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.
Episodes
Music only the World Cup could make
Jun 30, 2026 · 37 min
Why we can't resist Swedish pop (ft. Zara Larsson) ICYMI
Jun 23, 2026 · 44 min
2hollis is the underground’s genre-hopping vampire
Jun 18, 2026 · 31 min
Pop music for an internet-pilled generation
Jun 17, 2026 · 25 min
The new wave of pop is here, and it’s feral
Jun 16, 2026 · 32 min
Olivia Rodrigo has The Cure for sadness
Jun 15, 2026 · 42 min
Paul McCartney went back to Liverpool for something new to say
Jun 9, 2026 · 42 min
How a sci-fi dystopia became a personal utopia (ft. Arc Iris)
Jun 5, 2026 · 13 min
Why bands give us purpose (ft. MUNA)
Jun 2, 2026 · 52 min
Drake's Slop Era
May 26, 2026 · 55 min
Kacey Musgraves walks country’s borderlands
May 19, 2026 · 39 min
Rostam reimagines American music
May 15, 2026 · 54 min
Eurovision is back – but not without controversy
May 12, 2026 · 54 min
Samara Cyn is rap's best new writer
May 8, 2026 · 37 min
Olivia Rodrigo and the second verse massacre
May 5, 2026 · 44 min
Hrishikesh Hirway made an album about running out of time — in no time
Apr 28, 2026 · 43 min
BTS is back. But K Pop is not the same.
Apr 21, 2026 · 48 min
Maggie Rogers: going viral is a trap
Apr 17, 2026 · 37 min
Learning to Love Train: "Drops of Jupiter" is back in the atmosphere
Apr 14, 2026 · 47 min
Slayyyter might actually be the 'Worst Girl in America'
Apr 7, 2026 · 38 min
How Charlie Puth honored Whitney Houston for 125 million people (live at Berklee NYC)
Apr 3, 2026 · 55 min
RAYE’s maximalist masterpiece is the hope we need
Mar 31, 2026 · 42 min
Where have all the white rappers gone?
Mar 24, 2026 · 50 min
Jacob Collier can make anyone sing
Mar 17, 2026 · 55 min
Harry Styles loses himself to dance
Mar 10, 2026 · 43 min
Can Bruno Mars counterprogram his way to another hit album?
Mar 3, 2026 · 44 min
Charli XCX’s "Wuthering Heights" fever dream
Feb 24, 2026 · 48 min
Will Sinners do for blues what O Brother did for bluegrass?
Feb 17, 2026 · 51 min
Jazz is A$AP Rocky’s secret weapon
Feb 10, 2026 · 35 min
Does humor belong in music?
Feb 3, 2026 · 48 min
And the Grammy goes to…
Jan 27, 2026 · 52 min
Robyn’s new songs bring “drum 'n' grace” to the dance floor
Jan 21, 2026 · 46 min
Audrey Hobert says the quiet part out loud
Jan 13, 2026 · 55 min
2026 Pop Predictions: big beat, animated avatars, and Bruno Mars
Jan 6, 2026 · 58 min
The Sound of Silence from Unexplainable
Dec 30, 2025 · 30 min
Naughty or nice? The 2025 holiday music round up
Dec 23, 2025 · 37 min
The year that killed music (best and worst of 2025)
Dec 16, 2025 · 47 min
Why pop songwriters break the rules (ft. Amy Allen)
Dec 12, 2025 · 57 min
How Sombr’s bedroom recordings became his biggest hits
Dec 9, 2025 · 39 min
"It’s a Hail Mary every time" (ft. Marc Rebillet)
Dec 2, 2025 · 51 min
Quitting Spotify (ft. Deerhoof)
Nov 25, 2025 · 44 min
Is there a Disney curse?: Demi, Selena, and Miley
Nov 18, 2025 · 48 min
Rosalía's 'LUX' brings the symphony to the club
Nov 11, 2025 · 44 min
Lily Allen and Tate McRae revive the revenge anthem
Nov 4, 2025 · 33 min
Can “professor” Charlie Puth pass our qualifying exam?
Oct 28, 2025 · 38 min
How D'Angelo changed music, in three songs
Oct 21, 2025 · 37 min
What do John C. Reilly and Taylor Swift have in common? The Great American Songbook
Oct 14, 2025 · 57 min
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl Sound: How to actually listen to the album
Oct 7, 2025 · 1h 9m
The Power of the Trio (ft. Trousdale live at USC)
Oct 3, 2025 · 48 min
Doja Cat is the new Janet
Sep 30, 2025 · 35 min