From big-ticket albums by Taylor and Gaga, to a revival of the stomp-clap revival – 2025 had it all, for better and for worse. Now that the year has come to a close, it's time to take a look back at the past twelve months: what happened in the zeitgeist, what we loved listening to, and what we missed here on the show. Reanna, Charlie, and Nate talk about it all, including a look back at our predictions from January to check off boxes for Switched On Pop bingo.

Links: Newsletter, YouTube

Songs discussed:

• Taylor Swift – The Fate of Ophelia
• Alex Warren – Ordinary
• HUNTR/X – Golden
• Morgan Wallen – I'm The Problem
• Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga – Die With A Smile
• Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
• ROSÉ, Bruno Mars – APT.
• Olivia Dean – Man I Need
• Ravyn Lenae – Love Me Not
• Justin Bieber, Dijon – DEVOTION
• Bon Iver, Dijon, Flock of Dimes – Day One
• Dijon – Baby!
• Dijon – Yamaha
• CA7RIEL – SHIPEA2
• Paco Amoroso – Viuda Negra
• CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso – EL ÚNICO - Live at NPR MUSIC's Tiny Desk
• CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso – EL DÍA DEL AMIGO
• CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso – #TETAS
• Breaking Rust – Walk My Walk
• Jack Black – Steve's Lava Chicken
• Saja Boys – Soda Pop
• Snocaps – Coast
• Miley Cyrus – Something Beautiful
• Bad Bunny – DtMF
• MOLIY, Shenseea, Silent Addy, Skillibeng – Shake It To The Max (FLY) - Remix

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Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Allen joins NYU Steinhardt students live to trace her path from early pitch songs to co-writing some of the decade's defining hits. She explains why Halsey's "Without Me" needed an extended chorus but no pre-made chord loops, how Harry Styles' "Matilda" required character-driven writing for emotional safety, and what made the hypnotic groove of Tate McRae's "Greedy" demand a rare third verse. Allen also unpacks the spoken hook in Rosé and Bruno Mars' "APT" and the three-step key change powering Sabrina Carpenter's recent work. The result is a masterclass in why songs work—and why the rules worth breaking are the ones you've already learned.

SONGS DISCUSSED

• Halsey "Without Me"

• Harry Styles "Adore You"

• Harry Styles "Matilda"

• Tate McRae "greedy"

• Rosé and Bruno Mars "ATA"

• Sabrina Carpenter "Please, please, please"

• Selena Gomez "Back to You"

• Justin Timberlake "Cry Me A River" (Interpolated in "Without Me")

• Olivia Rodrigo "Driver's License"

• Sabrina Carpenter "Espresso"

• Sabrina Carpenter Short and Sweet (Album)

• Sabrina Carpenter Man's Best Friend (Album)

• Beyoncé "Love on Top"

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Sombr went from crafting raw, reverb soaked songs alone in his Lower East Side bedroom to finding his life shifting in ways he never could have predicted across 2024 and 2025. His biggest tracks kept their imperfections even as world class players at Sound City added new layers, and a disco groove he began as a late night joke transformed into a breakout moment that changed his career’s trajectory. He explains how he writes, why distortion carries emotional weight for him, how he navigates the pull between bedroom recordings and studio polish, and what it felt like to watch childhood dreams come true on national stages. The result is a portrait of an artist whose rise has been so quick and so unlikely that even Sombr is still piecing together how it all happened.

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Switched-On-Pop

Songs Discussed

• Sombr “12 to 12”

• Sombr “Back to Friends”

• Sombr “Undressed”

• Lizzo “About Damn Time”

• Chic “Good Times”

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When it comes to improvisational loop jams, few have gone as viral as Marc Rebillet. From his 2020 lockdown-era video “How to Funk in Two Minutes,” which features him wearing nothing but a bathrobe, to unsuspecting New York street corners, and eventually the Coachella main stage, Rebillet has come to be known as “loop daddy” for his gifted ability to harness spontaneous funk.

On this episode of Switched On Pop, Charlie interviews Marc about his process, inspiration, and pandemic success, witnessing his flow state firsthand as he graces us with some live improvisation. 

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In June 2025, indie veterans Deerhoof scrubbed their entire catalog from the world’s dominant streaming platform. The catalyst wasn't low royalties, but Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek’s investment in AI military technology through his investment firm Prima Materia. Greg Saunier and Satomi Matsuzaki explain why they are prioritizing their ethics over exposure. They argue that the "convenience" of streaming traps us in harmful systems. They’d prefer listeners explore alternative paths to hear their music. That’s why the band premiered their latest single on Craigslist. And it’s they half jokingly say they "would rather our fans steal our music than stream our music at this point."

