EPISODE 297

Why does SZA's latest album SOS hit different? It's the way her melodies don't repeat where you expect them to, defying all the rules of pop songwriting. We break down how her endless melodies echo the intimate themes of her most recent release, and how they connect to genres ranging from gospel to Wagnerian opera.

Songs Discussed

SZA - Kill Bill, SOS, Shirt, Notice Me, Seek & Destroy, Gone Girl, Low, Smoking on My Ex Pack, Ghost in the Machine (ft Phoebe Bridgers), F2F

Sam Smith & Kim Petras - Unholy

Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero

Jazmine Sullivan - Girl Like Me (ft H.E.R.)

Summer Walker - No Love (ft. SZA)

Jessye Norman - Isoldes Liebestod