Podcast: Switched On Pop

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 "standing on business."

Notably, it's his first album post-split with manager Scooter Braun, and the first where Bieber has been in full artistic control. On this episode of Switched On Pop, we tap into the SWAG mindset and attempt to understand Bieber's newfound vision, what it's saying, and ultimately, if it even still matters.

Songs discussed:

Justin Bieber – DAISIES

Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar, Giveon – Peaches

Justin Bieber, Sexyy Red – SWEET SPOT

The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber – STAY

Justin Bieber, Druski – STANDING ON BUSINESS

Justin Bieber – ALL I CAN TAKE

Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes

Justin Bieber – GO BABY

Justin Bieber – TOO LONG

Justin Bieber, Gunna – WAY IT IS

Justin Bieber, Dominic Fike – Die For You

Justin Bieber, Burna Boy – Loved By You

Justin Bieber, Lil B – DADZ LOVE

Mk.gee – Alesis

Mk.gee – Are You Looking Up

Dijon – The Dress

Justin Bieber – WALKING AWAY

Haim – Don't Wanna

Justin Bieber, Dijon – DEVOTION

Justin Bieber – One Less Lonely Girl

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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 who's scored over 200 podcast themes and shaped what millions of people hear when they hit play. This deep dive reveals how podcast music evolved from classical public radio strings into today's signature blend of plinking pianos, breakbeats, and irreverent sampling—plus an exclusive interview with the enigmatic Breakmaster Cylinder, the "Han Zimmer of podcasting" who's been hiding behind a robot helmet for over a decade.

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SONGS DISCUSSED

Grateful Dead "Truckin'"

Adam Curry "Daily Source Code" theme

NPR "All Things Considered" theme

Don Voegeli "All Things Considered" original theme (1971)

Don Voegeli "All Things Considered" jazz funk version (1976)

NPR "All Things Considered" orchestral version (1983/1995)

The Daily theme

WNYC "On the Media" theme by Ben Allison "Disposable Genius"

Christopher Lydon "Radio Open Source" theme by Dafnis Prieto

Disparition "The Ballad of Fielder and Mourn" (Welcome to Night Vale theme)

Serial theme

Joe Rogan Experience theme

Call Her Daddy theme

Snap Judgment theme

The Breakfast Club theme

WTF with Marc Maron theme by John Montagna "Lock the Gate"

Reply All theme by Breakmaster Cylinder

Breakmaster Cylinder "Outside In" theme

Breakmaster Cylinder "Bird Note" (Claire de Lune with loon calls)

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The robots have arrived, and they're making protest songs about boots on the ground. When an AI band called The Velvet Sundown fooled over a million Spotify listeners with their psychedelic folk anthems, it raised an unsettling question: have the machines gotten so good we can no longer hear the difference? Charlie puts Nate to the test with a game of "AI or Human?" featuring Wu-Tang deepfakes, phantom instruments, and songs that sound like Dire Straits and Tom Petty had a baby. Along the way, they uncover the five telltale signs that expose artificial music, from juvenile rhyming patterns to voices that shapeshift between tracks. But here's the terrifying part: just six months ago, AI music was unlistenable chaos. Now it's disturbingly competent. And it's only getting better.

Songs Discussed

The Velvet Sundown - "Dust on the Wind"

Post Malone - "Chemical"

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Ohio"

The Velvet Sundown - "Freedom Song"

Kansas - "Dust in the Wind"

The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"

Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"

The Velvet Sundown - "Where War Remains"

Pink Floyd - "Wish You Were Here"

The Velvet Sundown - "Ash and Velvet"

Buffalo Springfield - "For What It's Worth"

The Velvet Sundown - "For the Ones We Couldn't Keep"

The Velvet Sundown - "Mirrors in the Smoke"

Pink Floyd - "Breathe"

The Velvet Sundown - "Rebel Shout"

The Velvet Sundown - "Smoke in Silence"

The Velvet Sundown - "Marching Shadows"

The Velvet Sundown - "As the Silence Falls"

The Velvet Sundown - "How Did This Go Wrong?"

