Jack Harlow's Monica Might Be the Plot Twist of 2026
Recorded at Electric Lady, this is not the boy who made What's Poppin anymore.
Vasu Khajuria · 3 min read
We are not talking about Monica from "Friends" today. Jack Harlow just dropped an album called "Monica," and honestly, it might be the plot twist of 2026.
Dropping it on his 28th birthday, "Monica" arrived as a nine track statement. Polished, pleasant and occasionally moving, it is clear he took his longest time with this project. Recorded in New York's iconic Electric Lady Studios, the same place where the likes of D'Angelo made history, he is channeling a side of himself we have not seen before. This is clearly not the boy who made "What's Poppin" anymore.
Producer Aksel Arvid brought in soft basslines, keyboard sequences and rimshots, pulling together into a smooth live sound perfectly curated for your ears. Harlow takes his writing to more introspective, emotional places, which shines on tracks like "My Winter" and "All Of My Friends."
In an era of bloated streaming cash grabs, Harlow deserves credit for going short, going different, and meaning it. Definitely not the album of the year, but "Monica" is an easy listen, something jazzy and inoffensive to put on in the background.