Records of the Week (February 13, 2026)

What we're spinning at VF HQ.

Spiritual jazz, the return of a neo-soul giant and another gem from the bubbling Irish underground.

Contributions from VF's Kelly Doherty and Alex Flowers.

Aaron Shaw

And So It Is

(Leaving Records)

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Los Angeles woodwind player Aaron Shaw's debut is steeped in melancholy and shadow. Spiritual in tone yet film noir in mood, the record unfolds like a cinematic narrative: a central figure with a troubled past, searching for redemption. In 2023, Shaw was diagnosed with bone marrow failure and began struggling to breathe. Performing became risky, and through necessity and resilience, he was forced to reshape his relationship with sound — a process that ultimately formed And So It Is.

Themes of transcendence run throughout, though not as an ascent to a higher plane, but as a quiet attempt at rebirth in the face of physical limitation. Rolling harp arpeggios cascade beneath reverberating saxophone lines. The music feels live, evoking less the intimacy of a basement jazz club and more the open air of a nocturnal outdoor concert among redwood trees.

Co-produced by Carlos Niño and released on Leaving Records, Shaw emerges from the LA jazz community he's long been part of, working alongside Kamasi Washington and Matthewdavid. Rooted in the lineage of jazz greats while in dialogue with his contemporaries, the album sits firmly within a tradition of boundary-pushing spiritual jazz. Alex Flowers

Jill Scott

To Whom This May Concern

(Human Re Sources)

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After more than a decade away, Jill Scott's sixth album arrives with 19 tracks spanning neo-soul, conscious hip-hop, and striking vocal performances. Featuring Tierra Whack, JID, and Ab-Soul alongside production from longtime collaborator Andre Harris, Adam Blackstone, DJ Premier, and Trombone Shorty, To Whom This May Concern is ambitious in scope without losing focus.

Trading in the sorts of sincerely empowering and motivational lyricism that could be trite from a lesser artist, Scott creates a genuinely feel good album. From the self-assured confidence of "Norf Side" to the vulnerable assessment of an ex-lover on "Pressha", her presence feels honest and grounded, made sincere through specificity and lived experience. The album's genre shifts hold together through consistent lyrical vision and Scott's commanding vocal range.

At nearly an hour, To Whom This May Concern showcases the fiercely independent spirit that's defined Scott's career and, best of all, it’s an incredibly fun and joyous time. Kelly Doherty

Nashpaints

Everyone Good is Called Molly

(Mirrorworld)

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Dublin producer Finn Carraher McDonald's second Nashpaints album wraps almost everything in reverb but beneath the submerged soundscapes, Everyone Good is Called Molly reveals a surprising pop sensibility and a willingness to shift gears.

The nearly seven-minute "Boyfriend First" best captures this balance: ambient pads and delay create distance, but underneath sits a steady, melancholic build that wouldn't sound out of place on an early 2000s indie rock record. It's patient music that still pulls you forward, a track built for late-night drives and romanticising your life.

Elsewhere, McDonald switches approaches. "The Giver" and "Desire" have a loose, live-band energy that cuts through the haze, while the stripped-back closer "Tonight I'm Thinking of My Big Eyes" trades shimmer for fingerpicked guitar and intimacy. The album moves between these modes without feeling scattered, keeping a common thread of McDonald's commitment to keeping vocals low in the mix and letting textures do the emotional work.

It might be easy to file this alongside the recent swathes of dream-pop, but Everyone Good is Called Molly earns its spot through its differences. A confident second album. Kelly Doherty