Hip Hop Intelligence - "Bar Fight" (AI Wu-Tang)

Hip Hop Intelligence - "Party with Me" (AI Eminem)

Temple of the Acid Fist Records - "Woman Gone Blues" (AI)

"Echoes of Twilight" (AI student example)

The Velvet Underground - "Sweet Jane"

"Whispers of Chaos" (Charlie's AI generation)

Mungo Jerry - "In the Summertime"

Almost Vinyl - "Phil Wildo's Door to Door Dildos" (AI)

Joey Two Legs - "I Shouldn't Have Done That" (hybrid)

Bill Evans AI track (untitled, by Nobody in the Computer)

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In which we explore the unlikely rise, and surprising backlash against, one Benson Boone.
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Why does the economy look great on paper but feel terrible in your wallet? There might be a more revealing economic indicator hiding in your Spotify queue. "Recession Pop" first emerged during the Great Recession and exploded into playlists, radio formats, and DJ sets in 2024. From melancholy indie anthems to escapist dance tracks, the songs we gravitate toward during uncertain times might predict where the economy is headed next. Host Jonquilin Hill explores this musical phenomenon on Vox's "Explain it To Me," with Charlie joining in the second half to decode what our streaming habits reveal about financial anxiety and economic forecasting.
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As we've been examining over the course of Country Week, country music has found a larger audience, in part by widening its sonic palette. For the final episode of this series, we take a look at a genre on the outskirts of country – Americana music – and how it's being used to connect to the scene's musical roots.

Historically, Americana has embraced an acoustic sound, traditional repertoire, and an appetite for virtuosic technique. In bluegrass artists like Billy Strings and roots musicians like Sierra Ferrell, Nate and Charlie see if there's an antidote to be found for the issues that plague modern, mainstream country music.

Songs discussed:

The Punch Brothers – Rye Whiskey

Sierra Ferrell – In Dreams

Dolly Parton – Jolene

Sierra Ferrell – I Could Drive You Crazy

Sierra Ferrell, Zach Bryan – Holy Roller

Billy Strings – Dust in a Baggie

Billy Strings, Willie Nelson – California Sober

Tyler Childers – In Your Love

Tyler Childers – Phone Calls and Emails

Tyler Childers – Rustin' In The Rain

Don Gibson – Oh, Lonesome Me

Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson – Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

The Chicks – Long Time Gone

The Steeldrivers – Higher Than the Wall

Beyoncé – Texas Hold'em

I'm With Her – Espresso

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More often than not, country music is seen as an "American" genre – meaning that the music is seen as strictly from the United States. In some ways, that's true; but the genre's iconography, sound, and ethos can actually be traced to the south of the border, in Mexican regional music.

The worlds have been more intertwined than you would think, and in musica mexicana, we find the closest comparison to what we traditionally call "country music." In this episode of Switched On Pop, in honor of country week, we take a look at the cumbia-corrido hybrid "Me Jalo" from Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera, two U.S. based acts performing Mexican regional music, to see what ties the cultures together.

Songs discussed:

George Strait – El Rey

Carín León – Necesito Encontrarte

Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera – ME JALO

Fuerza Regida – TQM

Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny – un x100to

Fuerza Regida – SECRETO VICTORIA

Grupo Frontera, Grupo Firme – EL AMOR DE SU VIDA

Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera – Bebe Dame

Shania Twain – Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under

Hank Williams – Your Cheatin' Heart

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There's often an unspoken (and deeply misogynistic) rule on country music radio: never play two female artists back to back. In this episode of Switched On Pop's country week, we aim to do just that. Looking at two artists on opposite ends of the country music spectrum – traditionalist Lainey Wilson, and genre-bending Jessie Murph – Nate and Charlie try to understand the state of female country through their respective songs "4x4xU" and "Blue Strips."

Songs discussed:

Lainey Wilson – 4x4xU

Jessie Murph – Blue Strips

Lainey Wilson – Country's Cool Again

Lainey Wilson – Heart Like A Truck

HARDY, Lainey Wilson – wait in the truck

Jessie Murph – Gotta Hold

Jessie Murph – Gucci Mane

Jessie Murph, Sexyy Red – Blue Strips (Remix)

Zach Top – I Never Lie

Carrie Underwood – Before He Cheats

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One of the biggest country hits of the year has been "All The Way," by Texas rapper BigXthaPlug and country rocker Bailey Zimmerman, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is a perfectly mixed cocktail of trap sonics with country melodies, held together by a shared southern drawl between the two artists.

As the genre of "country" expands and morphs to include different sounds, artists, and styles, "All The Way" serves as an exemplary example of the country-rap hybrid done right. But the song isn't the first to feature an unlikely collaboration across the genre aisle. This episode of Switched On Pop, we go deep on this collab and others, to see what works and what doesn't when the gates that keep the country music industry separate are swung wide open.

