The music theory behind K Pop Demon Hunters' chart dominance
It's time. Nate and Charlie break down the K Pop Demonhunters soundtrack to uncover the musical secrets behind its unprecedented success. From West Side Story to Gregorian chant, Phrygian modes to musical theater clichés, we 'll explain why you can't stop listening to the sounds of Huntr/x and Saja Boys.
Songs Discussed
Huntr/x - How It's Done, Golden, What it Sounds Like
Saja Boys - Soda Pop, Your Idol
Aldred Deller and the Deller Consort - Dies Irae
West Side Story - Jet Song
Aespa - Drama
Riize - Get a Guitar
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
42:26
--------
42:26
The architecture of the album with Djo (Joe Keery live at NYU)
Halfway through the opening track of Joe Keery's The Crux, a line emerges that sounds like casual conversation: "My dog is at my house again, but I live somewhere else." The song refuses to settle into predictable pop architecture, drifting from whispered confession to baroque strings that recall Pachelbel more than indie rock. Recorded live at NYU, Charlie explores how this structural restlessness reflects broader questions about authenticity in contemporary music, examining how Keery's creative process emerged from practical constraints like writing in Stranger Things trailers and stripping back arrangements to work live. The album's hotel metaphor isn't marketing concept but lived displacement: temporary rooms, fractured domesticity, the search for stability. From the snarky dismissiveness of "Basic Being Basic" to a stadium-rock anthem written for his sisters, The Crux demonstrates how eclectic influences can serve cohesive emotional architecture, trusting listeners to follow sophisticated progressions while never losing sight of why these songs matter to people finding their way back to their own hearts.
Songs Discussed
Djo - "End of Beginning"
Djo - "Lonesome is a State of Mind"
Djo - "Basic Being Basic"
Djo - "Potion"
Djo - "Charlie's Garden"
Djo - "Back On You"
Djo - "Carry the Name"
Djo - "Crux"
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
55:11
--------
55:11
Why everyone should be in a band (ft. Finneas and Ashe)
Everyone should be in a band at some point—and Finneas and Ashe prove why. The Grammy-winning producer and rising singer-songwriter discuss how their friendship evolved into The Favors, a new band debuting their album The Dream on September 19th, 2025. We explore what it means to create as a band, how stepping back from confessional songwriting freed them creatively, and why sometimes the best way forward is embracing older ways of making music.
SONGS DISCUSSED
The Favors - "The Little Mess You Made"
Ashe - "Moral of the Story"
Ashe & Finneas - "Till Forever Falls Apart"
Billie Eilish - "What Was I Made For?"
The Favors - "Home Sweet Home"
The Favors - "The Dream"
The Favors - "Lake George"
Billie Eilish - "bad guy"
Simon and Garfunkel - "Old Friends"
Simon and Garfunkel - "The Only Living Boy in New York"
Simon and Garfunkel - "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright"
Simon and Garfunkel - "America"
Rick Springfield - "Jessie's Girl"
The Favors - "David's Brother"
The Favors - "The Hudson"
Fleetwood Mac - "Landslide"
Fleetwood Mac - "Dreams"
Kate Bush - "Running Up That Hill"
Olivia Rodrigo - "drivers license"
Sabrina Carpenter - "emails i can't send"
Miley Cyrus - "Flowers"
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
52:09
--------
52:09
Fleetwood Mac's Missing Link Album Returns After 50 Years
Fleetwood Mac has had a phenomenal resurgence in recent years, from TikTok viral fame to Broadway plays and streaming TV series inspired by the band. Their growing fandom among a new generation has created demand for the long out-of-print album Buckingham Nicks, the 1973 album by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks recorded before they joined Fleetwood Mac. The vinyl record is a collector's item, as this pre-band album helped secure the duo their spot in Fleetwood Mac. Now after four decades, on September 19th, the album is being reissued by Rhino Records. A few months back we looked at the legacy of Fleetwood Mac and spoke with Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham about their reinterpretation of the beloved Buckingham Nicks. Given the timing, we want to share that episode with you now to help you get ready for the re-release of this adored album. I hope you enjoy it.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
54:25
--------
54:25
The classical rebel who infiltrated pop music
You've heard those shimmering disco strings in Miley Cyrus's "Flowers," the cinematic arrangements on Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher, and the orchestral flourishes across Taylor Swift's catalog, but you probably didn't know they're all the work of one person: Rob Moose. The violinist and multi-instrumentalist has contributed to nearly 1,000 albums, quietly becoming pop music's most prolific string architect. In this conversation, Moose reveals how he translates classical training into contemporary pop language, working with everyone from Sufjan Stevens to Bon Iver to create arrangements that feel both intimate and epic. We dive into his process, explore how he's reshaped what strings can do in popular music, and uncover the craft behind those arrangements you can't get out of your head.
MORE
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive your own bingo card!
Songs Discussed
Miley Cyrus “Flowers”
Phoebe Bridgers “Punisher”
Phoebe Bridgers Copycat Killer (EP, includes re-arranged versions of “Punisher,” “Kyoto,” “Savior Complex,” “Chinese Satellite”)
Sufjan Stevens “Chicago”
Bon Iver “Everything Is Peaceful Love”
RINI “Miracle”
Bon Iver “Short Story”
Bon Iver “Speyside”
Phoebe Bridgers “Chinese Satellite”
Phoebe Bridgers “Savior Complex”
Phoebe Bridgers “Kyoto”
Lizzy McAlpine “Ceilings”
Gracie Abrams “I Love You, I’m Sorry”
Rob Moose “I Bend But Never Break” ft Brittany Howard
Alabama Shakes “Sound & Color”
Taylor Swift “Hoax”
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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.
Australia