Spider-Man: Brand New Day and What’s Making Us Happy

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour (NPR) — Detailed Summary Spider-Man: Brand New Day and What’s Making Us Happy July 31, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour features hosts Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, and Stephen Thompson discussing "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," the latest installment in the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man series. The conversation unpacks the film’s tone, themes, character dynamics, and how it fits into the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), before moving on to each host’s pop culture recommendations for the week. The hosts provide thoughtful analysis, personal reactions, and some lighthearted back-and-forth, capturing the show's trademark blend of critical insight and conversational warmth.

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Main Discussion: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (00:22–17:39)

Film Setup and Context (00:22–02:40)

• Linda Holmes recaps the plot: Following the events of "No Way Home," Peter Parker has erased his identity from everyone’s memory. Brand New Day picks up with Peter as a recluse, estranged from MJ and Ned, and befriending only Frank Castle/The Punisher. Mysterious attacks and Peter’s evolving powers add to the stakes, with emotional and physical challenges on all sides.

Reactions to Tone and Execution

Stephen Thompson (02:40–04:19)

• Praises the earlier Tom Holland films for their “lightness” and buoyant action sequences.
• Finds this film “effective” but “more dour” and “portentous,” missing lighter elements, especially the Peter-Ned buddy quality.
• Observes that the movie feels like a “bridge sequel,” trying to reset the franchise rather than propel it forward.
• Quote:

  “There is a portentousness to it, and a dourness to it, that for me, I found a little disappointing. I wanted more light.” (03:18)

Glen Weldon (04:21–06:47)

• Appreciates the return to a more grounded approach for Spider-Man.”
• Notes the effectiveness of a new, dance-inspired villain but laments the film’s tilt into “angst and loneliness.”
• Suggests the “Sadie Sink of it all” (referring to an actor’s subplot) feels tacked on and not integral to the main narrative.
• Quote:

  “He can be quippy and lighthearted, but he is racked with guilt and shame and angst and here heartbreak and loneliness and… depression. That’s what’s going on here.” (05:46)

Linda Holmes (06:47–08:16)

• Misses the focus on the central trio (Peter, MJ, Ned) due to side plots and franchise sprawl.
• Feels the presence of The Punisher as Peter’s companion signals a shift into darker territory.
• Quote:

  “It’s the replacement of Ned as his friend with the Punisher as his friend, which is punishing in a way.” (08:30)

Stephen Thompson & Glen Weldon (08:16–11:00)

• Commend Jon Bernthal’s comic take on Punisher but question whether that’s what Spider-Man stories need.
• Debate Tom Holland’s “sweetness” versus other interpretations (e.g., Jake Johnson in “Into the Spider-Verse”).
• Note the film’s struggle to bring an “edge” to Holland’s Peter Parker.

Linda Holmes (11:00–13:03)

• Considers the film’s darker tone a result of both where the story is and the sensibility of director Dustin Daniel Cretton (“Short Term 12,” “Shang-Chi”).
• Compares its “beginning of a story” structure to other bridging Marvel movies like “Infinity War.”
• Provides service journalism: confirms there’s a post-credits scene, but “it does not give you very much more than Spider-Man will return.” (13:10)

Post-Credits Scene Discussion (12:55–13:13)

• Quote:

  “There’s no reason to [stay for the post-credits scene].” — Glen Weldon (13:13)

Supporting Characters & Chemistry

Zendaya/MJ (13:16–14:39)

• Linda notes less screen time for Zendaya/MJ, questions if it’s due to her career or narrative necessity.
• Stephen thinks MJ lacks agency in this film, feeling “ancillary to this story.” (14:03)
• Glen adds that MJ’s supposed “dark and weird” persona has “never really manifested on screen.”

The Loss of Support System (14:39–15:49)

• Peter has always been “surrounded by love” (Aunt May, Ned, MJ, Tony Stark), and their absence may explain the film’s mood shift.
• Glen suggests “the story is him coming to realize he needs to be with other people” (15:34).

