Listen closer to pop music, and hear how it moves us. Hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

The quadrennial soccer (or fútbol, depending who you talk to) competition is upon us again: it's the FIFA World Cup! And while the World Cup is a sporting event, it's still relevant to the folks at Switched On Pop, because every four years a new crop of songs gets commissioned to drum up excitement for the games. 

This year, the official song is by Shakira and Burna Boy, but offerings from IShowSpeed and a madcap collaboration between Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, EJAE, and Megan Thee Stallion also play the field. On this episode, Charlie and Nate explore them all – including the Shakira and Ricky Martin songs of World Cups past.

Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube

Songs discussed:

  Shakira, Burna Boy – Dai Dai

  K'NAAN – Wavin' Flag

  Tears For Fears, Lil Baby – The World Is Yours To Take

  Jelly Roll, Carin León – Lighter

  LISA, Anitta, Rema – Goals

  Jung Kook, BTS – Dreamers

  Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, EJAE, Megan Thee Stallion – DNA (More Than A Game)

  IShowSpeed – Champions (WC 26)

  Ed Sheeran – Shape of You

  Shakira, Carlinhos Brown – La La La (Brasil 2014)

  Shakira, Freshlyground – Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)

  Zangalewa – Zangalewa

  Ricky Martin, Pablo Flores – The Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida)

  Ricky Martin – Livin' La Vida Loca

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Switched on Pop

Music only the World Cup could make

In case you missed it:

How does a country of 10 million people dominate the global pop charts? From ABBA's Eurovision breakthrough to Max Martin's methodical hit-making, Sweden has quietly engineered a kind of musical Stockholm Syndrome: we've all become captives to their sound without realizing it. Listen to the crystalline vocal production and deceptively simple chord progressions in tracks by Lisa, Childish Gambino, and Addison Rae, and you're hearing Sweden's sonic fingerprint so embedded in pop's DNA that it now defines the genre itself. We sit down with pop star Zara Larsson to explore her love letter to home, "Midnight Sun." As she puts it, "I can't really leave Sweden; it's just something that's like a part of who I am," a sentiment that captures how Swedish pop's unique blend of melancholy and euphoria, mirroring the country's extreme seasons, has made us all willing prisoners of Stockholm's musical empire.

Songs Discussed

Lisa ft. Rosalia: "New Woman"

Childish Gambino: "Lithonia"

Addison Rae: "Fame Is a Gun"

Bleachers: "Tiny Moves"

Zara Larsson: "Midnight Sun"

Robyn: "Show Me Love"

Robyn: "Dancing on My Own"

Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

Brad Mehldau: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

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Why we can't resist Swedish pop (ft. Zara Larsson) ICYMI

In the last episode of our feral pop miniseries, we take a look at the 22 year old rapper primed to take over the world: 2hollis. Splitting the difference between hardstyle and hip-hop while emanating an aura best described as “vampiric,” he’s been one of the most hyped musicians coming out of the underground. His music is distorted, chaotic, and over the top – literally – but he reflects a larger sentiment from younger audiences: the more sonic chaos the better.

Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube

Songs discussed:

  Ninajirachi – Fuck My Computer

  underscores – Music

  2hollis – poster boy

  SUICIDAL-IDOL – ecstacy

  2hollis – flash

  2hollis – beginning

  2hollis – sidekick

  underscores, 8485 – your favorite sidekick

  2hollis – crush

  2hollis – 3

  Skrillex – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites

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2hollis is the underground’s genre-hopping vampire

This week on Switched On Pop, we’re looking at all things feral pop, the microgenre that takes pop music to its most wild extremes. And no feral pop artist is more tapped into that ethos than underscores. Her music synthesizes dubstep, trance, and Timbaland with ease, and her latest album ‘U’ is filled with boundless energy. She’s already opened up for 100 gecs, PinkPantheress, and Porter Robinson; this fall, she’ll open up for Charli XCX on her upcoming Music, Fashion, Film tour. She said it best on her debut album, Fishmonger: “it’s the new wave of the future!”  

Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube

Songs discussed:

  underscores – Music

  SOPHIE – Ponyboy

  underscores, 8485 – your favorite sidekick

  Nelly – Country Grammar (Hot Shit)

  Madonna – Music

  Madonna – American Life

  underscores – Do It

  Britney Spears – Piece of Me

  PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson – Stateside

  Justin Timberlake – SexyBack

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Pop music for an internet-pilled generation

What would it sound like if pop music was reverted to its most wild state of being? It would sound hyper-digital, influenced by the electronic vanguard of the 2010s, and speak to a post-genre audience. And while the charts have been stagnant, Gen-Z has been crafting this exact sound: one that is exciting, unpredictable, and above all else, feral.

After bubbling underground for the past few years, the subgenre we’ve coined “feral pop” is finally poised to have a breakout, best exemplified by the popularity of the computer-loving Ninajirachi, pop star underscores, and rave-rapper 2hollis. This week on Switched On Pop, Reanna, Charlie, and Nate are going to tap into all that this dubstep-influenced sound has to offer, starting with the Australian DJ Ninajirachi, and explore why everyone in pop music is finally getting feral.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠

Songs discussed:

  Ninajirachi – CSIRAC

  underscores – Music

  2hollis – girl

  Skrillex – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites

  Imogen Heap – Headlock

  SOPHIE – BIPP

  Ninajirachi – iPod touch

  Ninajirachi, Izzy Camina – Ninacamina

  Skrillex – Rock ’n’ Roll (Will Take You to the Mountain)

  Skrillex, Sirah – Bangarang

  Ninajirachi – Fuck My Computer

  Ninajirachi – London Song

  LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver

  Justice – Genesis

  Justice – Civilization

  Justice – Stress

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The new wave of pop is here, and it’s feral

Olivia Rodrigo is back with her third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl in love. As the title might suggest, it’s a deeply personal affair, with moody soundscapes supporting hyper-detailed lyrics of soul-wrenching depth. This album is a meditation on desire, and intriguingly, the letdown that can occur when desire is fulfilled. Each track is haunted by a band that basically invented the idea of unfulfilled longing, The Cure, who receive multiple direct shout-outs and numerous subtle references. But the album isn’t a tribute, or a rip-off. It’s a continuation of the voice Rodrigo has been developing ever since she debuted “drivers license” in 2021. It’s a sound distinctly her own, with signature techniques to match. The “re-verse” in “Drop Dead,” which we discussed in a prior episode, and a spiraling structure that keeps listeners waiting and waiting for the final word. Tune in to hear how Olivia channels her gothic predilections and fastidious lyrical craft into a powerful emotional payoff. 

Songs discussed:

Olivia Rodrigo - drop dead, stupid song, u + me = <3, purple, the cure, begged, what’s wrong with me, less, expectations, cigarette smoke, drivers license, vampire

The Cure - Just Like Heaven, Friday I’m in Love

David Byrne - drivers license
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Switched on Pop