Podcast
Switched on Pop
Hosted by Vulture · EN
Listen closer to pop music — hear how it moves us. Hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
48episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Paul McCartney went back to Liverpool for something new to say
5d ago00:42:08Tap to summarizeBoys of Dungeon Lane, McCartney's collaboration with producer Andrew Watt, arrived when McCartney was 83 and and he came out swinging: the opening track greets listeners with a dissonant, unresolved guitar chord that sets the album's tone. Harmonic instability runs through the entire record: chromatic mediants, deceptive cadences, and persistent pedal tones prevent even the most nostalgic songs from settling into comfort. The album's lyrics focus on McCartney's pre-Beatles Liverpool youth, territory unfamiliar even to long-time fans. The songs pay deliberate sonic tribute to specific Beatles recordings: Mellotron strings echoing "Strawberry Fields Forever," a backwards laugh tape loop answering "Tomorrow Never Knows," a first-ever McCartney/Starr vocal duet so close in timbre the two voices are nearly indistinguishable. Songs discussed:Paul McCartney – "Mull of Kintyre"Paul McCartney – "As You Lie There"The Beatles – "Blackbird"The Beatles – "Helter Skelter"The Beatles – "You Never Give Me Your Money"Paul McCartney – "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey"Paul McCartney – "Band on the Run"Paul McCartney – "Live and Let Die"Paul McCartney – "Mountaintop"The Beatles – "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"The Beatles – "For No One"The Beatles – "Because"The Beatles – "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"The Beatles – "Octopus's Garden"Paul McCartney – "Down South"The Beatles – "Two of Us"Paul McCartney – "We Two"The Beatles – "Strawberry Fields Forever"Paul McCartney – "Never Know Those"The Beatles – "Tomorrow Never Knows"Paul McCartney – "Salesman Saint"John Lennon – "Working Class Hero"John Cougar Mellencamp – "Small Town"Paul McCartney – “Home to Us” (with Ringo Starr)Paul McCartney – "The Days We Left Behind"The Beatles – "When I'm Sixty Four" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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How a sci-fi dystopia became a personal utopia (ft. Arc Iris)
1w ago00:13:02Tap to summarizeA sci-fi ballet imagined a 2080 where AI strips people of purpose, and the day before its New York premiere, an actual dystopia arrived. Arc Iris, the trio of Jocie Adams, Zach Tenorio and Ray Belli, built iTMRW as a concept record set in a future ruled by a mega-corporation that shares its name. In its world, AI has taken most jobs and even the thinking left inside them, so the corporation offers pods where anyone can live any dream in virtual reality. The piece premiered in Cambridge in January 2020, then its New York show collapsed the day before the lockdown. What follows is the story of a project that outlasted its own premise. When venues closed, they left Providence for Los Angeles, rebuilt a dilapidated house, spent eight months in a 120-square-foot shed, and constructed their own studio and stage. The dystopia they wrote became, in their telling, a personal utopia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Why bands give us purpose (ft. MUNA)
2w ago00:52:19Tap to summarizeA culture that rewards easily consumable individual identities produces plenty of pop stars and almost no bands. A significant exception: MUNA, the trio of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson. MUNA treats the band as a structure that grounds identity beyond the ego and makes any success feel shared among the three. Their new album, Dancing on the Wall, wraps that conviction in blaring, unapologetic '80s production: slap bass, brightness pushed to the front, and everything connected in one time and place.Links: Newsletter, YouTube MUNA, "It Gets So Hot" MUNA, "Dancing on the Wall" Lionel Richie, "Dancing on the Ceiling" MUNA, "Eastside Girls" Yello, "Oh Yeah" Dead or Alive, "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" Pet Shop Boys, "West End Girls" Billy Joel, "We Didn't Start the Fire" Charli XCX, "365" MUNA, "Wannabeher" Bikini Kill, "Rebel Girl" Peaches, "Boys Wanna Be Her" Le Tigre, "Deceptacon" MUNA, "Big Stick" MUNA, "Anything But Me" Flobots, "Handlebars" MUNA, "I Know a Place" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Drake's Slop Era
