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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. MORE Subscribe to our newsletter to receive your own bingo card!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 AmLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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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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Specialized platforms and social media have empowered musicians to tap into niche audiences, igniting a quiet revolution in the music industry. Despite the dominance of viral hits, a new wave of artists, labels and businesses are redefining success by building dedicated fanbases with focused, niche strategies. This conversation, live from SXSW, features Charlie leading a conversation with:
LP Giobbi, a producer, jazz-trained pianist, and activist who spends 300 days a year touring between festival stages, club floors, and studios.
Nabil Ayers, president of Beggar's Group, home to multiple indie labels including 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade, and XL Recordings.
Dani Deahl, a DJ, producer, and head of communications and creator insights at BandLab, the most popular digital audio workstation worldwide.
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Miley Cyrus just released three singles from her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful. Inspired by Pink Floyd's The Wall—specifically the 1982 feature film based on the album—Cyrus is not just sharing new music but a whole visual album, each song accompanied by a music video shot by director Panos Cosmatos. We last heard from Cyrus in 2023 with her massive smash "Flowers," which found the industry veteran finding some kind of inner peace. With her new songs, Cyrus is turning from healing herself to healing the world. She described the project as "a concept album that’s an attempt to medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music." What does such an endeavor sound like? For one, a lot of surprising textures and collaborators: Shoegaze guitarists, jazz saxophonists, indie rock producers. At least, sounds that are surprising to those who only know Cyrus from "Flowers," "Wrecking Ball," and "Party in the USA." The true Miley stans expect the unexpected from an artist who, it turns out, has always been weird.
Songs Discussed
Miley Cyrus - Flowers, Prelude, Something Beautiful, End of the World, Dooo It!, Malibu, Cattitude (feat. RuPaul), Plastic Hearts
Blank Banshee - Eco Zones
Caroline Polachek, Oneohtrix Point Never - Long Road Home
D'Angelo - Send It On
Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders - Journey In Satchidananda
Whitney - Forever Turned Around
ABBA - Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen
Alvvays - Easy On Your Own?
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Why was Chappell Roan's band dressed like an 80s hair metal act during her Grammy performance? The answer unlocks the surprising secret behind her #1 country hit "The Giver." This musical detective story connects glam rock aesthetics to modern country through an unexpected lineage involving AC/DC's producer, Shania Twain's revolution, and men who inadvertently dressed in drag. Between fiddle licks and gated reverb drums lies a brilliant subversion of country traditions that proves the genre has always been about musical drag while revealing what "rhinestone cowgirl" really means.
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Songs Discussed:
Chappell Roan – "The Giver"
Chappell Roan – "Pink Pony Club"
Big & Rich – "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"
Bon Jovi – "Living on a Prayer"
Guns N' Roses – "Sweet Child of Mine"
AC/DC – "Back in Black"
Def Leppard – "Pour Some Sugar on Me"
Nirvana – "About a Girl"
Bryan Adams – "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)"
Shania Twain – "Any Man of Mine"
Shania Twain – "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"
Toby Keith feat. Willie Nelson – "Beer for My Horses"
Carrie Underwood – "Before He Cheats"
Trace Adkins – "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"
Glen Campbell – "Rhinestone Cowboy"
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The Who's "My Generation" wasn't born from inspiration—it was commissioned. In a rare interview, Pete Townshend reveals how six fans at London's Goldhawk Club in 1965 directly asked him to write an anthem for their post-war generation. This conversation uncovers how a simple request transformed into rock's definitive youth statement, complete with its rebellious stutter and blues foundations. As Townshend releases his solo anthology during our own era of generational flux, the story behind rock's most famous declaration of youth proves more relevant than ever.
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Songs Referenced
"My Generation" by The Who
"Can't Explain" by The Who
"Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" by The Who
"Smokestack Lightning" by Howlin' Wolf
"For Your Love" by The Yardbirds
"Pinball Wizard" by The Who
"I'm a Boy" by The Who
"Pictures of Lily" by The Who
"I Can See for Miles" by The Who
"Stuttering Blues" by John Lee Hooker
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