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.

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Coldplay is one of the biggest musical acts in the world, ranking #6 on Spotify and boasting one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. Yet, despite their global success, they've often been a critical punching bag. The New York Times once branded them “the most insufferable band of the decade.” The Independent described them as “pompous, mawkish, and unbearably smug.” But Coldplay has never claimed to be the hardest rock band—they’ve instead built a legacy on their softer sound and uplifting message. With the release of their 10th studio album, Moon Music, we dive deep into their catalog and ask the question: can we learn to love Coldplay?

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Marianne Eloise has had the same Fall Out Boy song stuck in her head for over three years. "It’s Hard to Say 'I Do,' When I Don’t," an relatively obscure cut from the band's 2007 album Infinity on High has taken up permanent residence in her brain as the ultimate earworm. Everybody has had a riff or a melody stuck in their head, but not at this . Eloise, a journalist and music writer, decided to turn her malady into a story. Her pursuit of the science behind "stuck songs" led her to our unique bureau of forensic musicology.

On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate talk about earworms: what they are, why are they so catchy, and how we might get rid of them. Then, Nate confronts his own stuck song: The Lemon Twigs's "In My Head," and in talking to the two brothers behind the group, finds a novel approach to giving an unwanted musical guest the boot.

Songs Discussed

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Last month, our producer Reanna Cruz had the opportunity to attend Baja Beach Fest in Rosarito, Mexico, a three-day Latin music festival set on the Mexican coastline. While they were there, they got the chance to tap into what's happening in the world of Mexican music – from romantic tumbados and lovesick R&B to multi-language crossovers and genre experimentation. This episode, Reanna takes us through the newest gems of the Mexican pop scene, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Songs discussed:

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"Mamushi," the fourth single from Megan the Stallion’s album Megan, was not supposed to be a huge hit. But thanks to a viral dance, the song has become the first song on the Billboard Hot 100 to feature Japanese lyrics since 1963. With a feature from rapper Yuki Chiba and a beat from producer Koshy, "Mamushi" creates the kind of cross-cultural musical collaboration that helps correct a long record of U.S. pop stars appropriating Japanese culture.

Songs Discussed

Megan Thee Stallion (feat. Yuki Chiba) - Mamushi

Megan Thee Stallion - Hiss, Boa, Cobra, Savage, Megan's Piano, Otaku Hot Girl

Kyu Sakomoto - Sukiyaki

A Taste of Honey - Sukiyaki

Selena - Sukiyaki

Pikotaro - PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen)

Hikaru Utada, Skrillex - Face My Fears

Gwen Stefani - Harujuku Girls

Avril Lavigne - Hello Kitty

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Hannah Lee of the Japan Society

NPR on the story of "Sukiyaki"

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Oasis, the Manchester band led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, conquered the charts in the 1990s with rock anthems like "Wonderwall." This month, they did something no one saw coming: Announced a reunion. In 2025, the band will play 19 dates in five cities across the UK and Ireland, their first shows with both brothers in the lineup since breaking up in 2009 due to long-simmering tensions between them.

Formed in 1991 with Noel as chief songwriter and guitarist and Liam as lead vocalist, the band helped define the sound of Britpop alongside peers like Blur, Suede, and Pulp. Noel’s and Liam’s feuding made it seem like the band would never reunite, so this upcoming tour has generated a minor frenzy, resulting in insane ticket prices, the band’s songs surging in popularity on streaming services, and countless diehard fans zipping up their parkas in anticipation. 

As two casual listeners to the band, we want to understand the hype behind this long-awaited reunion, so we went through the band’s catalog to uncover what makes this working-class Mancunian outfit so beloved, and see whether we can learn to love Oasis.

Songs Discussed

Oasis - Wonderwall, Supersonic, Shakermaker, Don't Look Back In Anger, Champagne Supernova, All Around The World, Go Let It Out, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Little By Little, The Turning

The New Seekers - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)

John Lennon - Gimme Some Truth, #9 Dream

Sheryl Crow - If It Makes You Happy

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Porter Robinson has a unique relationship with being famous. With his new record SMILE! :D, the 32 year old producer and DJ steps front and center into the spotlight for the first time in his career, working through his thoughts on fame in the process — something he says he’s “addicted” to.

The first track on the record, “Knock Yourself Out XD,” is a hook-laden radio pop hit destined to sit on a neon green iPod shuffle, filled with chiptuned synth textures and tongue-in-cheek lyrics about what it means to contend with nuclear levels of celebrity. Robinson’s voice is also front and center, unencumbered by the vocal manipulation and heavy production defining his two previous albums. “”Knock Yourself Out XD” was me indulging that fantasy of like, This is so not a Porter Robinson song. Everyone's gonna hate this,” he said. “But this is what seems really fun to me right now.”

The rest of SMILE! :D juggles two truths about Robinson: his innate desire for a positive relationship with the culture that surrounds him, and his dark, introspective nature, highlighted on tracks with stark names like “Is There Really No Happiness?”. But “Knock Yourself Out XD” is deeply silly – filled with cheeky lyrics like the line “Bitch, I’m Taylor Swift.”

It’s new territory for him, but Robinson’s inclinations are, always, to “burn everything down and start fresh.” 

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On her sixth studio album, Short n' Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter moves seamlessly between pop, country, folk and R&B. For Carpenter, genre is merely a musical tool to help construct a song. Listen to how she bends genre to her will.

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Jhayco, the artist formerly known as Jhay Cortez, feels different from the rest of the Latin music machine. He considers himself a “melody freak,” has a wide variety of influences – “Alternative music, indie music, deep house, rap, trap, salsa, bachata, scores for music” – and is intimately involved in every step of the creative process, writing, producing, and performing his brand of glossy, melancholic reggaeton.

Since his breakout hit “No Me Conoce” in 2019, the Puerto Rican multihyphenate has become one of the most listened to artists in the world, thanks to collaborations with superstars including Bad Bunny and J Balvin — which have amassed several billion streams on Spotify —, along with writing credits on smash hits like Cardi B’s “I Like It” and Natti Natasha’s “Criminal.”

Jhayco's newest record, Le Clique: Vida Rockstar (X) is out September 6th, and is a three-part, 29-track behemoth highlighting Jhayco's globalist production style, his keen eye for melody, and his unique tastemaker status in the industry. “There's only a few people I know who do this,” he says, “and thank God I'm one of those people.”

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It seemingly a terrible time to launch an over-the-top sentimental duet. This style of production peaked in the 80s and has had few chart topping success since. But as a sort of counter programming, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' duet "Die With A Smile" is an unexpected smash. This oddity from two beloved legacy artists may be more than a stand alone hit hit to promote Mars' Vegas residency and Gaga's upcoming film role in Joker: Folie à Deux. "Die With A Smile" more than hints at being interwoven to that film's universe, while also adhering to a forgotten musical traditional: the devotional duet in the style of Sonny & Cher. In the movie, Joker and Gaga's character Harley Quinn, have shared musical delusions about performing in a murderous Sonny & Cher like TV duo. But does this single come credit sequence song stand up to the best duets from the past? Listen to find out.

Songs Discussed

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