SONGS DISCUSSED

Deerhoof: Immigrant Song, Scarcity is Manufactured, Life is Suffering, Return of the Return of the Fire Trick Star

MORE

Get Zach Tenorio's synth extraveganza 'Field Trip'

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This year, there were a few records that delivered less-than-optimal returns on either the Hot 100 or the Billboard 200 – and they all came from former Disney pop stars. 

Demi Lovato’s latest album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200, where it spent one week and then fell off; Selena Gomez’s record with Benny Blanco peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200, but no songs cracked the top 40; and Miley Cyrus’s album is her shortest charting project to date. On this episode of Switched On Pop, Nate and Reanna try to get to the bottom of the so-called “Disney curse,” and why these artists are unable to recapture their past commercial success.

Songs discussed:

• Demi Lovato – Here All Night
• Selena Gomez, benny blanco – Sunset Blvd
• Miley Cyrus – End of the World
• Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
• Demi Lovato – Heart Attack
• Demi Lovato – Skin of my Teeth
• Demi Lovato – Fast
• Kesha – JOYRIDE.
• Demi Lovato – Frequency
• Demi Lovato – Kiss
• Todd Terry, Martha Wash – Keep On Jumpin'
• Demi Lovato – Sorry To Myself
• Selena Gomez, A$AP Rocky – Good For You
• Kygo, Selena Gomez – It Ain't Me
• Selena Gomez, Marshmallo – Wolves
• Selena Gomez, benny blanco, Gracie Abrams – Call Me When You Break Up
• benny blanco, Selena Gomez, J Balvin, Tainy – I Can't Get Enough
• J Balvin, Willy William – Mi Gente
• Selena Gomez, benny blanco – Bluest Flame
• Selena Gomez, benny blanco, The Marías – Ojos Tristes
• Miley Cyrus, Big Sean – Love Money Party
• Miley Cyrus – Flowers
• Miley Cyrus – Easy Lover
• Miley Cyrus, Naomi Campbell – Every Girl You've Ever Loved

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Spanish pop star Rosalía is back with her new album, Lux. Over eighteen tracks, she trades in the dembow beats that filled her last record Motomami for maximalist orchestral sounds more in line with Björk than Bad Bunny. 

The album is dense: there's four movements, thirteen languages, arrangements by Caroline Shaw, and a wide breadth of influences – from Benedictine saints to Patti Smith. But despite (or because) all of this, Rosalía has gone on record referring to Lux as, ultimately, a pop album. 

That's where we come in. On this episode of Switched On Pop, Nate and Reanna put on their tour guide hats to talk all things Lux: its sonic genre-bending, Rosalía’s poetic lyricism, and her hyper-local flamenco influence. 

Check out Bella Freud's interview with Rosalia on Fashion Neurosis

Songs discussed:

• Rosalía – Berghain
• Rosalía – Bizcochito
• Rosalía – De Madrugá
• Rosalía – Mio Cristo
• Rosalía – La Yugular
• Björk – Joga
• Caroline Shaw, Roomful of Teeth – Partita for 8 Voices
• Rosalía – Sexo, Violencia y Llantas
• Rosalía – Divinize
• Rosalía – Porcelana
• Rosalía – Dios Es Un Stalker
• The Police – Every Breath You Take
• Rosalía – La Perla
• Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube
• Drake – Push Ups
• Rosalía – Sauvignon Blanc
• Lady Gaga – Grigio Girls
• Adele – I Drink Wine
• Rosalía – Focu ‘Ranni
• Rosalía – Novia Robot
• Rosalía – La Rumba del Perdón

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They say the best revenge is living well, but if you’re a pop star going through a break up, that’s false. The best revenge is releasing a searing scorched-earth revenge banger that calls out your ex and, ideally, rides that vengeance to the top of the Billboard charts.

That’s exactly what Tate McRae and Lily Allen have done in the wake of their high profile break ups; McRae with the track “TIT FOR TAT”  and Allen with an entire album, West End Girl. On this episode of Switched On Pop, Charlie and Nate use these tracks to explore the art of the revenge song.

