What I’m Listening To — Week of 02/15/2026

Ana George

20 Feb 2026 — 4 min read

[SONG] Precipice Pirouette by A Forest of Stars

Genres: Avant-Garde Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal

This week I fired off the following post on Bluesky, after having listened to Precipice Pirouette for the first time:

I am drawn to unique vocals in black metal, a genre where the vocals tend to suffer from some degree of sameness in many bands. Starting with the first second of this track you can tell you are in for something very different from everyone else – rather than the shrieking that is a staple of the genre we are treated to an unhinged, raving madman over pirouetting guitars and a mournful violin. It's not only an incredibly emotive vocal performance, but a gorgeous and spinning melody. So in other words, this song is supremely my shit.

[ALBUM] Rust by Darkways

Genres: Darkwave, Gothic Rock

We're only halfway through February but this album has become an extremely promising AOTY 2026 contender for me that will be hard to beat. Deliciously dark synthpop that is immensely danceable while maintaining a post-punk melancholy. I'm reminded of speeding down an urban highway at 3 am, the only car on the road under a full moon. There are recurring sonic motifs not only within the individual songs themselves but throughout the entire album overall, giving the album a cohesive mood. Highly recommended.

[ALBUM] The Code is V... Outlive the Code by The Recreant

Genres: Hardcore, Grindcore

This album is so many things: angry (and rightfully so), unapologetic, direct, confrontational. I'm not generally a lyric person, but ignoring the lyrics here is not an option. The overall theme of the album is of defiance and resistance (largely by simply existing and asserting one's true identity) in the face of a oppressive and actively hostile system that wants marginalized people (and particularly transgender people) dead. The vocal delivery is raw and commanding; it does great justice to the content of the lyrics. And can we take a moment to acknowledge the riffs? Because they absolutely rip.

Leave me the fuck alone
Our lives don't affect yours
Just wanted to exist

You fucking asked for this
Just be fucking normal
It's really not that hard
To see me as a person

I know I've been so angry
But I'm just fucking tired
My life's not a debate

[ALBUM] Empty Hands by Poppy

Genres: Alternative Metal, Metalcore, Pop

This album is my introduction to Poppy, so I can't really speak to how her sound has evolved like many critics have. It's unmistakably metalcore, but metalcore that leans heavily on the poppy (ha) side. I'm not super impressed by her harsh vocals – I find them a bit generic – but I enjoy her clean singing. I actually find her clean vocals stronger that her harsh vocals, and the disparity between the two becomes really obvious in the moments that they're layered on top of each other. But I will say that I enjoyed this album enough to buy tickets to see her live in July.

[ALBUM] I Hope I Die Here by No Cure

Genres: Metalcore

To be honest, the only reason I checked out this album is because I thought the song title Hang Me From the Bible Belt is fantastic. I'm glad I did. It's a short album but the length feels just right. No Cure kind of had one idea for this album and they stuck with it from start to finish, but it works for me. It's an album full of solid bangers.