All Songs Considered: Andrew Bird on ‘The Pitt,’ Gia Margaret, and More of the Best New Songs

Host: Robin Hilton (B)
Co-host/Guest: Dora Levitt (C)
Date: February 17, 2026

Episode Overview

This week’s All Songs Considered is an exploration into the freshest and most moving music releases, highlighting standout tracks that the hosts “can’t stop listening to.” Robin Hilton and Dora Levitt discuss their favorite new finds—ranging from shoegaze and experimental hip hop, to emotionally resonant singer-songwriters—while weaving in personal anecdotes, thoughtful analysis, and discussions about the power of music in storytelling (including Andrew Bird’s original song for TV hit ‘The Pitt’). The episode has a warm, enthusiastic, and slightly nerdy tone, reflecting the hosts’ deep affection and knowledge for music discovery.

Key Discussion Points & Song Highlights

1. Dora’s Corner and Shoegaze’s Modern Moment

• [02:13-09:38]
• Robin showers praise on “Dora’s Corner,” a regular feature where Dora curates her top weekly new music picks.
• Dora spotlights LA-based band Draag (pronounced “Drag”), and their new shoegaze-inspired EP Miracle Drug—particularly the track “Finding Fear.”

“I just love… the way that they take sadness and grief and anxiety and loneliness and all these complicated feelings and run them through this filter—these roaring guitars that are crunchy and so loud and thunderous, but at the same time feel like they’re just kinda drifting in the ether in a really, really beautiful way.” — Robin Hilton [07:28]

• Dora notes the expansion of shoegaze into the modern era, citing connections to bands like They’re Gutting a Body of Water, Wisp, and the rise of cathartic, even “screaming” vocals.
• Shoegaze is recognized as having a “moment” in current music, described as both niche and now widely influential.

2. Mandy, Indiana—Industrial Experimentation and Identity

• [09:50-14:58]
• The hosts shift to Mandy, Indiana and their new album URGH (“Ugh”).
• Focus: the song “Try Saying Honey, Is That You?”
• Mandy, Indiana is a French-German group; the fictional band name and the album’s industrial/electronic sound come under the microscope.

“This reason I love it so much is because it really gets at this feeling of grappling with power and authority that the album as a whole talks a lot about—how it feels to be a young person in this dystopian time that we’re living in.” — Dora Levitt [13:41]

• Dora digs into the lyrical motif of authority and longing, relating the sampled refrain “Is that you?” to familial/parental presence, and mentions the album's use of samples from pop culture (“light as a feather, stiff as a board”).
• Robin comments on the album’s unsettling sonic character.

3. Andrew Bird's “Need Someone” for ‘The Pitt’—Music as Emotional Storytelling

• [17:09-22:38]
• Robin discusses the medical drama The Pitt and its reputation for unflinching realism.
• The Feb. 12 episode featured an original, deeply poignant song by Andrew Bird, “Need Someone”, commissioned specifically for a moving scene.

“All I know is you need someone in the by and by. Need someone who’s going to cry for you.” — Andrew Bird [19:30]

• Robin and Dora reflect on the song’s themes—mortality, memory, and the hope of being remembered.
• Robin relates being a parent to the yearning captured in Bird’s lyricism; Dora is struck by the combination of singing and gentle whistling.

“If I was on my deathbed, I would love… this would be the song that I would love the doctors to be fighting for my life for me.” — Dora Levitt [21:06]

• The hosts note the difference between writing existing songs for scenes versus the unique challenge of composing for a story’s emotional arc.

4. On Album Sequencing & Ratboys’ “Open Up”

• [22:47-30:58]
• Dora brings up the importance of song order on albums, suggesting it deserves a whole episode.
• She nominates Ratboys’ “Open Up”—the lead track from their new album Singing to an Empty Chair—as a prime example of a perfect opener.
• Robin and Dora praise the dynamic build, crisp vocals, and the song's fusion of country, rock, and “metal guitars.”