3w ago00:55:45Tap to summarizeCanada’s favorite export Drake is back! This month, the Toronto singer-rapper extraordinaire released three albums simultaneously: the long-anticipated return to form Iceman, the sultry, R&B Habibti and the pop-focused, clubby Maid of Honour. All three albums have much different vibes, and are Drake’s first official solo efforts since his seismic beef with Kendrick Lamar back in 2024. There’s a lot of music to talk about. As a result, Reanna argues that we are living in an era of “Drake Slop” – low-effort, mass-produced dumps of music, often with confused intentions. On this episode of Switched on Pop, Reanna, Charlie, and Nate explore all that these three albums have to offer, and try to figure out exactly what is going on in the twisted mind of Aubrey Graham. Links: Newsletter, YouTube Songs discussed: Drake – Shabang Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us Drake – Circadian Rhythm Drake, Central Cee – Which One Drake – NOKIA Drake – Make Them Cry Drake – Janice STFU Drake – Make Them Pay Drake, Future, Molly Santana – Ran To Atlanta Future, Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lamar – Like That Drake – 2 Hard 4 The Radio YG, Slim 400 – Word Is Bond Mac Dre – 2 Hard 4 the Fuckin' Radio Drake – Rusty Intro Rihanna, Kanye West, Paul McCartney – FourFiveSeconds Drake – High Fives Drake – Tuscan Leather Drake – Classic Drake – Teenage Fever Drake, Sexyy Red – Cheetah Print Drake, Sexyy Red, SZA – Rich Baby Daddy Afrika Bambaataa, The Soulsonic Force – Planet Rock Drake – BBW Queen – Fat Bottomed Girls Drake – Princess A$AP Rocky – PUNK ROCKY Drake – Find Your Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Kacey Musgraves walks country’s borderlands
4w ago00:39:11Tap to summarizeKacey Musgraves' album Middle of Nowhere finds the country outlaw taking a break from exploring her inner life to look outward, back to her roots: the regional stylings of Texas. She says the album was inspired by a sign in her hometown that read “Golden, TX: Somewhere in the middle of nowhere.” The album’s sounds probe this same borderland mentality, encapsulating desert noir, Norteño, tejano, and soft rock. Plus, Willie Nelson. The result is a collection of songs that are funny, moving, and reaching back to the sound Musgraves established in her debut record 13 years ago. But the world of country has changed since then – artists like Ella Langley have taken over the charts, cribbing Musgraves' sound while courting a more conservative audience. Can the genre encompass all these multitudes? Nate and Charlie explore this debate through Middle of Nowhere. Links: Newsletter, YouTube Songs discussed: Kacey Musgraves – I Miss You Kacey Musgraves – Merry Go 'Round Kacey Musgraves – High Horse Kacey Musgraves – justified Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well Kacey Musgraves – Dry Spell Kacey Musgraves, Billy Strings – Everybody Wants To Be A Cowboy Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson – Uncertain, TX Kacey Musgraves – Middle of Nowhere Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert – Horses and Divorces Miranda Lambert – Mama's Broken Heart Ella Langley – Choosin' Texas Dolly Parton, David Hidalgo – Before The Next Teardrop Falls Ella Langley – Be Her Kacey Musgraves – Rhinestoned Neil Young – Harvest Moon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Rostam reimagines American music
4w ago00:54:09Tap to summarizeThe pedal steel and the saz both live in the spaces between equal-tempered notes, and that gap is where Rostam built American Stories. Rostam joined Vampire Weekend at Columbia in 2006, produced the band's first three albums, and after leaving in 2016 made records with Clairo and Haim you can identify as his within a few bars. His solo album, American Stories, reflects his experience as an American whose family is from Iran. He came into the studio this past March, just after the United States launched military operations there. It's a record that asks us to listen between two cultures. SONGS DISCUSSED Rostam "Like a Spark" Wilco "What Light" HAIM "Summer Girl" Rostam "Back of a Truck" Bob Dylan "Like a Rolling Stone" Bob Dylan "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" The Supremes "You Keep Me Hangin' On" Lou Reed "Perfect Day" Rostam "Forgive Is to Know" Rostam "Hardy" (ft. Clairo) Clairo “Sophia” Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam “A 1000 Times” David Bowie "I Can't Give Everything Away" Rostam "The Road to Death" Rostam "Come Apart" Rostam "Campus (Original Version)" Rostam "The Weight" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Eurovision is back – but not without controversy
May 1200:54:35Tap to summarizeThe flowers are blooming and the calendar says May. That can only mean one thing: the Eurovision Song Contest is upon us once again. This year, thirty-five countries face off to determine the best song that Europe and adjacent continents have to offer. However, the competition comes with a big asterisk: while Eurovision prides themselves on being “apolitical,” the inclusion of Israel in the competition has led to a massive boycott, and the nations of Ireland, Spain, Iceland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands all withdrawing their participation. These are very real concerns impacting the general tenor of the competition this year, and are worth deeply considering. Since Eurovision is music news, and proves fundamental in discovering new sounds in global pop, as reporters, Nate, Charlie, and Reanna run down the top contenders according to bookmakers as of this recording. If you’re not watching this year, you’ll still know what’s going