The Pitchfork Review

Features Editors Ryan Dombal and Jill Mapes break down the most replayable, effervescent, and annoying songs that are vying for our attention this season alongside Senior Writer Alphonse Pierre.

Ahead of this weekend’s Pitchfork Fest in Chicago, Puja Patel, Jeremy D. Larson, and Executive Editor Amy Phillips reminisce about memorable sets from the past (Kendrick! Robyn! Animal Collective!) and what they’re looking forward to most this year (The Smile! Alvvays! Koffee!).

Puja Patel and Jeremy D. Larson discuss the near hits and wild misses of the controversial pop-star drama with Features Editor Ryan Dombal.

Jeremy Larson talks to Features Editor Ryan Dombal and Contributing Editor Jayson Greene about six unearthed albums Elliott Smith made with his high school friends that just might make you think a little differently about the singer-songwriter’s most well-known work.

Host Puja Patel is joined by Contributing Editor Isabelia Herrera and Features Editor Jill Mapes to discuss the queer nightlife scene’s resilience amid anti-trans legislation and attacks on LGBTQ+ communities.

Read Isabelia’s story “The Fight for Queer Nightlife in an Era of Political Violence.”

Host Anna Gaca and Contributing Writers Julianne Escobedo Shepherd and Heven Haile discuss the pop world-builder’s fourth studio album, which abandons their sci-fi past for a more joyous future.

Jeremy Larson swaps Foo Fighters memories with Senior Writer Marc Hogan and Associate News Director Evan Misker as they discuss the healing power of the arena rock legends’ 11th album, But Here We Are.

Puja Patel talks with Features Editor Ryan Dombal and Associate Editor Cat Zhang about the songs from this year that they love, hate, and love to hate.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Pitchfork Senior Editor Anna Gaca about the records, trends, and comebacks that have defined 2023.

In our first-ever crossover episode, Puja Patel joins Gideon Lichfield and Lauren Goode from the Wired podcast “Have A Nice Future” to discuss how AI is changing the world of music as we know it.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Pitchfork Features Editor Ryan Dombal about the iconic French duo’s final album, which was recently reissued. The episode also features Random Access Memories collaborator Todd Edwards reminiscing about the making of the song “Fragments of Time.”

Puja Patel talks with music legends Kim Gordon and Laurie Anderson, as well as writer Sinéad Gleeson, as part of a live event recorded last year during the Chicago Humanities Festival. The discussion revolves around an anthology of essays titled This Woman’s Work, which was edited by Gordon and Gleeson, and features a piece about Anderson.

Jeremy Larson talks to Contributing Writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd about Jessie Ware’s latest album, a loving ode to the euphoric dance sounds of the 1970s.

Puja Patel talks to Senior Writer Marc Hogan and Features Editor Jill Mapes about Frank Ocean’s performance at this year’s Coachella and its controversial aftermath.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Contributing Editor Andy Cush about the effect and influence of marijuana on music makers and fans.

Puja Patel talks to Associate Editor Cat Zhang and Contributing Writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd about the Korean-American electronic artist’s long-awaited debut album, which is a generous and understated exploration of rage as a source of creative renewal.

Read Julianne’s review here.

Jeremy Larson talks to Senior Editor Anna Gaca and Contributing Writer Olivia Horn about Lana Del Rey’s most freewheeling album yet.

Read Olivia’s review.

Puja Patel chats with Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus about astrology, friendship, and their debut album as Boygenius.

Puja Patel chats with the three musical masters about the winding road of jazz history, the magic of collaboration, and their new album as a trio, Love in Exile.

Ryan Dombal talks to Pitchfork Senior Editor Anna Gaca and Contributing Editor Phil Sherburne about new records from a couple of our favorite enigmatic eccentrics.

Read Anna’s review of Fever Ray’s Radical Romantics here.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Pitchfork Features Editor Jill Mapes about the Oscar-nominated music movies Elvis and Tár. Then, David Byrne and Ryan Lott of Son Lux talk about some favorite scores and their work on Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Read Jill’s article here.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk about the global rock sensation that is terrible at every conceivable level.

Read our review of Måneskin’s new album here.

Jeremy Larson talks to Staff Writer Alphonse Pierre and Contributing Editor Dylan Green about Lil Yachty’s voyage into soul and psych-rock.

Read Alphonse’s review of Let’s Start Here.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Pitchfork Associate Editor Cat Zhang about the singer’s new album, a pop odyssey of the highest order.

