New & Upcoming Album Releases: Softcult Announce 'When A Flower Doesn't Grow,' Clothesline From Hell Teases 'Slather on the Honey'

In the midst of holiday season, new album releases lessen considerably, but there are some notable new releases and album announcements.

Hamilton musical maverick Chris Houston (Forgotten Rebels) has just delivered a vinyl version of his 2023 full-length, Rapid Detox. An impressive list of guests include Gord Lewis (Teenage Head), Lori Yates, Steve Koch, Randy Bachman, Bazil Donovan and Cleave Anderson (Blue Rodeo) and Michael Fonfara (Lou Reed).

Also out this week is Words Underlined, a trio record from adventurous Toronto jazz saxophonist and composer Patrick Smith. This is the first release from a new imprint, Lit Soc Records, from popular Toronto book store/music venue Sellers and Newell.

There are also a number of newly announced albums and singles. That includes hotly-tipped Juno-nominated Ontario sibling alt-rock duo Softcult, who will put out a new full-length, When A Flower Doesn’t Grow, on Jan. 30 on Easy Life Records. The group has just announced 2026 Canadian tour dates, with three headlining shows in Toronto (Jan. 30), Winnipeg and Saskatoon, followed by shows supporting Lights. Their new single, "Queen of Nothing," is a shoegazey song about what the band describes as “the double standards, harsh judgements and unrealistic expectations that patriarchal society places on women."

Slather on the Honey, the debut album from Clothesline From Hell, will come out next month via 444%. The band is the project of Toronto artist Adam LaFramboise, and influences on his diverse sound range from Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails to Elliott Smith. New single, "Truest Sound," delivers a softer side of the project, with layers of acoustic guitars, ghostly "oohs" and a repeating drum break.

Here is the full album release calendar.

December

5: The Dirty Nil, Live At The Dine Alone Store

5: Hugo Blouin, Le buffet (Ambiances Magnétiques)

5: Géraldine Eguilluz and Michel F Côté, hORs TempS (Ambiances Magnétiques)

5: cleopatrick, SCRAP

5: Matt Lang, All Night Even Longer -deluxe edition

5: Tim Baker, Full Rainbow of Light - deluxe

5: Betaboys, Great Pretenders (Bandcamp)

5: Kid Koala, The Storyville Mosquito - picture disc vinyl

8: Bryan Adams & Friends, A Great Big Holiday Jam (Bad Records)

12: Patrick Smith, Words Underlined (Lit Soc)

12: Chris Houston, Rapid Detox - vinyl

26: Sean Stephens, Lest I Remember

January 2026

9: Calling All Captains, The Things That I’ve Lost Out (New Damage Records)

16: Clothesline From Hell, Slather On The Honey

21: Katie Tupper, Greyhound (Arts & Crafts)

23: 54-40, PORTO

23: Dana Sipos, Golden Molten

26: Jo Passed, Away (Youth Riot Records)

30: Softcult, When A Flower Doesn’t Grow (Easy Life Records)

30: Gab Bouchard, Encore

30: New Saint, Santo

30: Luca Fogale, Challenger (Nettwerk Music Group)

February

6: Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Laughter In Summer (Transgressive)

6: Nick Schofield, Blue Hour (Backward Music)

6: Daphni, Butterfly

13: Boy Golden, Best of Our Possible Lives (Six Shooter Records)

13: LARKK, Cinders

27: Bibi Club, Amaro (Secret City)

27: The Sheepdogs, Keep Out Of The Storm

27: Garrett T. Willie, Bill's Cafe

March

13: Malinowski, Under A Landslide of Stars

13: Marie Celeste, Tout ce qui brille

13: Various Artists, Covered - A Tribute to Nash the Slash (We Are Busy Bodies)

19: Gnarwhal, Lucid Machines

20: Edwin Raphael, I Know A Garden

27: Wintersleep, Wishing Moon (Dine Alone)

April

10: Les Louanges, Alouette! (Bonsound)