Lucy Dacus, The Last Dinner Party Pick Favorite 2026 Albums at 1 Festival

Q: Which artist's recommendation from Kilby is destined to become this year's biggest sleeper hit?

Nick Hakim’s *I Can See* looks like the strongest candidate. The Stereogum/Kilby feature does not identify any one recommendation as “destined” to be the year’s biggest sleeper hit, so the best answer has to be an evidence-based inference. Among the albums artists singled out, Hakim’s stands out because it was recommended before release, suggesting unusual confidence from fellow musicians rather than simple consensus around an already circulating favorite. The supporting context strengthens that case. *I Can See* arrives July 24 via Earseed Records, follows 2022’s *Cometa*, and was developed over five years with producer Andrew Sarlo and mastering by Heba Kadry. Its early singles — “Real Here Now,” “Water,” and the title track — give it a clearer runway than more obscure picks, while still fitting the “sleeper” label because it has not yet had the broad critical saturation of albums already embraced by Stereogum staff, such as Quiet Light or Kevin Morby. That said, if the question is about the most under-the-radar released record rather than a forthcoming one, Quiet Light’s *Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2* is the likelier sleeper. It already overlaps with staff taste and has the kind of subtle, critically admired profile that can grow slowly through the year. So the safest call is Nick Hakim overall, with Quiet Light as the best released-album alternative.

Q: Why did Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock refuse to share his album picks at Kilby Block Party?

There is no reported reason. The available Stereogum item and the related coverage only note that Isaac Brock “declined” to give album recommendations at Kilby Block Party; they do not explain why. The supporting material about the festival, Modest Mouse’s appearance, and Brock’s other recent interviews likewise contains no account of his refusal or any stated motivation behind it. In other words, the public record here shows the refusal happened, but not the reason for it. So the most accurate answer is that Brock refused to share his picks, and no explanation was provided in the published coverage.

1 articles · Updated · stereogum.com · Jun 11

Lucy Dacus, the Last Dinner Party, This Is Lorelei, Ben Kweller and Cardinals shared their favorite albums of 2026 so far in a new Kilby Block Party video feature.
Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City provided the setting, where Stereogum asked performers for recommendations during its visit to the festival a few weeks earlier.
Star Moles, Quiet Light, Kevin Morby and Nick Hakim were among the albums and artists highlighted, mixing staff favorites with newer tips from the performers.
The feature extends midyear album-list season, following Stereogum's own best-albums-so-far roundup published last week.