Pop Pantheon

Louie and Russ come together to debate what this year's song of the summer was. Was it Ella Langley's chart topper "Choosin' Texas"? What about Taylor Swift's latest mega-single, "I Knew It, I Knew You" or Ariana Grande's "Hate That I Made You Love Me"? Maybe Olivia Rodrigo? Drake?! Or something not even on the top of the charts, like Slayyyter or Madonna. They discuss the summer in pop and then reveal the winners of the 2026 Pop Pantheon Song of the Summer Draft.

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ go track-by-track on the final studio album from Britney Spears, Glory, in honor of its 10th anniversary.To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd returns to Pop Pantheon to unpack the career of a pop star who changed the very notion of what a “pop star” could be: M.I.A. Louis and Julianne dig into M.I.A.’s origins, from England to Sri Lanka, India and back, her first mixtape and breakthrough with 2005’s Arular. Next they discuss 2007’s Kala and “Paper Planes,” the 2010’s Maya, the mess that followed the 2012 and her commercial decline. Finally, they discuss her later era music, recent string of controversies and rank M.I.A. in The Official Pop Pantheon.Listen to Pop Pantheon's M.I.A. Essentials PlaylistFollow Julianne Escobedo Shepherd on Instagram

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Russ shares his belated thoughts on Charli XCX's latest, Music Fashion Film, before he and Louie go track-by-track on 2016's Vroom Vroom, the pivotal Sophie-produced EP that forever changed Charli's sound and career.To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Pop Pantheon is off until September. In the meantime, we're dropping some gems from our Patreon for free! This week, we're sharing our episode from May of this year where Russ and Louie went track-by-track on Beyoncé's second album, B'Day, to commemorate it's upcoming 20th anniversary. If you like what you hear and want more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier to receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.Buy tickets to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 9/11

NPR Music reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento returns to Pop Pantheon All Access to join Russ for a discussion about two albums from Latin pop stars released this month. First they tackle Karol G's sonic pivot on her recent breakup album No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, then they unpack the many diverging paths that led to Becky G's new record Baraja Bendita. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Pop Pantheon is off until September. In the meantime, we're dropping some gems from our Patreon for free! This week, we're sharing our episode from July 2024 reviewing Camila Cabello's C,XOXO. If you like what you hear and want more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier to receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.Buy tickets to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 9/11

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ go deep on new songs from Troye Sivan, Flo, Ravyn Lanae, Phoebe Bridgers, Tyla, and Adela.To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Digging through this week's top ten from the last five decades— the 1980s, the 1990s, the 2000s, the 2010s, and today— Louie and Russ try to figure if pop music, at least the songs that reach the summit of the Billboard Hot 100, used to be better.