Switched on Pop

Latest Episodes:

A unified popstar theory from Tinashe Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

On her eighth studio album Popstar, the criminally underrated multihyphenate Tinashe finally asserts herself as a Main Pop Girl, crafting a record about what it means to be a celebrity in the modern era. For her, it’s about grinding for years, living in the fantasy, and connecting herself to an artistic lineage – asserting a compelling thesis on stardom. On this episode of Switched On Pop, Reanna and Charlie talk all things Tinashe, and do some serious uplifting in the process.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Tinashe – Sunglasses
Tinashe – Nasty
Tinashe – 2 On (feat. ScHoolboy Q)
Tinashe – Melatonin
Tinashe – I’d Rather Be Alone
Disco Lines, Tinashe – No Broke Boys
Tinashe – Too Easy
Tinashe – Popstar
Tinashe – The Show Must Go On
Britney Spears – Circus
Britney Spears – Piece of Me
Tinashe – Empty Stadium
Janet Jackson – Empty
Tinashe – Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore
Nine Inch Nails – Closer
Nine Inch Nails, Boys Noize – Closer - Nine Inch Noize
Miley Cyrus – Gimme What I Want
Rihanna – Kiss It Better

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The 'bummer hope' of midwest emo (ft. Yvette Young and Mike Kinsella) Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

A few months ago, Nate came across a glittering guitar riff unlike anything he had ever heard before; it managed to perfectly balance careful optimism with plaintive melancholy, stirring the spirit. That melody, played by guitarist Yvette Young, was a shining example of the “midwest emo” sound, a genre pioneered by bands like American Football, Gauge, and Braid. On this episode of Switched On Pop, Nate introduces Charlie to all things midwest and emo, speaking with Young and American Football frontman Mike Kinsella in the process.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Link to Charlie and Nate's live event with Jensen McRae @ USC!

Songs discussed:

Gauge – Blunchlox
Braid – Never Will Come For Us
Joan Of Arc – The Hands
American Football – Never Meant
American Football – Stay Home
Covet, San Holo – shibuya (ft. San Holo)
Tiny Moving Parts – Always Focused
Oliver Houston – The Dork Ages
American Football – Man Overboard
American Football – Bad Moons

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The rise of surrealist pop: KATSEYE and ADÉLA Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

The music of global girl group KATSEYE might be confusing on first listen. A less-generous read might consider their songs to be rudimentary: the lyrics are mostly nonsense, the instrumentals evoke lesser 2010s pop songs, and the aesthetic can’t decide whether it’s targeted to children or adults. However, maybe the nonsensical nature of KATSEYE is also… the point? And maybe that point is tethered to early surrealist movements of the early twentieth century?

On this episode of Switched on Pop, producer Reanna makes the case to Nate that KATSEYE and ADÉLA are indicative of a larger shift in pop music, one that tethers itself to Marcel Duchamp and the dada movement.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Link to Charlie and Nate’s live event with Jensen McRae at USC!

Songs discussed:

The Lonely Island, Emma Stone – Turn Up The Beef
KATSEYE – Gnarly
KATSEYE – Animal
KATSEYE – Hootie Frutti
KATSEYE – PINKY UP
Fifth Harmony – I’m In Love With a Monster
Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
Britney Spears – Toxic
Britney Spears – Circus
Da Hool – Meet Her at the Loveparade
Little Richard – Tutti Frutti
ADÉLA – Ain’t In La
Miley Cyrus – We Can’t Stop
ADÉLA – Nicole Kidman

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Why we need bad music Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

For the 500th(!) episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate try to answer the question that has stumped critics and philosophers since the dawn of sound: does bad music exist? Their quest to answer something so nebulous leads them through the annals of taste, and in the process, they recruit several other critics and journalists to give their two cents on the topic. Can things actually be bad, and if so, how do we define them?

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Kristin Chenoweth, “Taylor the Latte Boy”
Komar and Melamid & Dave Soldier, “The Most Unwanted Song"
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, "Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35: III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo"
Johann Strauss II, The Blue Danube"
Johann Sebastian Bach, "The Well-Tempered Clavier No. 2: Prelude and Fugue in C minor"
Pete Rock & CL Smooth, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
Lil Yachty, "1 Night"
Sam Laxton, Lonskii, “Adagio For Strings”
Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, “Get Lucky”
Florence Foster Jenkins, "Queen of the Night’s Aria"
BB King, Eric Clapton, “Riding With the King”
Paul McCartney, "Temporary Secretary"
The Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun"
Paul McCartney, "Wonderful Christmastime"
Lou Reed, "Who Am I? (Tripitena’s Song)"
Insane Clown Posse, "Miracles"
Primus, "DMV"
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli xcx, "Fancy"
The Killers, "Human"

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Has Taylor Swift jumped the shark? Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

One year after the release of her twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift is back with an encore. Specifically, The Encore, four tracks that have polarized critics and Swifties alike, from the country-esque number one hit “Patient Zero” to her ode to married Ohioan bliss, “Cleveland!” For some, the new songs lean into Swift’s worst writing impulses. But for others, including our hosts (and resident Swiftologists) Charlie and Nate, the tracks call back to earlier eras of Swift’s songwriting, and perhaps evoke more nuanced discussion about what it means to release music as the biggest artist in the world. The question is: are we ready for it?