Songs Discussed

• Tate McRae – TIT FOR TAT
• The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber – STAY
• Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks Theme
• Fleetwood Mac – Dreams
• Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way
• Bizarrap, Shakira – Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53
• Lilly Allen — West End Girl, Madeline, 4chanstan

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Charlie Puth breaks down his new single "Changes," a maximalist eighties production hiding a melancholy story about drifting friendships. As he prepares for fatherhood, the singer-songwriter reflects on how relationships evolve from deep conversations to small talk, why he listens to lyrics last, and his belief that music should offer a three-minute escape from life's exhaustion. Between demonstrating vocal techniques, championing forgotten producer Rod Temperton, and turning "You Are My Sunshine" into a minor-key lullaby, Puth makes his case for earning the title "Professor," with one simple lesson: stop overthinking and just feel the music.

Songs Discussed

Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth "See You Again"
Charlie Puth "Attention"
Charlie Puth "Changes"
Charlie Puth "Hero"
The Weeknd "Blinding Lights"
Dua Lipa "Physical"
Olivia Newton-John "Physical"
Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight"
Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
Heatwave "The Groove Line"
Tamia "You Put a Move on My Heart"
Heatwave "All You Do Is Dial"
Michael Jackson "Thriller"
Traditional "You Are My Sunshine"

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On October 14th, the visionary musician D’Angelo passed away at 51 years old. Only releasing three albums during his lifetime, he synthesized influences from gospel, jazz, rock, and hip-hop to create a singular and transcendent sound artists still try – and fail – to emulate today. 

On this special episode of Switched On Pop, Charlie and Nate are joined by producer Reanna and engineer Brandon to celebrate D’Angelo through his music, discussing one song from each of his albums and highlighting his musical genius.

Songs Discussed

• D’Angelo – Untitled (How Does It Feel)
• D’Angelo – Brown Sugar
• The Hawkins Family – What Is This?
• D’Angelo – Feel Like Makin’ Love
• Roberta Flack – Feel Like Makin’ Love
• Parliament – Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)
• D’Angelo – Cruisin’
• Smokey Robinson – Cruisin’
• D’Angelo – The Charade
• Curtis Mayfield – (Don’t Worry) If There Is A Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go
• Jimi Hendrix – All Along The Watchtower

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John C. Reilly joins to discuss Mr. Romantic, his theatrical tribute to the Great American Songbook that treats Irving Berlin and Tom Waits as equals in the canon of timeless American song. Reilly recorded live in one room with his band using vintage ribbon microphones, embracing the squeaks and imperfections while layering in cinematic sound effects—crickets outside a lover's window, a collect call from prison—to transform each standard into an immersive scene. But what makes a song from the 1920s feel eternal? Music data scientist Chris Dalla Riva, author of the forthcoming Uncharted Territory and the newsletter Can't Get Much Higher, breaks down how composers like the Gershwins wrote for amateur musicians playing sheet music at home, creating universal lyrics and AABA structures where the hook comes first. That accessibility is precisely what draws Reilly to this repertoire. He sees himself in the lineage of interpreters like Sinatra, not selling his own story but passing along music that already belongs to all of us, like holding up a seashell and saying, "Isn't this one beautiful?"

More

• Get Chris Dalla Riva's book Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves
• Subscribe to Chris Dalla Riva's Can't Get Much Higher

Songs Discussed

• Taylor Swift "The Last Great American Dynasty"
• George Gershwin "I Got Rhythm"
• Village People "Y.M.C.A."
• Billie Eilish "Bad Guy"
• Frank Sinatra "On the Sunny Side of the Street"
• Judy Garland "Over the Rainbow"
• Ella Fitzgerald "My Romance"
• George Gershwin "But Not for Me"
• Elvis Presley "Are You Lonesome Tonight"
• The Beatles "We Can Work It Out"
• The Beatles "Get Back"
• The Beatles "Yesterday"
• John C. Reilly "Moonlight Serenade"
• John C. Reilly "Dreams"
• John C. Reilly "Johnsburg, Illinois"
• John C. Reilly "Falling in Love Again"
• John C. Reilly "What'll I Do"
• John C. Reilly "Picture in a Frame"
• John C. Reilly "Just Another Sucker on the Vine"
• Randy Newman "Ragtime"
• John C. Reilly & David Garza "What's Not To Love"
• Harry Nilsson "Coconut"
• Judy Garland "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
• Dooley Wilson "As Time Goes By"
• The New Vaudeville Band "Winchester Cathedral"
• Andy Williams "The Days of Wine and Roses"
• Nat King Cole "The Frim Fram Sauce"

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