Charlie Harding 6/20/25 Charlie Harding 6/20/25

Manchild and other songs about male incompetence

Looking for relationship advice? Skip the self-help books and turn to Sabrina Carpenter's latest single "Manchild" instead.

Charlie Harding 6/10/25 Charlie Harding 6/10/25

Frankly, Sinatra still matters (with Seth MacFarlane)

Frank Sinatra's influence on modern pop runs deeper than you think, from inventing the concept album to bridging jazz and rock, to leaving behind 1200 boxes of arrangements, the inspiration for Seth Macfarlane’s new album

Nate Sloan 6/6/25 Nate Sloan 6/6/25

Is the future of pop...heavy metal?!

Sleep Token merge pop and heavy metal, earning commercial success and a healthy dose of criticism

Reanna Cruz 5/27/25 Reanna Cruz 5/27/25

Charli XCX threw this party 4 us

How CharliXCX’s found a hit five years after it was released

Charlie Harding 5/22/25 Charlie Harding 5/22/25

Chartbreakers: Lorde & Drake reboot, Worship Pop, and the shortest song ever

Consulting the chart oracle and uncover the unusual happenings in pop music

Charlie Harding 5/13/25 Charlie Harding 5/13/25

‘Sinners’ summons the demons of American music

Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" isn't just a vampire flick, it's a musical time machine connecting Delta blues to hip-hop.

Nate Sloan 5/7/25 Nate Sloan 5/7/25

Eurovision feast: Poison Cake, Milkshake Man, and Espresso Macchiato (with Tommy Cash)

The best and weirdest of ESC 2025

Charlie Harding 5/1/25 Charlie Harding 5/1/25

Put your headphones on for TikTok's Addison Rae

Despite TikTok defining this decade's music landscape, the app hasn't spawned a bonafide pop superstar – yet. 24-year-old Addison Rae is trying to be the first.

Nate Sloan 4/22/25 Nate Sloan 4/22/25

Generation Taylor: Gracie, Maisie, Phoebe (with Jensen McRae)

Why Taylor Swift became the biggest influence in a generation

Charlie Harding 4/22/25 Charlie Harding 4/22/25

Music’s New Success Model

Nate Sloan 4/8/25 Nate Sloan 4/8/25

Miley Cyrus goes avant-garde

What’s next for a pop star with nothing left to prove?

Charlie Harding 4/1/25 Charlie Harding 4/1/25

Chappell Roan is giving country… and hair metal?

When queer pop artist Chappell Roan topped the country charts, she revealed how the genre has always been about musical drag—from AC/DC's production techniques to Shania Twain's feminist revolution.

Charlie Harding 3/25/25 Charlie Harding 3/25/25

Writing The Who’s “My Generation” With Pete Townshend

Behind the making of a generational anthem

Reanna Cruz 3/18/25 Reanna Cruz 3/18/25

Lady Gaga's Monster Return

A tour through Lady Gaga's inspiration, imitation, and self references on Mayhem’s Museum of Brutality

Nate Sloan 3/11/25 Nate Sloan 3/11/25

How Missy Elliott and Timbaland Freaked the World

“Get Ur Freak On” Pushed Pop into the Future

Nate Sloan 3/4/25 Nate Sloan 3/4/25

Playing "Hide and Seek" with Imogen Heap

How a late night studio improvisation created a surprise hit

Charlie Harding 2/25/25 Charlie Harding 2/25/25

The Umbrella Effect: How Rihanna’s Breakout Hit Changed Pop Music Forever

In this Modern Classics episode, we explore how Rihanna's "Umbrella" not only catapulted her to superstardom through its iconic vocal hooks and protective message, but also revolutionized music production by legitimizing GarageBand loops for mainstream hits, forever changing how pop is made.

Charlie Harding 2/18/25 Charlie Harding 2/18/25

Learning to love: Tate McRae

Tate McRae and the “Simple Pop” formula

Charlie Harding 2/11/25 Charlie Harding 2/11/25

Does it trance? The Weeknd & FKA Twigs

Is trance music making a comeback in 2025? FKA twigs fully embraces the genre's euphoric sound while The Weeknd flirts with its textures, signaling a potential return of the Y2K dance phenomenon.

