Bass distorted to the edge of audibility; voices croaking out dark and violent lyrics; a hacked-together DIY aesthetic. This isn't a fringe musical movement, this is the sound of TikTok, the video app used by millions in Generation Z. And soon enough it might also be the sound of pop as we know it. Cat Zhang from Pitchfork stops by to clue us into the sonic ... Show More
Aug 25
Phoebe Bridgers opens her Moleskine
Many of us keep a journal, but few of us are able to turn our unvarnished thoughts into cultural moments touching on love, death, and guitars quite like Phoebe Bridgers. Her new album Lost Weekend isn’t just throwing the pages of her personal life into song, it’s much more than t ... Show More
36m 27s
Aug 18
We have Confessions to make...
Madonna has returned this summer with Confessions II: an album full of huge hooks, pounding bass, and sincere emotion. It’s the queen of pop's first record in seven years, and serves as a sequel to her 2005 smash hit, Confessions on a Dance Floor. The record ties together threads ... Show More
39m 6s
May 2024
Boom Bling: TikTok's sonic guerrilla marketing
TikTok’s sonic logo is one of the fastest growing sonic logos in history. Today, that little sound is being heard millions of times a day on apps like Instagram, Reddit and Youtube… but creating it wasn’t easy. To make it, the creative team went through thousands of iterations, e ... Show More
20m 34s
Nov 2020
Inside the Reinvention of the Music Business
From TikTok to Fortnite to Twitch and beyond, we discuss how the music business is radically transforming in 2020. Amy X. Wang, Samantha Hissong, and Ethan Millman join host Brian Hiatt for a look at the innovators on Rolling Stone’s Future 25 list. Learn more about your ad choic ... Show More
33m 24s
Aug 2022
The Worst Songs of all Time
From "Blurred Lines" to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bitch," we look at some of the worst songs ever - while also questioning whether we can really be sure of "worst songs" in 2022, when the canon and our own tastes are in a constant state of reevaluation. Plus, a look at how pressure ... Show More
56m 34s