Pacing, Visuals, and Action (15:49–17:36)

• Glen finds the rooftop scenes fake, resembling video game environments, which Linda argues is an intentional aesthetic inspired by both comics and video games.
• Stephen appreciates “brightly lit action scenes” and the movie’s non-traditional rhythm (multiple rises and falls, as opposed to a long setup then a single showdown).

Overall Takeaways

• All hosts acknowledge the film is well-made but caution that it might not be the Spider-Man film everyone wanted.
• It dials up the “dark night of the soul” while sacrificing some of the franchise’s signature levity and emotional warmth.
• Each host respects that some fans will appreciate a more grounded, somber Spider-Man.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Stephen Thompson:

  "This film is trying to get us not so much from, like, point C to point D, but from point C back to a new point A." (03:32)

• Glen Weldon:

  "He's always very funny, he's always very sad. He's both—the two stroke engine to this film." (05:24)

• Linda Holmes:

  "Even in the multiverse thing, which I’m not normally a big multiverse person... there’s a lot of lightness in the interplay between the three Spider-Men and with the villains." (09:09)

• Linda Holmes:

  “This is Spider-Man’s dark night of the soul. And in a world full of dark nights of the soul, including my own, I think I missed the…” (08:51)

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Segment: What’s Making Us Happy (19:26–24:53)

Glen Weldon: The Jimmy Awards (19:33)

• Recommends watching performances from the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (“Jimmy Awards”) on YouTube or Instagram.
• Appreciates the “big theater kid energy” and the annual influx of young performers.
• Quote:

  “They have their own YouTube channel… Not the entire ceremony, but just like the musical elements, the performances.” (20:37)

Stephen Thompson: Swap Meet — Mount Zero (21:09)

• Recommends an album by Australian band Swap Meet, embracing a 1993 college radio sound — “big, jagged, gnarly guitars” and “loud, quiet, loud arrangements.”
• Self-deprecatingly admits his love of nostalgia, while cautioning against it.
• Quote:

  “Nostalgia is a mind prison… On the other hand, I am such a sucker for a band that sounds like I’m back at my old college radio station in 1993.” (21:09)

Linda Holmes: Frieda McFadden's Thrillers (22:31)

• Praises McFadden’s twist-heavy domestic thrillers (“The Housemaid,” “The Divorce,” “Dear Debbie,” “Never Lie”).
• Loves the outlandishness and “twistiness” of the books: “She loves not just an unreliable narrator, but like whatever is past an unreliable narrator.” (23:18)
• Quote:

  “Do I think she plays fair? Mostly? Yes. A little bit? No. Sometimes. But I don’t mind because it’s so fun when you hit the twisty parts.” (23:35)

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Key Timestamps

• Plot Recap / Film Setup 00:22–02:40
• Stephen Thompson’s Take 02:40–04:19
• Glen Weldon’s Take 04:21–06:47
• Sadie Sink’s Character Discussion 06:47–07:20
• Discussion of MJ/Zendaya 13:16–14:39
• On the Loss of Peter's Support System 14:39–15:34
• Visuals / Action Scenes 15:49–17:36
• What’s Making Us Happy 19:26–24:53

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Tone & Style

The episode keeps its conversational, insightful, and lightly irreverent tone, blending personal preference with broader cultural observation. The hosts don’t just review — they relate, joke, and push each other’s perspectives, making even disagreements gentle and accessible.

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Summary Statement

This lively episode offers a nuanced take on "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," highlighting the film’s shift toward darkness and introspection, the absence of key character relationships, and its role as a “bridge” within the Spider-Man franchise. The hosts agree the movie is well-made and effective but express nostalgia for the series’ signature humor and buoyancy. Their pop culture picks round out the episode with joyful, quirky recommendations across music, YA theater, and twisty fiction, making this recap as energetic and thoughtful as the discussion itself.

