Switched on Pop

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MUSIC COMMENTARY
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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.

15 HR AGO

The Power of the Trio (ft. Trousdale live at USC)

There's no lead singer in Trousdale. The trio of Quinn D'Andrea, Georgia Greene, and Lauren Jones, has shared vocal duties equally since they started singing together as students at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. Since then, they've touring the world and released a sophomore album, Growing Pains, that features the trio's impeccable harmonies over 70s-inflected country-rock grooves. In this episode, Trousdale returns to their alma mater to play acoustic versions of "Growing Pains" and "Secondhand Smoke" and then speak to Professor Nate (plus an audience of music students) about how they forged their indivisible sound. Songs Discussed Trousdale - Growing Pains, Over and Over, Lonely Nights, Movie Star Jackson Browne - Doctor My Eyes MIKA - Grace Kelly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

49 min
3 DAYS AGO

Doja Cat is the new Janet

This summer, one singular artist could be heard everywhere from the new Cardi B album to the TikTok charts: Janet Jackson. The incomparable Queen of Pop has had her fingerprints all over pop music for the past few months, and it’s never been more apparent than on Doja Cat’s “Jealous Type.” The lead single from Doja’s new album Vie has all the hallmarks of the Janet Jackson sound, from breathy and percussive vocals to nods to iconic production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. This episode of Switched on Pop, we go on a journey guided by Janet, and discover the implicit connections to Doja Cat – the so-called “queen of pop-rap” – in the process. Vote for Switched On Pop in this year's Signal Awards! We're nominated for Best Music Podcast and Best Original Score/Music, linked here. Thank you! Songs discussed: Janet Jackson – Someone To Call My Lover Sabrina Carpenter – House Tour Cardi B, Janet Jackson – Principal (feat. Janet Jackson) Doja Cat – Jealous Type Janet Jackson – What Have You Done For Me Lately Janet Jackson – Nasty Janet Jackson – Feedback Janet Jackson – What About Prince – 1999 Janet Jackson – Throb Janet Jackson – Control Janet Jackson – When I Think Of You Janet Jackson – Go Deep Doja Cat – Cyber Sex Doja Cat – Rules Doja Cat – Boss Bitch Doja Cat – Woman Doja Cat – Agora Hills Janet Jackson – Let’s Wait Awhile Janet Jackson – Escapade Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

36 min
23 SEPT

Stockholm syndrome: Why we can't resist Swedish pop (ft. Zara Larsson)

How does a country of 10 million people dominate the global pop charts? From ABBA's Eurovision breakthrough to Max Martin's methodical hit-making, Sweden has quietly engineered a kind of musical Stockholm Syndrome: we've all become captives to their sound without realizing it. Listen to the crystalline vocal production and deceptively simple chord progressions in tracks by Lisa, Childish Gambino, and Addison Rae, and you're hearing Sweden's sonic fingerprint so embedded in pop's DNA that it now defines the genre itself. We sit down with pop star Zara Larsson to explore her love letter to home, "Midnight Sun." As she puts it, "I can't really leave Sweden; it's just something that's like a part of who I am," a sentiment that captures how Swedish pop's unique blend of melancholy and euphoria, mirroring the country's extreme seasons, has made us all willing prisoners of Stockholm's musical empire. Songs Discussed Lisa ft. Rosalia: "New Woman" Childish Gambino: "Lithonia" Addison Rae: "Fame Is a Gun" Bleachers: "Tiny Moves" Zara Larsson: "Midnight Sun" Robyn: "Show Me Love" Robyn: "Dancing on My Own" Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Brad Mehldau "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

43 min
17 SEPT

The music theory behind K Pop Demon Hunters' chart dominance

It's time. Nate and Charlie break down the K Pop Demonhunters soundtrack to uncover the musical secrets behind its unprecedented success. From West Side Story to Gregorian chant, Phrygian modes to musical theater clichés, we 'll explain why you can't stop listening to the sounds of Huntr/x and Saja Boys. Songs Discussed Huntr/x - How It's Done, Golden, What it Sounds Like Saja Boys - Soda Pop, Your Idol Aldred Deller and the Deller Consort - Dies Irae West Side Story - Jet Song Aespa - Drama Riize - Get a Guitar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

42 min
15 SEPT

The architecture of the album with Djo (Joe Keery live at NYU)

