Switched on Pop

A podcast all about the making and meaning of popular music. Musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding pull back the curtain on how pop hits work magic on our ears & our culture. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Music Commentary
Music Interviews
Music History
176
ICYMI: The Mystery of Montero AKA Lil Nas X (fe...
How Lil Nas X Rattled the World to Earn his Second #1 Hit
34 min
177
Deja Vu: Why Olivia Rodrigo keeps giving up son...
Copyright lawsuits are on the rise and changing the music business
57 min
178
CHVRCHES and the sound of 80s horror
How internet trolls and horror film icon John Carpenter inspired their new album Screen Violence
31 min
179
From Taylor Swift to Bon Iver, Aaron Dessner Fi...
“Being collaborative is risky on some level...but it's the most important thing”
25 min
180
Modern Classics: Carina del Valle Schorske on C...
Why every song about Manhattan is a pop song
28 min
181
The Joy of Music Festivals
Darkside’s Dave Harrington & listeners share their best moments
25 min
182
The Beauty and Horror of Insane Clown Posse's S...
What we can learn from one of the most controversial, and most misunderstood, music festivals
33 min
183
How Coachella took the Woodstock look
The Cut takes over Switched On Pop
24 min
184
Modern Classics: Mark Ronson on Ginuwine's "Pony"
The "Uptown Funk" hitmaker breaks down the innovations behind pop's biggest smashes
36 min
185
Summer Hits: Jack Antonoff on Bleachers “Stop M...
“The things that pull me to write are when I feel something that scares me or fills me with joy or mystery.”
39 min
186
Modern Classics: Yola on Childish Gambino’s “Re...
On her new album, Yola channels sounds of the past to shine light on today
31 min
187
The Appealing Uneasiness of Listening to L’Rain...
How the artist’s album Fatigue “mirrors my interest in illegibility.”
24 min
188
Summer Hits: City Girls - Twerkulator (with Kyr...
For rap duo City Girls, twerking is more than a dance move - it's a reclamation
22 min
189
Summer Hits: Lorde - Solar Power (w Hanif Abdur...
Is Lorde's new summer song a banger or a dud?
29 min
190
Summer Hits: Olivia Rodrigo - good 4 u (with Je...
A history of women raging on the mic
33 min
191
Modern Classics: Labrinth's "Sexy MF" (with Sam...
Our favorite radio host breaks down Labrinth's "bespoke, maximalist, power pop"
28 min
192
Growing Pains with Lucy Dacus
“I think a lot of childhood is crisis mode, and if it's not crisis mode, its auto-pilot”
30 min
193
Summer Hits: BTS - Butter (with Jenna Andrews)
"How cool to have a summer song that can just make people happy”
34 min
194
Pop’s Worst Kept Secret ft. Emily Warren
The Pact fights back against artists who steal publishing
26 min
195
40 Years Later, Japanese City Pop is Still Cras...
How Japanese pop of the 1970s and 80s became the sound of our digital present
29 min
196
J Cole’s The Off Season and the Power of the 12...
A rapper at the top of his game tries to keep himself in shape
29 min
197
ICYMI Rina Sawayama Reimagines the 00s
The Women Reclaiming Nu-Metal
18 min
198
Vijay Iyer on why jazz has always been political
Improvised music isn't just virtuosity and technique, it's fighting racism and injustice
29 min
199
Introducing Galaxy Brains
34 min
200
Turns out Willow Smith rocks
The emo/pop punk track "Transparent Soul" makes us ask why didn't we take Willow seriously
29 min