TOPNOTE’s Monthly Picks: January

TOPNOTE’s Monthly Picks: January 2026

We’re actually more interested in 2026 than 2016...

Everyone else may have started the year looking back 10 years to 2016, but we’re staying focused on the present. 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 everything from smooth grooves to buzzing club-ready pop, to full-throttle rock to keep us moving.

We’re beginning our monthly highlights with 2026 songs, only.

Bruno Mars, ‘I Just Might’. Image credit: Atlantic Records

Bruno Mars – I Just Might

Leave it to Mars to deliver the most passionate ‘woo woo woo’s you’ve ever heard on the radio. ‘I Just Might’ sounds more like the trad Bruno Mars we might recognise from the yesteryears of ‘24K Magic’ and ‘Uptown Funk’, almost to the point of parody, but if it ain’t broke… The single isn’t trying to be anything more than fun, marking the first new release from Bruno Mars in a hot minute. It precedes ‘The Romantic’, out next month – his first solo album in a decade.

Sonny Tennet - Blueprint

Newcastle’s resident soul singer strikes again. ‘Blueprint’ brings a juicy rhythm that showcases Sonny Tennet’s signature style, delivering effortlessly angelic vocal runs against gospel-esque backing harmonies. Met with a subtle guitar that erupts into a head-bopping instrumental, the newest single from the solo artist is an instant earworm, a carefree melody and a soulful sentiment to swing into the start of the year with.

Masterpeace Ft. Declan McKenna – F**K It Up

‘Be happy, don’t worry / That’s a lie and I know it is’: At the other end of the spectrum, far away from glitterball giddiness, Master Peace and Declan McKenna have paired up, releasing a journal entry dressed as a self-hate song. Listing everything they’ve ever done wrong. ‘F*** It Up’ is endearing rather than overindulgent, because we’ve all been there. Not the pick for your Monday morning motivation playlist, but certainly one you can crash out to in the privacy of your own home. 

Westside Cowboy, ‘So Much Country ‘Till We Get There’. Image credit: Chuff Media

Westside Cowboy – So Much Country ‘Til We Get There

The first release of 2026 from one of the band’s featured in TOPNOTE’s emerging artist list, Westside Cowboy are honing what exactly it is that makes up their self-coined ‘Britainicana’ sound in 5-track EP ‘So Much Country ‘Till We Get There’. Balancing folk lyricism with sleazy rock instrumentation, the band aren’t afraid to get stuck into a style that is purely their own. Read the full review on the new release from the hotly tipped Mancunian band.

Durand Jones & The Indications, Aaron Frazer – Let’s Take Our Time

Listening to ‘Let’s Take Our Time’ from Durand Jones & The Indications is like easing into a hot bath, strolling down a pavement with a skip in your step, or putting on a fuzzy cardigan. Basically, anything cosy. And in the depths of winter, it’s the perfect antidote. Slow groove ‘Lets Take Our Time’ is first dance-level romantic. It’s ‘backed with’ the cruising swagger of ‘Flower Moon’, led by the group’s drummer (and solo artist) Aarron Frazer, which just makes everything feel a little sunnier.

CLUTTER ‘Superstar’ single artwork. Image credit: Stay Golden PR

Clutter – C.L.U.T.T.E.R. / Superstar

Lead single ‘C.L.U.T.T.E.R.’ from the band of the same name opens like an imitation of ‘Howling For You’, but quickly departs from indie rock into something with a dollop more attitude. Punchy and pulsating, this track sounds almost like a cover; easy to picture 2000s festival crowds spelling out the central refrain in muddy summers. It’s followed with grungy ‘Superstar’, on the Swedish quartet’s serious takeover plans, which features the out-of-context, equally emotionally charged line: ‘why is England always freezing!?’

Harry Styles – Aperture

The announcement sent the internet into a collective crashout. But can Harry Styles’ first release in 4 years live up to exceptional hype? We’re in a club. We’re dancing, synths hitting the wall, bouncing off shadows of moving bodies. The chorus eases in, strobe lights flashing over strands of hair stuck to faces. ‘Mission statement’ single ‘Aperture’ is a proclamation of boundless unity. It builds with pace and intensity to its euphoric finale, by which point, we’re in a stadium (take your pick), fireworks bursting over the open roof – a promise of pure hedonism for an inevitable summer of Styles.

Harry Styles, ‘Aperture’. Photo credit: Sony Music

ONLY THE POETS – AND I’D DO IT AGAIN

They’ve caught mainstream media attention with their unusual ticketing choices, becoming the first band to headline Brixton Academy with each ticket priced at £1, and running a competition to find a strictly unsigned artist to become their support. But all this is in aid of Only The Poets’ debut album, ‘And I’d Do It Again’, which hit the shelves last Friday. A solid alt-pop debut from a young Reading band, you can read our full review and learn more about the campaign supporting grassroots venues behind it.

Underrated Gem:

Loyle Carner – A Lasting Place (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)

The highlight of Loyle Carner’s album ‘Hugo’, played live in full at the Royal Albert Hall has an unusual highlight in ‘A Lasting Place’. Beginning with spoken word from Carner’s partner, with adorable interruptions from their son, this live version enlists a harp to explore his fears around fatherhood, to a pin drop silent crowd. Even if you’ve heard the studio version a hundred times, this version lays bare its core meaning, with Richard Spaven’s incredible drumming.

Listen when: 

You can put five minutes aside to dedicate your full attention to this beautiful blend of classical music and modern rap.