Transcript

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

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[Linda Holmes]

When we last saw Peter Parker, he'd lost everything. His family, his friends and the whole world's awareness that he was in fact Spider Man. Now, now in Brand New Day, his beloved city is again in danger. And with nowhere to turn, he has to figure out a way to help.

[Glen Weldon]

Tom Holland and Zendaya are back as Peter and mj. But there are some new faces too, or at least some faces that are new to Peter's world. I'm Glenn Weldon.

[Linda Holmes]

And I'm Linda Holmes. And joining us today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is our co host Stephen Thompson. Hello, Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

Hello buddy.

[Linda Holmes]

It's so good to see you. I will offer a little peek behind the curtain that we usually record at home, but for reasons we in historic Studio 44 together on Tuesday morning where we used to record this show for a long time. So if you sense that we're all gazing lovingly at each other, that is why. All right, so Brand New Day is the Follow up to 2021's no Way Home. That was the Multiverse story where several different Spider men came together to fight a large cast of villains. And where at the end Doctor Strange fixed an impending catastrophe by wiping out not only everyone's memory that Peter per Parker is Spider man, but everyone's memory of ever having known Peter. Now Peter, played by Tom Holland has been a recluse for several years, tackling low level crime very effectively but without the company of his beloved MJ played by Zendaya or his friend Ned, played by Jacob Bottleon. Oddly enough, the only friend he hangs out with seems to be Frank Castle, AKA the Punisher, played by John Bernthal, who knows him only as Spider Man. In Brand New Day, two things are happening. One is that a mysterious force is repeatedly attack Department of Damage Control. But also Peter seems to be undergoing some changes he doesn't understand that are interfering with his web shooters and giving him terrible headaches. Spider puberty. He'll have to fight the enemy, fix his own spider body and maybe possibly find his way back to MJ and Ned. Brand New Day is in theaters now. Stephen Thompson, I'm gonna start with you. I know you were a very big fan of some of the previous movies in this standalone Spider man series. How did you feel about this one?

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah. As you said, I really, really love these Tom Holland Spider man movies, in part because there is a lightness to them. Not only does Tom Holland bring this kind of impish, kind of boyish quality to it, but the way the action moves, it moves with a lightness, like the battle sequences play out almost like dance routines. And that feels very different from a lot of the more leaden superhero action that we've grown accustomed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And so I tend to really love these movies, in part because they have jokes and in part because they just have a buoyancy to them that is missing from so many others. This film, I think, is a very effective film in this series. I think it's well made. I think the action sequences work really well. But there is a portentousness to it and a dourness to it that, for me, I found a little disappointing. I wanted more light. One thing this film really made me realize is how important the relationship between Peter Parker and Ned is, in part because they're buddies. There's this buddy quality to the other films that this film does not have as much. And so also, this is a bridge sequel. This is the fourth of these films, not counting Spider Man's appearances in other movies. And it's clearly trying to get us not so much from, like, point C to point D, but from point C back to a new point A. And so it feels like it's trying to do a lot of plot business that is getting in the way of hijinks.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, I get that. All right, Glenn, what did you think?

[Glen Weldon]

I mean, this was fun, but Spider man occupies a very specific niche in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's the kid from Queens. He can do space, he can do cosmic, but that's not his element. And if you put him in space, you're putting him there to kind of create the contrast and have him be like that guy from Clerks who keeps saying, I'm not even supposed to be here today. That's what he's there for. So we're doing grounded here. And we're doing grounded for a very specific reason, because people maybe weren't feeling the multiverse cosmic stuff. They certainly weren't feeling the Kang. The Quantumania.

[Stephen Thompson]

The Quantumania. No.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah. No. So here's we're getting grounded, and here is how grounded this film is. There is a character whose superpower is depicted on screen with one, a sound effect, and two, choreo, basically with modern dance. And I do kind of like imagining them kind of Sitting around a table at a mixer maybe and kind of introduce. I can turn into flames and I have the proportionate strength and agility of a spider. I can instigate a Twyletharp flash mob. You know, that's my thing.

