DBA - 2026 Q1 Check-up
3 full months down, here's what you need to hear
Six years since our very first post, DBA is still alive and kicking. Who’d have thought? Thinking I will try to get a post like this out each quarter, with a brief rundown of some projects I’ve enjoyed, and whatever else I want to talk about. Today I’m talking movies, because I like movies.
So far it doesn’t feel like a huge year for music releases so far? In addition to the below I’ve been most enjoying the new projects from underscores, Jill Scott, hemlocke springs, & Robyn. More often than not though I’ve felt underwhelmed by big releases. Spent the majority of Q1 on the road though with Hannah Jadagu as she opened on tour for Del Water Gap, so I’ve got a bit of a backlog to catch up on.
You gotta hear these:
Got a playlist going for 2026 if you’d like to keep up with these posts thataway
The latest mixtape from WiFiGawd HOT AS HELL 3, released as UPT5SOULJAH, is pushing a timeless tradition of 2000s and Datpiff-era mixtapes. Sounds good as hell.
Was lucky enough to catch Gelli Haha live during my time at Treefort Fest in Boise last weekend. This debut album, Switcheroo, is full of funky synth pop that will already surely amaze, but the live production and set design adds a whole new level to it all. Catch it if you can.
KABEAUSHÉ PRESENTS: IGGY SWAGGERING UNGRATEFUL INCESSANT LITTLE PEEEAAAAAAA. That’s the title of the latest from KABEAUSHÉ, the Kenyan artist I highlighted with both his fascinating 2023 projects. This return album is just as weird, interesting, and flat-out unrivaled.
Great find from my friend Christian with the second release from Kuomo, AQUA-VISION. Certainly Mk.gee inspired in sound, but it has plenty of unique tinges to set themselves far apart from all the imposters.
TIGRAY FUNK from Sideshow is probably my favorite album of the year so far. Combines what sometimes feels like deconstructed 2000s-trap beats with his relentless flows, and carries a well crafted story as the through line. Don’t be intimidated by the tracklist here, let it engulf you.
The newest album from WAAX, Angel’s Mess, marks their first as a solo project. It’s aggressive punk rock in nature, but has no shortage of hooks.
Shelailai’s second EP Little Miss Crazy B!tch combines hard bars with memorable melodies in the vein of Flo Milli & Baby Tate.
GENA is the new collaboration between Liv.e & producer Karriem Riggins, who come together for the silky smooth full length R&B debut, The Pleasure Is Yours.
Ally Evenson’s latest album Speed Kills is a haven of pretty sad pop rock.
New Yorkers Roy Blair & James Ivy connected to form a new group, with a self-titled album, American Road In New Jersey that invites more ambient/shoegaze into their alt-rock than their respective solo projects do.
If you hopped on the Ninajirachi train last year, you should know (if you don’t already) that 2charm’s debut project star scum city was born alongside Nina in a spare room at Mallrat’s house.
Rob Apollo set the shenanigans to the side for his new era & new album cigarettes at church, but nevertheless his goofy flows persist.
LA artist Lala Lala has been going at it for over a decade now, but I would say this new album Heaven 2 is their best work to date.
They’re already proving to be a bit bigger than artists I usually writeup here, but I think I may be legally obligated to shoutout the debut album from Haute & Freddy given how many shows I’ve worked with and am scheduled to work with them this year. Fantastic synth pop that sits snug in the middle of the Lady Gaga/Chappell Roan Venn diagram.
EARTH TO EMILY’s 2025 EP ranked highly on my end of year list, and the forward thinking pop artist’s 2026 debut album E2E deserves praises as well.
¿Dónde Es El After? was possibly the first(?) album of the year, with an early New Year’s Day release, and could easily go down as one of 2026’s most memorable. The Venezuelan band Rawayana teamed up with a host of collaborators for an endlessly replayable late-night soundtrack.
Movie Talk
I think now that the dust has settled, these were my favorite movies of 2025. Caveat, there’s a few big ones I still have not seen yet so I couldn’t include (Hamnet, Avatar: Fire & Ash, F1, A Minecraft Movie, etc.).
Sentimental Value - Know this type of emotional drama without the most concrete plot isn’t for everyone, but I was floored by how much it hit me in the moment and stuck with me after the fact. Was my first Joachim Trier film and I’m itching to see more.
One Battle After Another - PTA has been a longtime fav of mine, and as good as this movie is I feel like he’s got maybe 4(?) better ones that didn’t get this type of recognition, so was very glad to see it finally all come his way here.
No Other Choice - My ongoing opinion is that I would watch Park Chan-wook direct traffic.
The Secret Agent - Powerful meditations on memory, identity, fascism, and how we reckon with the past. Already great upon first watch, but feel like rewatches (where you already have a grasp on the plot/characters) will be even more rewarding with this one.
Eddington - I had mostly confused feelings when I first walked out of the theater, but my opinion on it has done nothing but improve since. Think time will be very kind to this one.
Train Dreams - Kind of just a spectacle to observe in a visual sense, like watching a nature doc or a Malick flick with the sound off, that all complimented the tender story wonderfully. The images of the boots nailed to the tree, with the leaves starting to grow through them, really stuck with me.
It Was Just An Accident - Balances pain, tension, and comedic wit so gracefully.
Marty Supreme - Just by nature this one will always live in the shadow of Uncut Gems (which it is not better than), but still an incredibly well crafted movie in its own right. The reality of the American dream sucks, and chasing it is a humiliation ritual that only benefits assholes!
The Voice of Hind Rijab - It’s hard to even rate this as a movie because of how literally real it is. Got to see this at a cool screening at BAM in early ‘26 with my friend Alli where the lead actress came out for a Q&A after. Free Palestine
Bugonia - Teetered between feeling like another Yorgos banger and feeling like the script was by a former Onion writer who also wrote The Menu.
Weapons, Sinners, & Sorry Baby fell just barely outside of my top ten, with the rest of the movies I saw last year a pretty healthy distance after all of them. And for what it’s worth the absolute worst movie I saw last year was The Carpenter’s Son starting Nicholas Cage & FKA Twigs.
Excited to see all the music and movies the rest of the year has in store for us, stay tuned
Absolutely fire tracks that WAAX track is the vibes I need for 2026. Liv.e also hits. Thanks for this playlist