logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2016
30m 56s

Playing it Cool: How Tove Lo Aims High

Vulture
About this episode
On the surface, Tove Lo's new hit "Cool Girl" boasts a snappy, earworm chorus and an empowering message of self-reliance. Beneath its chill exterior, though, Lo's song burns with a passion bordering on rage, and sinister sonic undertones suggest an unreliable narrator who doesn't always mean what she says. The more layers one pulls back from this song, the m ... Show More
Up next
Aug 5
Summer Bummer (with Commotion’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud)
Every music critic seems to agree: 2025 has no true song of summer. Last August, Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominated the charts. This year…Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominates the charts. What’s going on? Why is there no new summer song to unite us in collective listening, a ... Show More
37m 1s
Jul 29
Justin Bieber's Lo-fi Bedroom Swag
Justin Bieber is back with his seventh studio album: the aptly-titled SWAG. The lo-fi, reverb-laden record is a remarkably candid look inside the world of Bieber, using the palette of both underground pop and 90's R&B to accentuate lyrics about his wife, his struggles, and his "s ... Show More
43m 51s
Jul 22
How podcasting got its sound ft. Breakmaster Cylinder
What if the entire sound of modern podcasting can be traced back to a single Grateful Dead song uploaded in 2001? We uncover the musical lineage that connects NPR's classical gravitas to dubstep wobbles, from the very first RSS feed experiment to the mysterious masked composer wh ... Show More
46m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2019
How To Write a Hit Song: The Love Junkies
Lori McKenna, Liz Rose and Hillary Lidnsey—known as the Love Junkies—write some of the best songs in Nashville today. Between the three of them, they've helped launch Taylor Swift, pushed Lady Gaga into country music—with her album "Joanne"—and gave country music one of its more ... Show More
41m 30s
Sep 2021
Tori Amos — “Cornflake Girl”
Rob explores singer-songwriter Tori Amos’s hit single “Cornflake Girl” by discussing her performing prowess, her unique artistry, and her tense relationship with the press.This episode was originally produced as a Music and Talk show available exclusively on Spotify. Find the ful ... Show More
59m 31s
Sep 2023
The Nostalgic, Messy Fun of Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS
Puja Patel, Jeremy Larson, and Cat Zhang talk about the pop darling’s highly anticipated sophomore album, which is packed with hilarious one-liners, cross-generational music references, and the spectacular drama of being a girl in the world. Read Cat’s review here. Learn more abo ... Show More
37m 55s
Mar 2021
'Lover' | Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has emerged from the darkness of 'Reputation' and into the light and happy phase of 'Lover.' This is Taylor in love. Nathan and Nora talk about the singles that lead this album, some of the music that potentially inspired songs like "Paper Rings" and "Death by a Thou ... Show More
1h 23m
Apr 2017
Halsey Explains It All: Inside Her New Album and Much More
In her first interview about June 2nd's hopeless fountain kingdom, she goes in-depth on the creation of the album, its elaborate concept and the real-life heartbreak behind the song. She also talks with host Brian Hiatt about the making of her smash-hit Chainsmokers collaboration ... Show More
52m 40s
Dec 2023
“Santeria”—Sublime
Listen as Rob reminisces on some of the funniest songs he heard from the back seat of the car as a child, before turning his focus to Sublime, the band’s frontman Bradley Nowell, and the jarring storytelling on the Sublime song “Date Rape.” Somewhere along the way, Rob is able to ... Show More
1h 33m
Jul 2023
‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ | Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
Nora and Nathan break down the most recent release in Taylor Swift’s rerecording project: ‘Speak Now.’ They talk about the songs where her voice has most obviously changed and how it is different (25:26), their favorite vault songs from this rerelease and where they might be pull ... Show More
2h 5m
Jun 2023
Can "Cruel Summer" Still Be the Song of the Summer? | Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
Nora and Nathan talk about the news that "Cruel Summer," from Taylor Swift's 2019 album, 'Lover,' was released this week as a single. They talk about whether the move could bump the song to the top of the charts (1:00) and why she might have decided to make "ME!" the first single ... Show More
37m 54s
Apr 2021
'Fearless (Taylor's Version)' | Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's version of her album 'Fearless' is here and it's everything we could want it to be. Nora and Nathan talk about some highlights from the rerecorded album and compare it to the first version of 'Fearless,' discuss how the reception of these rerecorded songs will impa ... Show More
1h 11m
Aug 2023
Kylie Minogue: 3. She Can’t Get You Out of Her Head
Join Scott Mills for the ultimate celebration of the UK’s best-loved pop star, who this year headlines Radio 2 in the Park on Sunday 17th September.Australia rings in the New Year first. But as a new millennium dawns, one of her favourite daughters is relaxing in LA. She won’t be ... Show More
25m 43s