Halfway through the opening track of Joe Keery's The Crux, a line emerges that sounds like casual conversation: "My dog is at my house again, but I live somewhere else." The song refuses to settle into predictable pop architecture, drifting from whispered confession to baroque strings that recall Pachelbel more than indie rock. Recorded live at NYU, Charlie explores how this structural restlessness reflects broader questions about authenticity in contemporary music, examining how Keery's creative process emerged from practical constraints like writing in Stranger Things trailers and stripping back arrangements to work live. The album's hotel metaphor isn't marketing concept but lived displacement: temporary rooms, fractured domesticity, the search for stability. From the snarky dismissiveness of "Basic Being Basic" to a stadium-rock anthem written for his sisters, The Crux demonstrates how eclectic influences can serve cohesive emotional architecture, trusting listeners to follow sophisticated progressions while never losing sight of why these songs matter to people finding their way back to their own hearts. Songs Discussed Djo - "End of Beginning" Djo - "Lonesome is a State of Mind" Djo - "Basic Being Basic" Djo - "Potion" Djo - "Charlie's Garden" Djo - "Back On You" Djo - "Carry the Name" Djo - "Crux" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

55 min
9 SEPT

Finneas and Ashe want you to start a band

Everyone should be in a band at some point—and Finneas and Ashe prove why. The Grammy-winning producer and rising singer-songwriter discuss how their friendship evolved into The Favors, a new band debuting their album The Dream on September 19th, 2025. We explore what it means to create as a band, how stepping back from confessional songwriting freed them creatively, and why sometimes the best way forward is embracing older ways of making music. SONGS DISCUSSED The Favors - "The Little Mess You Made" Ashe - "Moral of the Story" Ashe & Finneas - "Till Forever Falls Apart" Billie Eilish - "What Was I Made For?" The Favors - "Home Sweet Home" The Favors - "The Dream" The Favors - "Lake George" Billie Eilish - "bad guy" Simon and Garfunkel - "Old Friends" Simon and Garfunkel - "The Only Living Boy in New York" Simon and Garfunkel - "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" Simon and Garfunkel - "America" Rick Springfield - "Jessie's Girl" The Favors - "David's Brother" The Favors - "The Hudson" Fleetwood Mac - "Landslide" Fleetwood Mac - "Dreams" Kate Bush - "Running Up That Hill" Olivia Rodrigo - "drivers license" Sabrina Carpenter - "emails i can't send" Miley Cyrus - "Flowers" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

52 min
2 SEPT

Fleetwood Mac's Missing Link Album Returns After 50 Years

Fleetwood Mac has had a phenomenal resurgence in recent years, from TikTok viral fame to Broadway plays and streaming TV series inspired by the band. Their growing fandom among a new generation has created demand for the long out-of-print album Buckingham Nicks, the 1973 album by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks recorded before they joined Fleetwood Mac. The vinyl record is a collector's item, as this pre-band album helped secure the duo their spot in Fleetwood Mac. Now after four decades, on September 19th, the album is being reissued by Rhino Records. A few months back we looked at the legacy of Fleetwood Mac and spoke with Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham about their reinterpretation of the beloved Buckingham Nicks. Given the timing, we want to share that episode with you now to help you get ready for the re-release of this adored album. I hope you enjoy it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

54 min
26 AUG

The classical rebel who infiltrated pop music

You've heard those shimmering disco strings in Miley Cyrus's "Flowers," the cinematic arrangements on Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher, and the orchestral flourishes across Taylor Swift's catalog, but you probably didn't know they're all the work of one person: Rob Moose. The violinist and multi-instrumentalist has contributed to nearly 1,000 albums, quietly becoming pop music's most prolific string architect. In this conversation, Moose reveals how he translates classical training into contemporary pop language, working with everyone from Sufjan Stevens to Bon Iver to create arrangements that feel both intimate and epic. We dive into his process, explore how he's reshaped what strings can do in popular music, and uncover the craft behind those arrangements you can't get out of your head. MORE Subscribe to our newsletter to receive your own bingo card! Songs Discussed Miley Cyrus “Flowers” Phoebe Bridgers “Punisher” Phoebe Bridgers Copycat Killer (EP, includes re-arranged versions of “Punisher,” “Kyoto,” “Savior Complex,” “Chinese Satellite”) Sufjan Stevens “Chicago” Bon Iver “Everything Is Peaceful Love” RINI “Miracle” Bon Iver “Short Story” Bon Iver “Speyside” Phoebe Bridgers “Chinese Satellite” Phoebe Bridgers “Savior Complex” Phoebe Bridgers “Kyoto” Lizzy McAlpine “Ceilings” Gracie Abrams “I Love You, I’m Sorry” Rob Moose “I Bend But Never Break” ft Brittany Howard Alabama Shakes “Sound & Color” Taylor Swift “Hoax” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

52 min

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Charlie Harding

Host
Nate Sloan

Host

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.