The last decade of pop explained

The last decade of pop explained

Author: Vulture October 15, 2024 Duration: 52:02
We celebrate Switched On Pop's 10th anniversary by taking a deep dive into the last decade of pop music. From bubblegum pop to EDM, trap, and K-pop, we explore how the sound of pop has continually evolved—even when it feels like it’s all the same. Plus, we pull back the curtain on the show with a special interview: Sean Rameswaram, host of Vox's Today Explained, puts Nate and Charlie in the hot seat to reveal their best—and most cringe-worthy—moments from the past decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder why a certain pop song gets stuck in your head for days, or how a simple chord change can make you feel a specific way? Switched on Pop digs into those questions with a unique blend of expert analysis and genuine curiosity. Hosts Nate Sloan, a musicologist, and Charlie Harding, a songwriter, act as friendly guides through the intricate world of popular music. They don't just review hits; they dissect them, exploring the craft behind the catchiness. In each episode, you'll hear them break down a track's structure, its historical context, and the production techniques that give it its emotional punch. This isn't a dry academic lecture, though. It's a conversation between two people who love music, unpacking everything from timeless classics to today's viral trends to reveal why pop works the way it does. The Switched on Pop podcast, from Vulture, makes the familiar strange again, encouraging you to listen more deeply. You'll start to hear the clever harmonies hidden in a chart-topper, the rhythmic patterns borrowed from decades past, and the lyrical choices that resonate with millions. It's for anyone who has ever tapped a foot to a radio song and then wondered about the mechanics of that reaction. Tune in and you might just find that your favorite songs have layers you've never noticed before.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Switched on Pop
Podcast Episodes
BTS is back. But K Pop is not the same. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:29
BTS is back. The best selling K Pop group of all time has been on hiatus for four years. They haven’t released an album in six. They were once the biggest band in the world. Can they regain their throne? Or has the world…
Maggie Rogers: going viral is a trap [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:36
Ten years ago, Maggie Rogers was a senior at NYU, scrambling to finish a song for a music production class she was close to failing. The guest critic that week happened to be Pharrell Williams. She played him "Alaska," a…
Learning to Love Train: "Drops of Jupiter" is back in the atmosphere [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:25
Train is the kind of band that some people love to hate. Songs like "Meet Virginia" and "Hey Soul Sister" gave the band huge hits, and no small amount of snark. And then there's "Drops of Jupiter." Released in 2001, the…
Slayyyter might actually be the 'Worst Girl in America' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:11
Going for broke turned out to be the most honest thing Slayyyter ever made. After financial losses and a depressive episode that left her ready to quit music entirely, Slayyyter entered the studio planning to make one fi…
RAYE’s maximalist masterpiece is the hope we need [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:47
RAYE names Amy Winehouse and Edith Piaf as her artistic predecessors on the opening tracks of new album This Music May Contain Hope. Both died young, undone by the same darkness they sang about, and placing them there re…
Where have all the white rappers gone? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:43
On a recent podcast interview, Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow said that, to craft his new album Monica, he “got blacker.” The problem is… Jack Harlow is white. The statement, while extremely tone-deaf, speaks to his intenti…
Jacob Collier can make anyone sing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:02
Jacob Collier is a rare musician: an expert in so many musical languages (western harmony, negative harmony, microtonalism) and a phenomenal communicator about music. He's something like an Ambassador for Music, travelin…
Harry Styles loses himself to dance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:38
The dance floor is where Harry Styles does his therapy, and this album is the session notes. Four years after Harry's House, Styles returns with Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally, a record built from minimal ingredie…
Can Bruno Mars counterprogram his way to another hit album? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:52
Bruno Mars is back with a new album called The Romantic, his first solo release since 2016’s 24k Magic. At first listen, the lead single, “I Just Might,” sounds like an outtake from 2021’s collaborative album with Anders…