[Linda Holmes]

I thought that was very effective though. It's cool and it's different and it's creepy.

[Glen Weldon]

Here's the thing, it looks so cool, it is so weirdly kinetic and it beats actors just grimacing at each other while flashy stuff goes on around them. It's so much better than that and it's so much more effective. But we are pulling back and as Steven mentioned, we are in the, in the fuel mixture of Spider Man. He's always very funny, he's always very sad. He's both the two stroke engine to this film.

[Stephen Thompson]

That's a very common combination.

[Glen Weldon]

It is a very common combination, especially in the mcu. But he can be quippy and lighthearted, but he is racked with guilt and shame and angst and here heartbreak and loneliness and let's just say depression. That's what's going on here. And that mix everybody. When you tell a Spider man story, you adjust the dial and this dial is turned way over into angst and loneliness and heartbreak. And that's not the Spider man film I was clamoring for. But I know for a fact, I've heard from critics and from people and from listeners of the show that they want a grounded Spider man story that hits the human emotional aspect of it. That's what they're getting here. Wasn't for me, wasn't as fun as I wanted it to be because it was doing that because it fractured these three characters in the last film and it has to deal with the repercussions. The Sadie Sink of it all is kind of hovering above the story and not really in the heart of those three characters. And so that's why it feels tacked on as I think Stephen would do.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, we're not going to talk about exactly who she is playing, but I think the story of the Sadie Sink character kind of never really feels like it's one with the rest of the movie. It kind of feels like a. You know, it used to be that on a sitcom you could kind of tell when you were suddenly watching something that was meant to be a backdoor pilot or some other. And it was like, I understand the Bradys know these people, but this just feels like they're playing, this guy isn't

[Stephen Thompson]

one of the Golden Girls.

[Glen Weldon]

What are you doing here? Ken Barry. It is Ken Berry, by the way.

[Linda Holmes]

So that's kind of what this felt like to me. It felt a bit like they were just borrowing the opportunity to show her in this movie in order to do something else, which obviously, like, they've done that a million times. But I think this was not one that particularly worked well for me. But that's partly because we had been away from Tom Holland's Spider man for almost five years, and I was really eager to get back into that story. And so having a lot of time taken up by something else, the kind of launch of this other thing, I didn't care for as much. I want to make it clear, I think we all feel the same way, which is. I don't look at this and think that they did a bad job of it or that it's unsuccessful, really. It just depends on what you want. And I think you can get a lot of a clue of where they were going tonally with the fact that the friend they chose for him is the Punisher, right?

[Stephen Thompson]

Yes.

[Linda Holmes]

And granted, it is a relatively jokey version of the Punisher.

[Glen Weldon]

In fact, they've shunted a lot of the humor in the film onto the shoulders of Fred Castle, Jon Bernthal. And that's what we talked about. What's effective. That was an effect.

[Linda Holmes]

Right. It's the replacement of Ned as his friend with the Punisher as his friend, which is punishing in a way. And so, to me, I agree with both of you. I think they made it very well. I think Holland and Zendaya are both very good in this. I think his emotional conundrum was very well presented and well acted. But this is Spider Man's dark night of the soul. And in a world full of dark nights of the soul, including my own, I think I missed the. Even in the multiverse thing, which I'm not normally a big multiverse person. I get discombobulated by the multiverse, as you're supposed to. But even though there's heavy stuff, too, there's a lot of lightness in the interplay between the three spider men and with the villains. That's all really good stuff.

