrounded by purple flowers, birds, and wolves in front of a full moon.

Day 6: Purple by Baroness. Heavy as hell with sword-sharp songwriting. I've meant to listen to #Baroness for years, and this doesn't disappoint. The atmospheric, almost shoegazey passages are stunning, and the performances are breathtaking. Fave song: Chlorine & Wine #MWE #MWE2026 #MWE26

The album cover for Humble as the Sun by Bob Vylan. The album cover shows Bobby Vylan, the band's singer, smiling and wearing a blue jumper in front of a blue sky. A sun-shaped pattern is shown around his head.

Day 5: Humble as the Sun by Bob Vylan. Bob Vylan's evolution is a wonderful thing to witness. Incredibly vital and powerful record that what a "punk" album should be and shatters all competition in the genre. Fave song: Humble as the Sun. #MWE #MWE2026 #MWE26 #BobVylan

The cover for Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny. It shows two white plastic chairs places in front of some banana trees on a patchy grassy lawn.

Day 4: Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny. A worthy Grammy-winner for sure - it's amazing seeing such a daring, anti-commercial album get its flowers. Beautiful lyrics, fantastic voice, and such a strong artistic world. Fave song: El Clúb #MWE #MWE26 #MWE2026 #BadBunny

The album cover for Niagara by redveil. It features a yellow-tinted photo of someone washing their hands. In the top-right corner, a blue-tinted photo of redveil is shown, smiling and holding a red bird.

Day 3: Niagara by redveil. Absolutely phenomenal album, dazzled me with how innovative and exhilirating it sounds... and then I learned he made it at 16?! Unreal. Great listen. At once exciting and soothing. Fave song: Campbell #MWE #MWE2026 #redveil

The album cover for Orange by Fishmans. It shows a highly saturated photo of the band members posing in front of a block

Day 2: Orange by Fishmans. The only problem with #MWE being in February is some albums feel perfect for summer. Like this album, a timeless listen that's stunningly produced. Will go platinum in the car come July. Fave song: Wasurechau Hitotoki #MWE2026 #Fishmans

#MWE

It's that time of year again! Time to listen to an album every day this month and review it in one post! And this time, I'm finally going to finally do it: DOUBLE MWE!

I'll be posting 28 albums in this thread, and 28 different ones on Mastodon! This is your #MWE2026 thread!

The cover of Flowers For Vases / Descansos by Hayley Williams. It shows a figure reclining in a red and grey haze.

Day 1: FLOWERS for VASES / descansos by Hayley Williams. Sonically distant from last year’s Ego Death; a leaner, fragile record that’s as devastating as any of Williams’ previous work. Phenomenal stuff that I’ll definitely return to. Fave song: No Use I Just Do #MWE #MWE2026 #HayleyWilliamsl