What’s Hot On The Kaleidiscope Turntables - September ‘26

Kaleidiscope is back! After a long, sweltering summer, we are here to share what has been hot on the Kaleidiscope turntables — or headphones, speakers and beyond. In this new monthly series, we will cover fresh releases, blasts from the past, and other tracks and albums that have been occupying our ears in recent weeks. What have you been listening to lately, and which new releases have caught your attention? Let us know in the comments below. Now, let’s begin proceedings with Rich’s first entry.

Rich: Kashus Culpepper - Act One

It took several months for this debut album to find its way to the offices of Kaleidiscope but it was well worth the wait.

As the title suggests it may only be Culpepper’s Act One in this latest addition to the country-soul genre, but at over 60 minutes long he certainly doesn’t suffer for lack of material considering he only picked up a guitar five years or so ago. The Alabama native and former navy cadet has found himself in demand since moving to Nashville, appearing on Allison Russell’s latest album.

The music is hard to define, a blend of country, soul, blues and folk with occasional strings attached, it’s Culpepper’s voice that dominates proceedings over eighteen diverse tracks, none more dynamic than opener “Southern Man”, a gritty chugging soul song that had Elton John comparing him to Bill Withers. It’s a track that should be finding its way onto many a ‘songs of 2026’ playlist with the Muscle Shoals location of its production evident. But resting on his laurels he certainly isn’t as subsequent tracks showcase his versatility. “Broken Wing Bird”, a duet with Sierra Ferrell, slows things down in a Neville/Ronstadt way, but album highlight “Man of His Word” soon has the listener marvelling at the varied songwriting and vocal prowess of this newcomer. Closer “Cherry Road” takes us into Commodores territory to round off a marvellous debut.

Yes, it could probably benefit from being fifteen minutes shorter, but one assumes Act Two is waiting and already full of more recently written gems. Then again, I wouldn’t know which tracks to omit so will continue enjoying the full 67 minutes. A man to watch.

Score: 8/10

Billy: The Tubs

Welsh band The Tubs’ first album came out back in 2023, but they first caught my attention in 2025 with the follow-up release Cotton Crown. Drawing from a variety of genres within the broader indie-rock sound, with influences ranging from The Smiths and R.E.M. to The Jam, the jangly, melodic guitars and high-energy performances on tracks like “One More Day” left me interested and wanting more. It turns out I wouldn’t have to wait too long. Their upcoming record Hard Life is due to come out next Friday and, judging by the lead singles, we have something to look forward to. While on Cotton Crown I felt that the instrumentation overpowered lead singer Owen Williams’ vocal performance, on lead singles “Who’s Gonna Love You Now?” and “Stoop to Me” the band seem to be playing to each other’s strengths. Chugging rhythm guitars provide the backdrop for Williams and the band to unleash gorgeous melodies and hooks. I would highly recommend giving the full album a shot when it comes out on Friday. In the meantime, the lead singles have certainly been a joyful listen.

Rich: Wild Pink - Still Coming Down

Lengthwise - as opposed to Culpepper - Wild Pink’s John Ross has opted for just over half an hour’s worth of angst-ridden fuzzy guitar riffs on his sixth studio offering. But what a thrilling ride this indie-rock release is.

Why then does the album score 7.9 rather than 8.0? Well, fuzzy guitars can be thrilling but when the vocals are equally fuzzy as on opener “Box Store” then one rues not being able to catch the lyrics which are often and clearly a key part of Ross’s vision here. Never mind, when the guitar playing is as scorching as on next track “Round Of Applause At The End Of The World” then all is just about forgiven. You would yourself be forgiven for thinking that you are listening to an MJ Lenderman album at this stage, so it is no surprise to find that two members of Lenderman’s band appear across this record. Lenderman will himself appear later. The title track continues sonically in much the same way as indeed do the vocals.

There’s a Neil Young vibe circa “Ohio” about “Plates Keep Spinning”, and from now on the vocal sound becomes more listenable and the album continues in a similar vein with Lenderman stealing the show on the accessible “Dead For A Sec”. Guitars crescendo on album highlight “500 Is The New 250” before everything rounds off on “Relaxing, Special Interests”.

It is not, though, an album to relax to! It is thrilling, frustrating, inches away from being a classic – but this is a band that are knocking at the door.

Billy: The Weeknd

In preparation for The Weeknd’s concert in Madrid, which I went to see last weekend, I had the great pleasure of diving back into his extensive catalogue. Arguably one of the world’s biggest pop stars, particularly since the success of his 2020 album After Hours — with its hit singles “Blinding Lights”, “Save Your Tears” and “In Your Eyes” — The Weeknd’s Madrid show demonstrated why, as fans packed into Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium. Touring the After Hours–Dawn FM–Hurry Up Tomorrow album trilogy, with the latter coming in at number 25 on my personal album-of-the-year list last year, The Weeknd weaved across the entirety of his 15-year career in a breezy two-hour set. This was my first big stadium show and, while the atmosphere was magnificent, I do not envy artists playing to such a widely dispersed, enormous audience. The Weeknd did his best to make everyone feel included in the vast spectacle. The consequence was that there were entire 15-minute stretches where he was not visible to us as he roamed across the runway leading from the stage into the audience. Not to worry, though: we had a great time dancing and singing, and I had a fun August revisiting one of my favourite artists’ timeless tunes.

A charismatic performer, even in front of a huge crowd!

We will be back in early October to let you know which albums and tracks have defined our September. Until then, happy listening!