Sit down, I want to chat. And not surprisingly, it’s about the inequity of female to male pay in music. I’m sure you’re shocked.
Did you know that women musicians earn roughly 10% less from music than men, according to the Musicians’ Census. And at the top of the income ladder, men outnumber women four to one: 79% to 19%. Are we really surprised? Nope, not at all.
However, I’m taking it a little personally. As we’re a woman-owned and operated business, I’m here to share four killer new albums from female artists the last few years for some reason are not moving from our bins.
These ladies deserve way better than the sale or bargain bin. I’ll tell you why I think they aren’t moving, why it’s a mistake and exactly where on the shelf they belong. Let’s do it.
Holly Humberstone — Cruel World
The pitch: She’s a pop goddess that has opened for both Taylor and Olivia (yes, I’m on a first name basis with them). You've probably already heard some of her music. You just don't have the depth yet.
Cruel World dropped on April 10, 2026, and it's Holly's second full-length after Paint My Bedroom Black. The backstory got me: her family sold the house she grew up in back in Grantham, England, and she spent weeks digging through her old ballet shoes and fairy-tale books. If you've ever packed up a childhood bedroom and had to sit on the floor for a minute, this is your album.
Why it's collecting dust: She also lives in that awkward in-between: a little too pop for the indie kids, a little too diary-quiet for the pop girlies.
Why you're wrong (lovingly): This is the record where she stops choosing a lane and just does both. The singles are big, warm, windows-down songs, and the quiet ones feel like a hug from your older sister. Critics pretty much across the board called it her best work, and it's one of those albums that gets better every time you put it on. Which, conveniently, is what a turntable is for!
Drop the needle on: "To Love Somebody" (try not singing along, I dare you), the title track "Cruel World" (sunshine on top, absolutely gutting underneath), "Red Chevy” (an absolute BOP for someone with a crush)
Shelve it next to: Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Phoebe Bridgers, and yes, The 1975. The title track has real Matty Healy sparkles, minus the drama.
Cate Le Bon — Michelangelo Dying
The pitch: A breakup record that sounds like a very expensive 1980s art-rock album. Also, John Cale is on it. Velvet Underground John Cale for those unaware.
This is the Welsh songwriter's seventh album, which came out on Mexican Summer (her label) in September 2025. She made it after a long-term relationship ended and she moved from Joshua Tree back home to Cardiff. She'd started out writing a spikier follow-up to Pompeii, and then grief showed up and rewrote the whole thing. Relatable.
Why it's collecting dust: Cate Le Bon is one of those underground artists with a cult following. If you don't already know her, the name doesn't jump out of the bin, and the title kind of sounds like a term paper.
Why you're wrong (lovingly): You already trust her taste, you just don't know it. She's the person other bands call when they want a record to sound cool: Wilco and Horsegirl both had her produce for them. And this album is gorgeous. Floaty synths, chiming guitars, a moaning saxophone, and her calm voice drifting over all of it. Yes, it's sad. But it's sad like a beautiful rainy Sunday. It's a headphones-and-a-glass-of-wine record, and if that's not what vinyl is for, I don't know what is.
Drop the needle on: "Heaven Is No Feeling" (the lead single), "Is It Worth It (Happy Birthday)" (one of the most direct songs she's ever written, and it'll get you), "Love Unrehearsed" and "Ride," where John Cale shows up with a slow, haunted vocal that gave me actual goosebumps.
Shelve it next to: Talk Talk, Tears for Fears, Roxy Music, Bowie, Kate Bush, St. Vincent, or Weyes Blood. And if you've got Jeff Buckley's Grace at home (and based on our sales, a lot of you do), you already like music that hurts in a pretty way.
Robyn — Sexistential
The pitch: The patron saint of crying on the dance floor is back after eight years, and she brought Max Martin with her.
Sexistential (sex + existential, keep up) came out March 27, 2026. It's her ninth album and her first since Honey in 2018. She ALSO wrote it after a long relationship ended (break-up albums are so 2026) and she decided to become a mom on her own terms, which is honestly the most Robyn move possible. She made it with her longtime producer Klas Åhlund and reunited with Max Martin for the first time since 2010.
Why it's collecting dust: Ah, the Robyn paradox. She's never sold a ton of records, but the pop stars you love learned everything from her. The superfans already streamed it on release day. Everyone else thinks she peaked with "Dancing On My Own." (She didn't. Sit down.)
Why you're wrong (lovingly): She's the blueprint, babe. If you own Taylor, Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX, Lorde, or literally anything with a giant synth chorus and a broken heart, you already own Robyn's influence. Might as well own the source. This one is short, bright, a little goofy, and still knows how to make you feel everything at once. Nine songs, no wasted time, and it sounds unreal turned up loud.
Drop the needle on: "Dopamine" (the arena-sized lead single), "Really Real" (peak happy-sad Robyn), "Talk To Me" and the title track, which is about as cheeky as she's ever gotten. Which is saying something.
Shelve it next to: Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lorde, Kylie, 1989-era Taylor, or that time you played "Dancing On My Own" alone in your kitchen. Don't lie, we've all done it.
Maya Hawke — Maitreya Corso
The pitch: Yes, it's a folk-pop concept album about a magical misfit. Yes, it's by Robin from Stranger Things. And yes, it's genuinely her best work. Stay with me.
This is Maya's fourth album, out this spring and co-produced with her husband, songwriter Christian Lee Hutson. The title character is her fantasy alter ego: "Maitreya" comes from a Buddhist idea about renewal, and "Corso" is a nod to Beat poet Gregory Corso. She even painted the cover herself, partly to get her own famous face off of it. Respect.
Why it's collecting dust: Two things. People hear "actor's album" and assume it's a vanity project, and "fantasy concept record" sounds a little pretentious. I get it. Even some critics rolled their eyes at the storybook stuff.
Why you're wrong (lovingly): Ignore the costume and listen to the words. Under all the fairy-tale stuff, this is a sharp, funny, honest record about ambition, ego, growing up in a famous parent's shadow, and loving someone who's kind of a mess. The arrangements are gentle (acoustic guitar, fiddle, piano), and the lyrics do the heavy lifting. This is a sit-on-the-floor-with-the-lyric-sheet record, and you can't do that with a streaming app.
Drop the needle on: "Devil You Know" (the lead single and basically the album's mission statement), "Lioness," "Last Living Lost Cause," "Bring Home My Man" (just her and a guitar) and the closer "Dream House," which will make you cry and not know why.
Shelve it next to: folklore-era Taylor, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Adrianne Lenker, or Christian Lee Hutson's own records. Keep it in the family.
Come give them a spin
So that's four women and four very different records: a pop songwriter growing up in public, an art-rock lifer turning heartbreak into texture, a dance-pop legend still crying in the club, and a folk storyteller hiding the truth inside a fairy tale. Not a dud in the bunch.
All four are sitting in the bins right now at Records on Main, 2340 W Main St in downtown Littleton, patiently waiting for you to come to your senses. Ask me at the counter and I'll play any of them on so you can hear it before you buy. Worst case, you leave with Rumours anyway. Best case, you find your new favorite record, and you're one of the only people in town who owns it. Very cool of you, honestly.