[Stephen Thompson]

No Way Home is a fantastic superhero movie. It is one of my favorite superhero movies. And so part of the issue with this one for me is it's following on the heels of something I loved so much, but taking away a lot of the elements that I loved best about it. I do think Jon Bernthal does give you a version of the Punisher that is probably the most interesting version of The Punisher. To me, I'm not a Punisher guy, never have been, probably never will be. Like the film knows he's always teetering into self parody. And so the film plays with that a little bit. And clearly he's there to set up this kind of Iron man versus Captain America. Two different weights into how to deal with a crisis. And one is burdened by the weight of morality and the other one has this kind of by any means necessary approach. But I'm not a Punisher guy. I was not craving an injection of that level of kind of like ultimate grim and gritty superhero character.

[Additional Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah.

[Glen Weldon]

And so what we're seeing here is a world weary Peter Parker, which is kind of the whole thing that Jake Johnson is voicing into the Spider Verse films. And I don't know if Tom Holland's Peter Parker could ever get to, could ever become that worldwide because there is something different about his performance. A sweetness, an essential sweetness. And the Jake Johnson Spider Verse version has an edge that is just not here. And I think this film is sometimes struggling to give this version of Peter Parker and edge.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah.

[Glen Weldon]

And I don't know if that's what I want from him.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah. You know, it's interesting because part of the issue here for me is that this is clearly the beginning of a story. And you know, if you think about a movie like Infinity War and you think about where that movie left you at the snap and the disappearance of many of your favorite people, the feel of that movie is really, really heavy. But you know that there's another one coming. And I think one thing that's going to be interesting to see is that eventually when we see the next piece of this, does that balance of sort of sadness and kind of triumph balance out differently? Because I think there's a good chance it will. It's just that this is the risk you take. And the other thing is this was directed by Dustin Daniel Cretton. He directed Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. But more to the point here, he directed short term 12, which is a very small, very intimate movie. One of the first things people really notice Brie Larson in. So when you get a really good director of feelingsy business and you put them on a dark night of the soul movie, you're gonna get a particularly evocative sad film. There's literally a card that says Spider man will return. And by the way, I was shocked by the way. Yeah. And by the way, while we are here, I think we can offer you a small piece of intel Right. You know, everybody sits at a Marvel movie and they wonder, is there a post credits scene? Do I need to stay?

[Stephen Thompson]

It's been two and a half hours. You might have to go to the bathroom, but you're rocking back and forth in your seat.

[Linda Holmes]

I don't want to miss anything. If they're going to do like a big reveal of something really cool or if they're going to do like a great joke, like the shawarma bit at the end of Avengers. Right. Neither of those.

[Glen Weldon]

Nope.

[Linda Holmes]

Is there a post credit? Technically, yes. It does not give you very much more than Spider man will Return.

[Glen Weldon]

Not since Harry Styles at the end of Eternals has there been more of a nothing at the end of a Marvel.

[Linda Holmes]

You absolutely don't need it.

[Glen Weldon]

Head to the parking lot.

[Linda Holmes]

You don't need it.

[Glen Weldon]

Avoid the crowd.

[Linda Holmes]

There's no reason to.

[Stephen Thompson]

Service journalism.

[Glen Weldon]

Exactly.

[Linda Holmes]

Service journalism, baby. We're here because we care. You know, I want to ask one other question, which is since these movies started, I would say Zendaya has gone from like famous person to like sort of mega famous person. And I felt like maybe there was a little bit less of her in this than the movie would have benefited from having. And I wondered if it was because of all the other stuff that she does. I wondered if it was because of her busyness. But I can't tell whether it's just because of the place that they're at in the story. You don't get as much mj. Cause obviously they're separated mentally.

[Stephen Thompson]

I think it's that her character really doesn't have any agency here. Like, her character is kind of waiting for things to happen to her. And so she feels very ancillary to this story. And that's part of, I think, what throws off the fuel mixture.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah, yeah. And this version of MJ is always talked about as being kind of dark and weird. And that has never really manifested on screen here. It really doesn't. She's playing it very straight ahead, very straightforward. Yeah, I think she's great. And their chemistry, believe it or not, is believable.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, right. I mean, who knew?