on. But if Eurovision isn’t of interest, it’s all good. At the end of the episode, Nate, Charlie, and Reanna also take some time to run down the current state of Switched On Pop bingo. Get your own bingo card here. Links: Newsletter, YouTube Songs discussed: Céline Dion – Ne partez pas sans moi ABBA – Waterloo Joost – Europapa JJ – Wasted Love Delta Goodrem – Eclipse Søren Torpegaard Lund – Før Vi Går Hjem Ariana Grande – One Last Time Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper – Shallow Akylas – Ferto Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha Linda Lampenius, Pete Parkkonen – Liekinheitin Windows95man – No Rules Erika Vikman – ICH KOMME DARA – Bangaranga Alexandra Cǎpitǎnescu – Choke Me Satoshi – Viva, Moldova! PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson – Stateside Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Samara Cyn is rap's best new writer
May 800:37:34Tap to summarizeHow do you write a rap verse that's clever without saying so? Samara Cyn, one of the sharpest young writers in hip-hop, joins us to talk about Detour, her new EP about going analog. We get into wordplay versus narrative, the Missy Elliott blueprint behind "oooshxt!", and why she takes a knee in the vocal booth when a line won't come out. Songs Discussed Samara Cyn — "Sinner" Samara Cyn "BUSHWICK" Samara Cyn — "FREE" Samara Cyn — "Highest" Samara Cyn — "oooshxt!" Samara Cyn — "summer's turning" Samara Cyn — "over influence" Samara Cyn — "Nomad" Samara Cyn — "Bad Brain" Newsletter: https://switchedonpop.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Olivia Rodrigo and the second verse massacre
May 500:44:15Tap to summarizeOlivia Rodrigo's chart-topping new single "drop dead," the lead single from her forthcoming third album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, breaks one of pop's oldest rules by abandoning the traditional second verse and replacing it with something entirely new. From Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" to Sabrina Carpenter's "Manchild" and Chappell Roan's "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl," a growing wave of today's biggest pop stars are ditching the verse-chorus formula listeners have been trained to expect for decades. Rodrigo didn't invent the second-verse switch-up, but on "drop dead" she may have just killed off the predictable second verse for good. Songs Discussed Frank Zappa "Charlene" Olivia Rodrigo "drop dead" The Cure "Just Like Heaven" Jean-Baptiste Lully "The Tragey of Armide" Ryan Brown conducting Opera Lafayette Olivia Rodrigo "drivers license" Olivia Rodrigo "good 4 u" Olivia Rodrigo "vampire" Olivia Rodrigo "ballad of a homeschooled girl" Arnold Schoenberg Pierrot Lunaire — Patricia Kopatchinskaja Mariah Carey "Fantasy" (ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard) Blackstreet "No Diggity" (ft. Dr. Dre, Queen Pen) Peter Gabriel "Don't Give Up" (ft. Kate Bush) Kendrick Lamar, SZA "luther" Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars "Die With a Smile" Post Malone, Swae Lee "Sunflower" HUNTR/X "Golden" Joshua Bassett, Olivia Rodrigo "Start of Something New" Matt Cornett, Olivia Rodrigo "What I've Been Looking For" Olivia Rodrigo "All I Want" The Avett Brothers "I and Love and You" Sheryl Crow "Strong Enough" Sabrina Carpenter "Please Please Please" Sabrina Carpenter "Manchild" Chappell Roan "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" Chappell Roan "HOT TO GO!" Chappell Roan "Red Wine Supernova" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Hrishikesh Hirway made an album about running out of time — in no time
Apr 2800:43:12Tap to summarizeHrishikesh Hirway, host of Song Exploder, returns with his first album in fifteen years, In the Last Hour of Light, made under a premise that's almost contradictory for a podcaster built around isolated stems: session players who had never heard the songs, vocals tracked live in the room, no click track, and no overdubs. The layered style that defines current pop production is itself a relatively recent development. Hirway's record reaches back to the older live-tracking tradition that shaped the 1950s and 60s Bollywood recordings he grew up listening to in his parents' house. The album is about memory and so it’s appropriate that the music is recorded whole in all its beautiful imperfections. Songs Discussed Hrishikesh Hirway "Things Change Even Now" Hrishikesh Hirway "Stray Dogs" Hrishikesh Hirway "The Ocean" Hrishikesh Hirway "Home Movies" Adrienne Lenker “Anything” Chuck Berry "Maybellene" The Beatles "Twist and Shout" James Brown "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" Sidney Bechet "The Sheik of Araby" Les Paul & Mary Ford "How High the Moon" The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" The Beatles “A Day In The Life” Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody" Jacob Collier "With the Love in My Heart" Brandi Carlile "You and Me on the Rock" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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