If you're looking for some cool new bands to get obsessed with, you're in luck. It's time for an autumnal tradition: Stereogum's list of the year's 40 Best New Artists. We've been publishing this list in the fall since 2010. It is not a year-end list. It's its own thing! And, as always, it's presented alphabetically and not ranked. The definition of "new" here is flexible, but the idea is to showcase young and developing musicians who've made a major leap in the 12 months since last year's list. With a couple of exceptions who seemed to come out of nowhere, the spotlighted acts are on their first LP or haven't put one out yet. All of them have us eager to hear what's next. Meet our class of 2026, and find an accompanying playlist at the bottom of the article. — Chris DeVille

We can only speculate that 16 Underground are at least partially named after the Sneaker Pimps' 1996 single "6 Underground," one of trip-hop's few big crossover pop moments.…