January isn’t the most energetic month of the year and it’s one we can easily spend waiting to end. But this lot have pulled us through, with bouncy jazz, buzzing club-ready pop, and full-throttle rock to keep us moving. We’re beginning our monthly highlights with 2026 songs, only.

In the spirit of Independent Venue Week, World News embarked on a mini UK tour, stopping on Friday night at KOLA in Portsmouth. Named one of our emerging artists for 2026, TOPNOTE hopped on a train to see what they had in store. Read our review of the set.

Only The Poets have featured on BBC Introducing, supported Louis Tomlinson and Lewis Capaldi, and played festival slots at Reading and Lollapalooza. The only thing missing was an album. Read our review of ‘And I’d Do It Again’, plus a look at the release journey that’s just as novel.

‘Burning Castles’ is a record about empires crumbling, both the worlds we find ourselves in and the walls we invent in our minds. Lucia & The Best Boys’ debut is our first album spotlight of 2026.

The second of two sold-out nights at Brixton Academy, US artist and producer Dijon’s live set was a textural experiment in sound from an exceptionally talented, innovative craftsman. Unfortunately, his audience wasn’t always invested in his experiments. Read our full review.

Hot off an enormous 2025, Westside Cowboy are gearing up for an even bigger 2026, starting with the release of sophomore EP, ‘So Much Country ‘Till We Get There’. Read The Groove’s thoughts on the latest release from one of the UK’s most hyped new indie bands.

Harry Styles has just announced his next album, ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally’, sending the internet into a yellow-knit frenzy. To get us all prepared for HS4, we’re going back through the singer’s solo albums, counting down his best singles, covers, and hidden gems to date.

We’ve got 16 exciting bands, duos, and solo musicians to share on our Emerging Artist List, whether they’re on the cusp of a big break, or someone who should be on your radar as we move through the year. Find out who they are, and why TOPNOTE believes 2026 is going to be a grand old year for these musicians.

In 2026, we must stop belittling fangirls and fan communities as nothing more than manipulatable pawns, and acknowledge their very real power and influence over the music industry. For our first article of the year, TOPNOTE is spotlighting fans. 

We’ve done our best to whittle down the cream of the crop, in TOPNOTE’s Christmas countdown, marking the greatest tracks to be released this year. Read the countdown below for our top 12 songs of 2025.

2025 brought us some fantastic new music from all sorts of genres and artists. It’s the 12 TOPNOTES of Christmas, which is where we look back on the best music releases of the year, beginning with brand new albums that have graced our ears in 2025.

Backstage at The Dome in London on the afternoon of their final tour date, founding members Adam and Rohan spoke to TOPNOTE about their first headline tour, new EP ‘We All Feel The Same’, and what’s on the horizon for Fletchr Fletchr.

In conversation with TOPNOTE fresh off their UK/EU headline tour, frontman Cody Matthews spoke about British band NOISY’s musical influences, finding inspiration from normal life, and what’s on the manifestation list for 2026.

The Last Dinner Party brought glam rock, drama, and a bucketload of talent to London at their homecoming show in Brixton Academy. Read the full review from night one on their sold out finale of the 'From The Pyre' tour.

In this extended offering, Sam Fender isn’t ‘people watching’, he’s addressing the effects of people watching him; and the personal weight of being under the heavy spotlight. Read the full review of the deluxe album release here.