If the year is beginning to feel like an endless list of tabs you forgot to close — you’re not alone. This is the home stretch, friend! Thankfully, our local talent has not slowed down the tidal wave of incredible music that’s been coming out of the country in 2026. From expansive Afro-Folk and experimental R&B to indie-rock, coastal pop and alternative soul, the albums on this list may be sonically unique, but have one thing in common: from front to back, they are all Worth The Spin.
Jabulile Majola — IPASI
Jabulile Majola’s second album finds the South African singer, songwriter and guitarist continuing the story he began on ISITIFIKETI, but with a much broader palette. Moving between Afro-Folk and Afro-Soul, IPASI expands Majola’s intimate acoustic sound with richer instrumentation, melody and harmony. The album’s title, roughly translating to “ID Document”, becomes a fitting metaphor for a record concerned with the idea that identity is never really finished.
Shortstraw — Everything In Between
After 19 years, a hiatus and enough self-inflicted workload to burn out even the most committed indie-rock band, Shortstraw are back and embracing life’s messy middle ages. Everything In Between is the first instalment of a three-part project that will eventually become Life, Death and Everything In Between, and its four tracks deliberately refuse to settle on a single sound. From the heavy alternative-rock breakdown of “Rubber Arm” to the jangly acoustic throwback of “What The Hell” and the gloriously stoner “Speedboat Accident”, it’s an eclectic snapshot of a band drawing from every era of themselves.
Halo Yagami — Indandatho
Halo Yagami turns inward on Indandatho, an intimate EP exploring the many dimensions of love, from choosing someone and being chosen in return to vulnerability, growth and learning together. The project follows a prolific run for the Durban-born, Johannesburg-based artist, who released two albums back-to-back in 2025 and folds elements of maskandi, Afro-pop and electro-soul into his experimental R&B. Indandatho gives Yagami plenty of space to explore the messy, tender business of connection while showing off his versatility as a songwriter and producer.
Amy Tjasink — Valley Girl
Amy Tjasink turns the Cape Town Deep South into a nine-track musical scrapbook on Valley Girl, an album built around the peculiar magic of growing up somewhere you can never quite leave behind. Blending irresistible pop hooks with heartfelt storytelling, Tjasink draws on friendships, surfing, summer evenings and the characters that shaped her upbringing, particularly on the nostalgic “Kommetjie Boys”. Written and performed entirely by Tjasink, Valley Girl is at its best when the deeply local becomes universal — a love letter to the Deep South that might have you feeling nostalgic for a place you’ve never even been.
Manana — it really isn’t what it is
Manana embraces the messy contradictions of love on it really isn’t what it is, an intimate alternative R&B album where joy and loss are allowed to coexist. Rather than romanticising the highs and lows, the record finds comfort in the imperfections of relationships and the complicated business of loving honestly, with standout singles “Don’t Say The Words” and “Calendar” setting the tone. Collaborations with Kali Claire, Lusanda and Nasty C add further dimensions to the album, while intricate backbeats, lush chord progressions and understated ballads leave plenty of room for Manana to take centre stage.