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Taylor Swift, “Patient Zero”
Taylor Swift, “Cleveland!”
Taylor Swift, “Pink Clouding”
Taylor Swift, “Babylon”
Taylor Swift, “Red”

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Carly Rae Jepsen’s pop pedagogy Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Five years after her first appearance on Switched on Pop, Carly Rae Jepsen returns to the podcast to talk all things Day and Night, her latest album. Born out of Swedish disco, big emotion, and substantive life change – including becoming a wife and a mother – the double album is a tour through the organic and the synthetic, both in equal measure. For Charlie and Nate, this is a full circle moment, and along with discussing the record, the two talk to Jepsen about the origins of the show, her songwriting process, and what it means to be such an important champion of pop music.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Carly Rae Jepsen, “After All”
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Versailles”
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Don’t Leave Me on the Dance Floor”
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Near or Far”
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Motivation”

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Tove Lo wants her music to sound out of control (ft. Tove Lo) Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo’s new album ESTRUS can be summarized in the opening lyrics of the album’s closing track, “source of life”: “Feral, fragile, numb, ecstatic / sad, euphoric, catatonic / Horny, repulsed, proud and shameful / Good, demonic, contradictions.”

A songwriter with a string of multi-platinum hits in the 2010s, Tove Lo has crafted a career founded on musical contradiction, with songs that straddle the line between messy and controlled. Her lyrics tend to skew both horny and sensitive, and her latest record features both of those vibes in equal measure. On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate sit down with her to talk all things ESTRUS.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Tove Lo, “a lot of feelings, no solutions”
Tove Lo, “I’m your girl right?”
Stromae, “Alors on danse”
Tove Lo, “des fleurs x Stromae”
Tove Lo, “DNH”
Tove Lo, “F.A.M.T”
Tove Lo, “are we on a break”
Tove Lo, “idiot”
Tove Lo, “source of life”

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Lizzy McAlpine summons Nick Drake & Joni Mitchell Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Lizzy McAlpine opens up about her 4th album Angel alongside collaborators Mason Stoops and Taylor Mackall. Recorded live at Power Station at Berklee NYC.

Songs Discussed

Lizzy McAlpine "Anybody's Fool"

Lizzy McAlpine "A Car Wash and a New Pair of Pants"

Nick Drake "One of These Things First"

Lizzy McAlpine "Two Elevens"

Adam Guettel "Through the Mountain"

Lizzy McAlpine "Our Strange Ways"

Joni Mitchell "Hejira"

Lizzy McAlpine "Soldier of the Road"

Lizzy McAlpine "Peach"

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The power of singing together (ft. Tiny Habits) Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Throughout pop history, groups from The Ink Spots to the Beach Boys to Fleetwood Mac all forged their sound in the alchemy of vocal harmonies, harnessing the magic that happens when different voices join as one. Then suddenly, right around the 1980s, vocal harmonies started to wane in pop. Whether it was Michael Jackson creating a new model of the solo star, music technology making the voice more like an instrument, or simply audiences wanting a new sound, today the art of vocal harmony is hard to find on the charts. But bands like Tiny Habits, whose originals and covers showcase intricate and delicate harmonies, are bringing the sound back to the people, with a message that everyone needs to sing more, and to sing together.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Fleetwood Mac – The Chain
The Roches – Hammond Song
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Pérotin, The Hilliard Ensemble – Viderunt omnes
Mbuti men – Elephant Hunting Song
Bulgarian State Television Female Choir – Pilentze Pee
The Golden Gate Quartet – Stormy Weather
The Jackson 5 – Who’s Lovin’ You
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – C’mon Marianne
The Beach Boys – Barbara Ann
Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough
Tiny Habits – Right In Front Of Me
Tiny Habits – Anything He Was
Tiny Habits – one more (live acoustic)

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Questionably Country Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

For the first time in history, five country songs were at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Ella Langley, Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift and Stella Lefty all have songs that range from two-stepping hits to borderline Americana: what do these songs say about the state of country music?

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

Songs discussed:

Dolly Parton, “9 to 5”
Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, “Islands In the Stream”
Dolly Parton, “Rockstar”
Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
Ronnie Milsap, “Smoky Mountain Rain”
George Strait, “Amarillo By Morning”
Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues”
Brad Paisley, “Cluster Pluck (feat. James Burton, Vince Gill, Albert Lee, John Jorgenson, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert & Steve Wariner)”
Buddy Holly, “That’ll Be The Day”
Stevie Ray Vaughan, “Texas Flood”
George Strait, “All My Ex’s Live In Texas”
The Pointer Sisters, “Slow Hand”
Conway Twitty, “Slow Hand”
Morgan Wallen, “Been By Now”
Ella Langley & Morgan Wallen, “I Can’t Love You Anymore”
Taylor Swift, “I Knew It, I Knew You (From ‘Toy Story 5’)”
Squeeze, “Tempted”
The Velvet Underground, “Sweet Jane”
Taylor Swift, “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
Taylor Swift, “cardigan”
Stella Lefty, “Boston”
Noah Kahan, “Stick Season”

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