[Glen Weldon]

But yeah, I mean, she's not given much to do except be rescued a couple times.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah. And I think the other element that I would mention that has maybe kind of thrown off that fuel mixture that we've been talking about is that Aunt May died in the previous movie. And so he doesn't have her, he doesn't have Ned and mj. And what he has instead, as we've already mentioned, is the Punisher.

[Stephen Thompson]

Punisher and AI.

[Linda Holmes]

So there's a way. Yeah, yeah. But there's a way in which he's always been kind of surrounded by love. You know, for him, he's had loving people in his life. Even his relationship with Tony Stark, you know, he's always had people who cared about him to interact with. And I think not having warm people who care about that character for him to interact with has also maybe thrown it off a little bit. But again, I'm talking about thrown off from what I have enjoyed. I'm not talking about thrown off from right or wrong, good or bad.

[Glen Weldon]

And there's gonna be people who say, well, that's the story. The story is him coming to realize he needs to be with other people.

[Linda Holmes]

Like I said, dark night of the soul.

[Glen Weldon]

Dark night of the soul. And it's fine as long as it's not a slog to get to that realization. And it's not a slogan, fun movie. But it. Yeah.

[Linda Holmes]

And for a two and a half hour movie, I was not terribly aware of how long it was. I wasn't sitting there being like, this is long and boring.

[Glen Weldon]

You know what I was aware of, though, is whenever we had a rooftop scene, didn't so much happen in the street scenes. But whenever there's a rooftop scene, they've always felt like they take place on a soundstage. Right. Because it's Hollywood. This felt like that rooftop is in the middle of a PS5 game. Like, that rooftop looks really like the quality of light or something. It just looks really fake.

[Linda Holmes]

I think to some degree they've done that intentionally, though. There is some that the people who made the film have talked about that they were somewhat inspired by not just the comics, but also like the other movies, but also the games. And so it's like. I think some of that is a chosen aesthetic, because I agree with you. I felt the same way, but it kind of like weirdly worked for me because I felt like they were doing it with some intention as opposed to, like, this is supposed to look realistic. And it doesn't.

[Stephen Thompson]

I agree with what Linda's saying, and I also. I've seen so many where so much of the action by necessity takes place in the darkness, like in an alley at night so that you can't even see who's doing what. I appreciate a brightly lit action scene. And I think it's one reason that I tend to like the action sequences in these films more than a lot of other superhero action.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, I liked the action in this. I did not have as much the feeling that I often have with the big superhero movies of setup and then stall, stall, stall, stall, stall, stall, stall battle. Right.

[Stephen Thompson]

This has way too much ground to cover.

[Linda Holmes]

It has a different rhythm. It has multiple kind of smaller rises and falls in the tension, which I think is really useful. So I do in a lot of ways think it's a successful movie. I just really miss the lighter. I think I come down in the same place as maybe both of you a little bit.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah.

[Glen Weldon]

I think there are people who want this Spider man movie. More power to them.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. I have no quarrel with that. Well, that is Spider Man. Brand new day. And up next, we're going to talk about what is making us happy this week.

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[Linda Holmes]

Now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What's making us happy this week? GLENN weldon, I'm going to start with you.

[Glen Weldon]

What is making it is that time of year again. The Jimmy Awards took place in June. We have discussed the Jimmy Awards before. This is a national competition for the best Performers in high school musicals, they come to New York, they get coached, they perform together and then they get solos first in a series of medleys that make no sense because you have. And this is an actual. But this is kind of the vibe. You have Curly from Oklahoma leading to Velma Kelly leading to a newsie leading to Gomez Adams to Eurydice. By the way, lots of Hadestown this year. Lots out in the country. There must be a lot of 15 year old Hermes and Hades.

[Stephen Thompson]

I love it. Talk about more power tool.

[Additional Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah.

