The classical rebel who infiltrated pop music
You've heard those shimmering disco strings in Miley Cyrus's "Flowers," the cinematic arrangements on Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher, and the orchestral flourishes across Taylor Swift's catalog, but you pr...
26 Aug 202551min
All roads lead to Pharrell: Tyler, Clipse, and Cardi
The conversation around the new music this summer has been a dour one. Some of the biggest songs in the country right now are downtempo stomp-clap anthems and wistful Cranberries pastiche. Even on thi...
19 Aug 202552min
A brief history of terrible lyrics (with Sam Sanders)
Why do bad lyrics happen to good people? From "suckin' on a chili dog" to "making love to his tonic and gin," even the biggest hits from our favorite artists can feature lyrical turns that make us fee...
12 Aug 202543min
Summer Bummer (with Commotion’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud)
Every music critic seems to agree: 2025 has no true song of summer. Last August, Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominated the charts. This year…Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominates the charts. What’s ...
5 Aug 202537min
Justin Bieber's Lo-fi Bedroom Swag
Justin Bieber is back with his seventh studio album: the aptly-titled SWAG. The lo-fi, reverb-laden record is a remarkably candid look inside the world of Bieber, using the palette of both underground...
29 Jul 202543min
How podcasting got its sound ft. Breakmaster Cylinder
What if the entire sound of modern podcasting can be traced back to a single Grateful Dead song uploaded in 2001? We uncover the musical lineage that connects NPR's classical gravitas to dubstep wobbl...
22 Jul 202546min
Is that new song you like AI? Here’s how you can tell
The robots have arrived, and they're making protest songs about boots on the ground. When an AI band called The Velvet Sundown fooled over a million Spotify listeners with their psychedelic folk anthe...
15 Jul 202549min
The Benson Boone-Doggle
In which we explore the unlikely rise, and surprising backlash against, one Benson Boone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
8 Jul 202532min