Songs Discussed:

BigXthaPlug, Bailey Zimmerman – All The Way

BigXthaPlug – Texas

War – Slipping Into Darkness

BigXthaPlug – The Largest

Bailey Zimmerman – Where It Ends

Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus – Old Town Road

Eminem, Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie

Nelly – Country Grammar (Hot Shit)

Nelly, Tim McGraw – Over And Over

Florida Georgia Line, Nelly – Cruise - Remix

Ernest, Snoop Dogg – Gettin' Gone

Lil Durk, Morgan Wallen – Broadway Girls

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Country music stands at a crossroads between tradition and evolution, and no artist embodies this tension better than Morgan Wallen. His song "I'm the Problem" opens with beautiful bluegrass guitar before hitting you with hard-hitting 808 basslines, creating a sonic reflection of country's current identity crisis. Wallen has this uncanny ability to turn his endless personal problems into undeniably catchy hooks that somehow make him more relatable, not less. Despite having every reason to write him off, there's something about his gritty voice and imperfect persona that keeps drawing listeners back. What makes him so compelling, and why his 37-track album dominated the charts, reveals something deeper about what country music is becoming.
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Looking for relationship advice? Skip the self-help books and turn to Sabrina Carpenter's latest single "Manchild" instead. This deep dive into the art of musical insults reveals how pop's newest sensation joins a legendary lineage of women artists who've perfected the craft of calling out incompetent men through song. From Dolly Parton's subversive "Dumb Blonde" to TLC's iconic "No Scrubs," there's an entire musical tradition of witty takedowns that reclaim power through clever wordplay, genre-hopping arrangements, and lyrical traps that expose male vanity.

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Songs discussed

Sabrina Carpenter "Manchild"

Sabrina Carpenter "Espresso"

Olivia Rodrigo "Driver's License"

The Beatles "Get Back"

Heart "Barracuda"

Dolly Parton "Dumb Blonde"

Sabrina Carpenter "Please Please Please"

TLC "No Scrubs"

Destiny's Child "Bills, Bills, Bills"

Destiny's Child "Independent Women Part 1"

Shania Twain "That Don't Impress Me Much"

Carly Simon "You're So Vain"

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What if the Chairman of the Board's biggest contribution to music wasn't his voice, but the blueprint he created for modern pop stardom? Frank Sinatra didn't just sing songs: he invented the concept album, injected his full personality into every performance, and created a template for artistic control that today's biggest stars still follow. His influence runs deeper than you think: Amy Winehouse titled her debut Frank as tribute, Jay-Z calls himself "the new Sinatra," and Frank Ocean borrowed his name from both Sinatra and Ocean's Eleven. That influence extends to unexpected places too: Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, has been championing Sinatra's orchestral style for years, and through his friendship with the Sinatra family gained access to over 1,200 boxes of never-recorded arrangements. His new album Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements features songs that arranged for Sinatra but never performed, uncovering musical treasures that reveal new insights into how the Chairman of the Board's innovations still shape the sound of pop music today.

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Songs Discussed

Frank Sinatra "Fly Me to the Moon"

Frank Sinatra "All the Way"

Frank Sinatra "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"

Frank Sinatra "Something" (Beatles cover)

Amy Winehouse "Halftime"

Jay-Z "Empire State Mind"

Frank Sinatra "Strangers in the Night"

Frank Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra "Something Stupid"

Frank Sinatra "New York, New York"

Frank Sinatra "My Way"

Sonny and Cher "I Got You Babe"

Frank Sinatra "Laura"

Seth MacFarlane "How Did She Look"

Seth MacFarlane "Lush Life"

Seth MacFarlane "Give Me the Simple Life"

Seth MacFarlane "Shadows"

Seth MacFarlane "Who's in Your Arms Tonight"

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The UK outfit Sleep Token has done what we once thought impossible: Found commercial success playing heavy metal music in 2025 AD.

Their fourth studio album, Even in Arcadia, went to number one on the Billboard 200 upon its release, with all ten of its tracks charting on the Hot 100—this despite the fact that the band has been entirely masked and anonymous through their nine year existence.

Sleep Token's willingness to inject their brand of heavy metal with autotuned pop vocals, reggaeton beats, and hop hop inflected rhythms has widened their audience, but in the process had galvanized scathing criticism. Pitchfork gave the album a withering review calling Even in Arcadia "schmaltzy and dull," while Anthony Fantano dubbed the band "metal music for Disney adults."

We get to know Sleep Token—the music and the controversy—by listening deeply to the ways they toy with the genre conventions of metal, and ask whether they are changing the sound of pop in the process.

AUDIENCE SURVEY 2025: https://switchedonpop.typeform.com/survey2025

Songs Discussed

Sleep Token - Thread the Needle, Emergence, Caramel, Damocles

Ghost - Satanized

Metallica - Hero of the Day

Nickelback - How You Remind Me

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Five years ago, Charli XCX released the track "party 4 u," a melancholic ode to throwing a function for that one specific person. Now, in 2025, the song has gotten a renewed life – motivated by a foolproof cocktail of TikTok trends, the Billboard Hot 100, and a post-Brat Summer clamor for Charli.

It's rare for pop songs like this to get a second wind. So, on this episode of Switched On Pop, Reanna, Nate, and Charlie put on our detective hats on to dissect the five-minute song's vocals, textures, and structures to understand just why people are reconnecting with it, half a decade later.