[Glen Weldon]

And they try to provide connective tissue during those medleys because of course they do. They're theater kid. Big theater kid energy. But there is no ligament in the world that can connect these things together. But if you watch every year as I've been doing, you start to see something I didn't think about, which is that the same kids show up. Because of course, you know, high school is a four year prison term. So they're gonna keep coming back. They're gonna get several bites of the Big Apple. That is the Jimmy Awards. They have their own YouTube ch.

[Stephen Thompson]

So you can go back and revisit them on YouTube.

[Glen Weldon]

Absolutely. Not the entire ceremony, but just like the musical elements, the performances.

[Linda Holmes]

Absolutely. I spent a lovely afternoon on Instagram just kind of going through them. And particularly, I will admit, finding songs I knew, which is not all of them. These days. These days I'm like, oh, that's right. There was a musical made of that movie that was okay. Yeah, I love those kids. Thank you very much, Glen Weldon. That is the Jimmy Awards. You can find them on YouTube. Stephen Thompson, what is making you happy this week, buddy?

[Stephen Thompson]

So on one hand, I feel like nostalgia is a mind prison.

[Linda Holmes]

Yes.

[Stephen Thompson]

That keeps us longing for a past that never existed instead of working to build a better tomorrow. On the other hand, I am such a sucker for a band that sounds like I'm back at my old college radio station in 1993. So what I'm trying to say is that nostalgia in others is bad. There is a new ish Australian band called Swap Meet that just put out an album I find totally irresistible. Big, jagged, gnarly guitars, a mix of salty and sugary voices. Loud, quiet, loud arrangements. You can hear what I'm talking about in this song. It's called I know.

[Glen Weldon]

I don't know if college radio is a genre of music.

[Stephen Thompson]

It is. That is quintessential, specifically College Radio circa 1993. And the fact that I was 21 at the time. Total coincidence that I would pine for those Days musically, but there's just such brightness, such playfulness, not an ounce of fat on this whole record. I love it. That's Swap Meet. Their new record is called Mount Zero.

[Linda Holmes]

All right. Thank you very much, Stephen Thompson, for bringing very Stephen Thompsonian music to us here in pop culture Happy Hour. So what is making me happy this week? A few weeks ago, I talked about a writer named Sherry Le Pena who writes thrillers, and I have been on a domestic thriller tear, which has brought me, perhaps inevitably, to Frieda McFadden. Frida McFadden wrote the Housemaid, which was made into the movie the Housemaid with Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seifer. And if you have seen the Housemaid, you know that it contains some wild twistiness. It turns out this is the Freda McFadden brand. And when I say twistiness, I don't just mean like regular thriller twistiness. I mean, you read the book and you go, what? To the point where some people, when they review her books, will be like, this was so ridiculous. It completely lost me. But I personally, since I tend to read books like this in one sitting in the evening on a night when I'm not watching baseball, I will tear through it. Very often. I end up going, heh heh. Or I just go, no way. She loves not just an unreliable narrator, but like a whatever is past unreliable narrator. Her stuff is just. It's funny, but it's also really suspenseful. You just have to be ready for the fact that you're not gonna know. And then when it hits you, you're gonna be like, oh, oh. And do I think she plays fair? Mostly? Yes. A little bit? No. Sometimes. But I don't mind because it's so fun when you hit the twisty parts. So if you are looking for a very, very twisty book, a couple of the ones I have read recently, there's one called the Divorce, there is one called Dear Debbie, and there is one called Never Lie. And all of those have absolutely delighted me with how absolutely wackadoodle they are. Love it. Absolutely Love it. Frida McFadden Thrillers. That is what is making me happy this week. And that brings us to the end of our show. If you want links for what we recommended, plus some more recommendations, sign up for our [e-mail] pop culturenewsletter Glenn Weldon. Stephen Thompson, thank you so much for being here.

[Glen Weldon]

Thank you.

[Linda Holmes]

Delighted to see you both. This episode is produced by Mike Katsiff and Hafsa Fathoma and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reedy. Hello. Come in provides our theme music. Thanks for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Linda Holmes, and we'll see you all next week.

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