2026 Album Reviews 1: Olivia Rodrigo, Carly Rae Jepsen, Don Toliver

The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools.

From high-energy stadium hip hop to experimental electronic soundscapes and the mastery of signature genres, 2026 has been a significant year for the evolution of music. Top-tier artists of various genres continue to push their stylistic boundaries with both commercially successful and critically acclaimed albums. Below is a selection of new projects from Olivia Rodrigo, Carly Rae Jepsen, Don Toliver.

Olivia Rodrigo’s third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, highlights her mastery of pop rock coming out of Sour and Guts. Rodrigo blends her trademark teenage catharsis with more textured, acoustic ballads that address the complexity of modern romance. Moreover, her vocal delivery remains masterful, easily switching between quiet, intimate verses to loud choruses. However, it does feel like some of the choices Rodrigo makes have been overdone and some songs like “begged” and “less” sound relatively uninspired. On the contrary, “The Cure,” “Stupid Song,” and “Maggots for Brains” remain high points on the album. Final rating: 7.4/10. 

Carly Rae Jepsen’s colossal 24-track double album, Day and Night stands out as one of her best albums since the critically acclaimed E·MO·TION album. Split into two discs, Day and Night is a self-referential album that is divided between two distinct sonic moods. The first half (“Day”) is a collection of upbeat, discopop synth tracks, more reminiscent of E·MO·TION. In contrast, (“Night”) explores moody, late-night electronic beats and house-influenced sounds. As one of the few popstars that stray away from traditional pop formulas designed for radio, Jepsen is able to remain an influential figure in various music spaces. However, as a natural result of the great length of the album, it tends to contain some filler songs like “That’s Just Me” that inevitably don’t leave much of an impression. Regardless, Day and Night reveals that she has much more to offer than just “Call Me Maybe,” which is what most people know her for. Final rating: 8.2.

Don Toliver’s fifth studio album, OCTANE, shifts his signature psychedelic trap-R&B style into a high-tempo project inspired by rally racing culture. Toliver blends pitch-warped melodies with booming basslines to deliver an album engineered for the moshpit. One of the standout elements of the album is the use of collaborations with artists like Travis Scott, Yeat, Teezo Touchdown, and more. While this album has drawn criticism for its lack of depth, Don Toliver’s albums are not sought after for their emotional profoundness; instead, Toliver simply promises every track to sound amazing. And he delivered. The undisputed high points of this album are “E85,” “Body,” and “Gemstone,” however most of the songs are more than worthy for the mosh. Final Rating: 7.8/10.

Finally, I’d like to note that all ratings are a mix of my personal opinions and a general consensus of the album as a whole.