Songs discussed:

Charli XCX – party 4 u

Charli XCX – claws

Charli XCX – 4 in the Morning

Charli XCX – anthems

Lesley Gore – It's My Party

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The 808 is arguably the most iconic drum machine ever made. Even if you’ve never heard of it, you’ve definitely heard it. It’s in dozens of hit songs -- from Usher to Marvin Gaye, Talking Heads to The Beastie Boys -- and its sounds have quietly cemented themselves in the cultural lexicon. In this episode, we try to understand how that happened and follow the unlikely path of the 808. Featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff and Paul McCabe from Roland.

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What happens when worship anthems climb the charts alongside soul revivals and nostalgia-driven comebacks? The May 2025 Billboard charts reveal a fascinating musical landscape where Drake performs a strategic reset after his epic battle with Kendrick, worship-adjacent pop dominates the mainstream, and The Marias reject conventional song structures with dreamy success. From the bizarre 34-second Minecraft soundtrack hit to the rise of "voice audition pop," we're exploring how these competing visions of pop music reflect our collective anxieties and cultural shifts. Is this beautiful chaos the new normal?
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We rarely cover movies here at Switched On Pop. But after seeing Ryan Coogler's new vampire musical Sinners, we knew we had to make an exception.

The movie is an ode to Black music. Throughout its over two hour runtime, the film pays tribute to the blues: nodding to the musicians, instruments, and melodies that make it a foundational genre in the American musical canon. There's also Irish folk vampires, original music from Ludwig Göransson, and a whole lot of history – perfect for Charlie and Nate to sink their teeth into.

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It's that time of year again: Eurovision Song Contest is upon us. And with the competition comes a tradition at Switched On Pop, where Charlie and Nate look at the songs (and countries) that have the best odds to take home the title. This year, we have an ode to the sauna, soaring operatics, and a feast of food-themed tunes – including the Estonian entrant Tommy Cash's ode to the "Espresso Macchiato."

This episode of Switched On Pop, we take a sonic trip to Basel, Switzerland – and in the back half of the episode, talk to Tommy Cash himself about his entry and more.
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Despite TikTok defining this decade's music landscape, the app hasn't spawned a bonafide pop superstar – yet. 24-year-old Addison Rae is trying to be the first.

She's already had cosigns from Arca, Charli XCX, and Benny Blanco; critical acclaim from outlets like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Elle; and is cultivating a fervent fanbase with a slew of breathy, ethereal, and inspiration-laden singles. But how does one translate TikTok celebrity into pop success?

On this episode of Switched On Pop, Reanna, Nate, and Charlie put their "Headphones On" to understand how one of the biggest Gen-Z celebrities is trying to parlay her allure into pop princess-dom.

Songs discussed:

Addison Rae – Diet Pepsi

Addison Rae – Aquamarine

Addison Rae – High Fashion

Addison Rae – Headphones On

Addison Rae – Obsessed

Charlie Puth – The Way I Am

Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal

Addison Rae – I got it bad

Addison Rae – Nothing On (But The Radio)

Addison Rae – it could've been u

Addison Rae – 2 die 4 (feat. Charli XCX)

Charli XCX, Addison Rae, A. G. Cook – Von dutch a. g. remix

Lana Del Rey – Blue Jeans

Lana Del Rey – Cherry

Lana Del Rey – Diet Mountain Dew

Lana Del Rey – Bartender

Lana Del Rey – Cola

Madonna – Nothing Really Matters

Selena Gomez, A$AP Rocky – Good For You

Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – What I Am

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Taylor Swift isn't just a world-conquering pop star at the top of her game, her approach to songwriting has also proven massively influential for an up-and-coming generation of singer-songwriters. Gracie Abrams, Maisie Peters, and Phoebe Bridgers—all of whom opened for Swift during her Eras Tour—each owe a debt to Swift's hyperspecific lyrics, minimal melodies, and bombastic bridges. We break down the key aspects of Swift's songcraft and how we can hear them manifest in the work of her young acolytes, and we speak to another burgeoning artist, the brilliant Jensen McRae, to learn firsthand why Swift's style has been so resonant.

Songs Discussed

Taylor Swift - All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)
Gracie Abrams - That’s So True
Maisie Peters - There It Goes
Taylor Swift - Style (Taylor's Version)
Taylor Swift - You're On Your Own, Kid
Phoebe Bridgers - Motion Sickness
Taylor Swift - Our Song
Beyoncé - Sandcastles
Katy Perry - Unconditionally
Taylor Swift - cardigan
Dua Lipa - Levitating
Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift - Dear John (Taylor's Version)
Jensen McRae - Praying For Your Downfall
Jensen McRae - Savannah
Jensen McRae - Immune
Taylor Swift - Would've, Could've, Should've

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