The Lead Sheet ~ 7/7/2026

The Lead Sheet is your guide to this week’s new music - taking a look at newly released albums, who made them, and how listeners are responding.  

This week, Legendary pop icon Madonna released Confessions II, a follow up to 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor. Early reception is glowing, with critics in agreement that Madonna has recaptured the early 2000’s nostalgia. The dance-heavy album is decorated with ornaments of the era - low-to-high pass sweeps, analogue synthesizers, and songs that flow into one another seamlessly as if part of a DJ’s set. But Confessions II also has some contemporary ideas and featured artists. “Bring Your Love”, which features Gen Z pop darling Sabrina Carpenter, briefly charted at number one on Billboard’s Dance Digital Song Sales chart, and Columbian Reggaeton singer Feid makes an appearance on latin-infused “Read My Lips”. Confessions II is consistently praised for its vulnerable and modern lyrics, exploring heavier emotions like bereavement and guilt, making it one of Madonna’s more poignant albums in the eyes of fans. Madonna has heavily teased an upcoming album tour, but nothing has been officially scheduled yet. 

South London Trio Mary in the Junkyard debuted their first LP, Role Model Hermit, after gaining momentum through critically acclaimed single releases and a successful EP. The group’s trademark sound, self-described as “weepy chaos rock”, has earned them comparisons to acts like Big Thief and Wolf Alice. But where those groups might lean into acoustic folk or 90’s alt-rock as their sonic vehicle, Mary in the Junkyard takes classical chamber strings and incorporates avant-garde song-structure with tense post-punk ideas. There’s consensus amongst critics that Mary in the Junkyard has nailed their debut, though Role Model Hermit probably won’t see a lot of mainstream play, due to a niche sound and lack of big hits. Mary in the Junkyard will launch a global tour this fall, starting in the UK and Ireland in September before moving to Europe and North America throughout October and November. 

Portuguese gothic metal pioneers Moonspell dropped their thirteenth studio album Far From God on Friday, continuing the group’s recent movement away from their over-the-top symphonic chapter. Far From God is a throwback to Moonspell’s 90’s era; their 1995 and 1996 duology of Wolfheart and Irreligious, are considered metal masterpieces, and Far From God meticulously recreates their atmosphere through vintage keyboard samples and rich guitar textures. The song structures are notably more consumable, with shorter, hook-driven tracks. Far From God’s only featured artist is violinist Alicia Nurho, who provides gorgeously gloomy string work on The Great Wolf in the Sky. Most critics approve, but for some, Moonspell’s move towards an earlier period feels too safe and formulaic, where the band typically thrives on new ideas and experimentation. Moonspell will tour the new music in Europe from July through October. 

British hard-rock icons Deep Purple have had a storied and influential career in music, creating one of the most iconic (and for Guitar Center employees, dreaded) riffs of all time: “Smoke on the Water”. In 2026, the group rocks on with the release of their twenty-fourth album, SPLAT! SPLAT! sees the group return to share a live recording booth for the first time since the 2021 lockdowns, since which members had been recording parts remotely. Deep Purple’s longest running guitarist Steve Morse recently retired, and the band’s new guitarist Simon McBride’s sound has grown more refined since his debut with Deep Purple on their 2024 album, =1. SPLAT! Is a fast, classic sounding record, hearkening back to the rockers 70’s era with blistering organ and guitar solos. Vocalist Ian Gillan has maintained power in his delivery of SPLAT!’s mischievous lyrics. Fans and Critics are satisfied; for a group with LP releases across seven decades, Deep Purple shows no signs of slowing down. The band is on a world tour from July through November with eighty-six shows across North America and Europe. 

Soul-pop alto singer Sienna Spiro’s first LP, Visitor debuted July 3rd to a positive, but overall lukewarm critical response. There’s agreement amongst reviewers that Spiro is an immensely talented new artist, and her unique instrument has future Grammy potential, but as an album, Visitor doesn’t venture outside of safe ideas. Listeners note that the album is excellently mixed, and has all the right elements, but hesitates to take bold risks or carve out a unique foothold.

“He’s Not My Baby, I’m His” recreates a jazz-nightclub sound, and her biggest hit, “Die on this Hill” is a soaring, cinematic anthem that showcases Spiro’s huge vocal range with cathartic belting. Despite a somewhat apprehensive foray into the music scene, fans look forward to Spiro’s next projects. The artist’s original come-up was through raw, gritty bedroom-pop tiktoks, and Visitor’s overly sanitized sound may be more the result of corporate compromise than artist vision. Spiro will embark on a forty show “My House Tour” with dates in North America, Asia, Australia, the UK and Europe from late 2026 through early 2027. 

Madonna - Confessions II 

July 3, 2026

Warner Records

Mary in the Junkyard - Role Model Hermit

July 3, 2026

AMF

Moonspell - Far From God

July 3, 2026

Napalm Records

Deep Purple - SPLAT!

July 3, 2026

earMUSIC

Sienna Spiro - Visitor

July 3, 2026

Capitol Records