Charlie Harding 2/4/25 Charlie Harding 2/4/25

How Spotify hacked our ears (and our data)

Who controls the playlists?

Mini Series

Featured

Listening 2 Madonna: Ray of Light

The third essential aspect of Madonna's holy trinity is her ever-shifting spirituality.

Listening 2 Madonna: Spanish Eyes

To understand Madonna is to see her music as a cultural melting pot.

Listening 2 Madonna: Who's That Girl?

The way Madonna communicates gender is integral to understanding her and her music.

Featured

Newcomers: Porter Robinson

The new sound of Porter Robinson

Newcomers: Jhayco

Jhayco moves from the background to the foreground

Newcomers: Magdalena Bay

Few pop groups are making music as imaginative as Magdalena Bay.

Featured

Listening 2 Daft Punk: Random Access Memories

The robots gain a heart and soul - and self-destruct in the process

Listening 2 Daft Punk: Human After All / Alive 2007

The French duo’s anti-utopian disco-rock record makes us question, are they robot, or are they human?

Listening 2 Daft Punk: Discovery

On their second album Discovery, Daft Punk fully lean into the artificial – singing through robotic vocoders that correspond with their now-iconic robot helmets.

Listening 2 Daft Punk: Homework

On their first album, Homework, Daft Punk stretched the boundaries of electronic music and began wiring the circuits that would become their robot alter-egos, asking a fundamental question: where does the human end and the machine begin?

Featured

Listening 2 Britney: Gimme More

Leave Britney’s (voice) alone

Listening 2 Britney: Toxic

How Bollywood strings, surf guitar, and Britney’s ethereal vocals add up to pop perfection

Listening 2 Britney: I’m A Slave 4 U

Enter The Neptunes – Britney’s Virginia Beach Era

Listening 2 Britney: ...Baby One More Time

Breaking down the unmistakeable voice of Britney Spears

Featured

Modern Classics: Carina del Valle Schorske on Cat Power's "Manhattan"

Why every song about Manhattan is a pop song

Modern Classics: Mark Ronson on Ginuwine's "Pony"

The "Uptown Funk" hitmaker breaks down the innovations behind pop's biggest smashes

Modern Classics: Yola on Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” and the Longevity of Soul

“I realized that Classic Soul can exist with everything and somehow not lose its potency.”

Modern Classics: Labrinth's "Sexy MF" (with Sam Sanders)

“They're all these little secrets and surprises that pop up...it's like bespoke, maximalist, power pop.”

Featured

THE 5TH — MOVEMENT IV, What Beethoven Would Have Wanted

When we listen closely to the Fifth, we hear that's it more than a museum piece, it’s a living testament to self-expression and determination.

THE 5TH — MOVEMENT III, Putting the Classism in Classical

Before Beethoven’s time, classical music culture looked and sounded quite different. In episode III we explore how Beethoven’s symphony was used to generate the strict culture of classical music — and the politics that undergird those norms of behavior.

THE 5TH — MOVEMENT II, From Struggle to Victory

In movements II , III and IV, Beethoven keeps trying to overcome his dark fate with bright major melodies, and keeps getting defeated.

THE 5TH — MOVEMENT I, A Battle Brewing

The first four notes of the piece are more than a modern meme, they’re the main character in a drama life and death.

Featured

ANTHEMS: Missy Elliott — Work It

Cultural critic Ivie Ani breaks down how Missy Elliott broke into the pantheon of anthems, and how she changed the scope of who could belong.

ANTHEMS: Smash Mouth - All Star

How “All Star” became an anthem played in sports arenas, soundtracked by Hollywood, and embedded into seemingly every internet meme.

ANTHEMS: Jock Jams — Get Ready For This

n 1995, ESPN launched Jock Jams Volume 1, a compilation record that would define the sound of sports for the next quarter century.

ANTHEMS: Queen — We Are The Champions

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles’ album “Something To Say” makes you want to get up and dance as much as it makes you want to take action.