“It just sets the scene for such an emotionally aware and vulnerable album.” — Dora Levitt [29:47]

• Dora explains the themes of vulnerability, therapy, and the challenge of “rehearsing” emotional openness. Robin observes that the “euphoria” in the song is less about accomplishment than the anxious striving to open up.

5. Gia Margaret’s Gentle Vulnerability on “Everyone Around Me Dancing”

• [31:32-37:44]
• Robin spotlights Gia Margaret (also from Chicago), whose album Singing Again is due in April; he plays “Everyone Around Me Dancing.”
• The hosts note thematic parallels to Ratboys—outsider perspectives, longing for connection, and vulnerability.
• Dora emphasizes Margaret’s ambient style, sparse percussion, vocal layering, and the poetic repetition—all expressing a sort of “dissociation” and brain fog from being on the outside.
• Robin highlights Margaret’s backstory: after losing her voice in 2019, she focused on instrumental works. Now, her music’s vocal presence is more experimental, folded into the ambiance rather than dominant.

“It just really captures this sort of almost a kind of dissociation that you have when you are on the outside of something that you want to be a part of.” — Robin Hilton [35:49]

6. By Storm’s “Can I Have Youe For Myself”—Nostalgia, Loss, and Broken Sound

• [38:13-44:40]
• Dora’s final pick is the debut from By Storm (formerly Injury Reserve), “Can I Have Youe For Myself,” from My Ghosts Go Ghost.
• Dora’s deep personal connection with Injury Reserve frames her appreciation for By Storm’s explorations of grief, family, and transformation.

“It’s just so improvisational and beautiful… really sets the scene for this album that talks about loss and talks about growing your family and how that plays into the loss that we’ve experienced.” — Dora Levitt [39:41]

• Robin brings a critical observation: the trend of “intentionally blown out” or “broken” sound in modern production, as if recorded through damaged equipment, and sometimes “vocals that are completely lost in the mix.”
• Dora counters by referencing a review about the desire to create music that “can’t be captured and reproduced”—something “bigger than the container” intentionally challenging the listener to find clarity in noise.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [07:28 Robin Hilton]: “The way they take sadness and grief and anxiety and loneliness… and run them through this filter—these roaring guitars that are so crunchy and so loud and thunderous, but at the same time feel like they’re just drifting in the ether in a really, really beautiful way.”
• [13:41 Dora Levitt]: “It really gets at this feeling of grappling with power and authority…how it feels to be a young person in this dystopian time that we’re living in.”
• [21:06 Dora Levitt]: “If I was on my deathbed, I would love…this would be the song I would love the doctors to be fighting for my life for me.”
• [29:47 Dora Levitt]: “It just sets the scene for such an emotionally aware and vulnerable album.”
• [35:49 Robin Hilton]: “It just really captures this sort of…dissociation that you have when you are on the outside of something that you want to be a part of.”
• [41:48 Dora Levitt]: “Being able to parse through the moments that are clear and find the melodies and beautiful moments within…It’s bigger than the container.”

Timestamps of Major Segments

| Segment | Time | Main Topic / Song | |-----------------------|----------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Dora’s Corner/Shoegaze| 02:13-09:38 | Draag – "Finding Fear" | | Mandy, Indiana | 09:50-14:58 | "Try Saying Honey, Is That You?" | | Andrew Bird on The Pitt| 17:09-22:38 | "Need Someone" | | Album Sequencing | 22:47-30:58 | Ratboys – "Open Up" | | Gia Margaret | 31:32-37:44 | "Everyone Around Me Dancing" | | By Storm | 38:13-44:40 | "Can I Have Youe For Myself" |

Conclusion

This episode delivers a rich, thoughtful snapshot of contemporary music’s diverse emotional landscape—from cathartic shoegaze to avant hip hop, and indie singer-songwriter introspection. Robin and Dora’s interplay is affectionate and analytical, welcoming listeners to appreciate not just the sound, but the story, context, and feeling behind every song they highlight.