Read our review here.

Jeremy Larson talks to Pitchfork Senior Editorial Producer Eric Torres and Editorial Fellow Heven Haile about the electronic R&B singer’s long-awaited new album.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Pitchfork Senior Writer Marc Hogan about what we think is going to happen, what we think about the nominees, and who we think got snubbed.

Read our Grammys coverage here.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to contributing editor Andy Cush about the recent explosion of streaming ambient music, and then we open the mailbag to answer your burning questions.

Read Andy’s story, “Inside the Ambient Music Streaming Boom.”

Jeremy Larson talks to Pitchfork Senior Editor Anna Gaca and Contributing Editor Phil Sherburne about the best records that came in under the radar in 2022.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Pitchfork Features Editor Ryan Dombal about what they want to see and hear this year.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to culture critic and Pitchfork contributor Julianne Escobedo Shepherd about SZA’s long, ambitious and luxurious new album.

Read our review of SOS.

Puja Patel talks to staff writer Alphonse Pierre and Pitchfork contributor Dylan Green about the year in rap music.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to culture critic and Pitchfork contributor Julianne Escobedo Shepherd about the pop star’s immaculate dance record.

Read our review of Renaissance.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Pitchfork Features Editor Ryan Dombal about the music of 2022.

Read our Best 50 Albums and Best 100 Songs of 2022 lists.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Pitchfork Features Editor Ryan Dombal about the music of 2022.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Associate Editor Sam Sodomsky about new releases from Weyes Blood and Dream Unending.

Read our interview with Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering and our Best New Music review of Dream Unending’s Song of Salvation.

Puja Patel talks to Jeremy Larson about Alvvays’ latest album Blue Rev and to Staff Writer Madison Bloom about Endure by Special Interest.

Read our reviews of Endure and Blue Rev.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Staff Writer Jazz Monroe about the experimental pop icon, digging deep into her new album.

Read Jazz’s cover story.

Puja Patel talks to Pitchfork Editor Anna Gaca and Staff Writer Quinn Moreland about the highs, lows, surprises, and disappointments of the new Taylor Swift album.

Read our review of Midnights.

Puja Patel and Jeremy Larson talk to Pitchfork Features Editor Ryan Dombal about the polarizing band’s latest album, hanging with frontman Matty Healy, and what makes them charming, fun, and more than a little absurd.

Read our review of Being Funny in a Foreign Language and our 1975 cover story.

Brought to you by the music critics at Pitchfork, The Pitchfork Review is a show for music fans/obsessives who can’t wait to talk about the latest releases. Hosted by Pitchfork editor-in-chief Puja Patel, this podcast pulls back the curtain on our reviews and scores, dives deep into new music, and gives an expert guide to what's exciting, what’s great, and what’s just plain terrible.

Everything else aside, 2020 was a banner year for music. In addition to some truly stellar albums and songs, there was also plenty of sillier stuff to dig into: misguided anthems about the pandemic, casual covers and collaborations, good and bad tweets galore, and of course, Bernie Sanders introducing the Strokes and Soccer Mommy. On this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by Associate Editor Anna Gaca and News Editor Matthew Strauss for a senior superlatives-style rundown of the best and worst in these categories and more. Thanks for listening to the Pitchfork Review this year! We’ll be back with new episodes in 2021.

Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters isn’t just the best album of 2020, it’s the sort of masterpiece that defines an entire era. On this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by Contributing Editor Jenn Pelly, who wrote Pitchfork’s 10 Fetch the Bolt Cutters review and spent the year in communication with Apple for a series of follow-up pieces, and Features Editor Ryan Dombal, who wrote Pitchfork’s previous 10 review a decade ago—for Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy—and worked closely with Pelly on her Apple coverage. The three discuss the brilliance of Fetch the Bolt Cutters, and Apple’s unorthodox approach to making it; as well as the process of deciding that an album should receive a perfect score, and what a 10 really means. 

In the latest installment of our year-end podcast coverage, we’re talking about 2020’s best rock and rap albums. Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by News Editor Evan Minsker, Contributing Editor Jayson Greene, and Staff Writers Alphonse Pierre and Madison Bloom, who argue in favor of their personal favorites, from Yves Tumor and U.S. Girls to Westside Gunn and Jay Electronica. They also get into some broader discussions about the state of the genres more generally, including: Which old heads or new kids ruled rap in 2020? And what does “rock” even mean these days? 

Over the last several years, American listeners have grown more and more attuned to the sounds of West African pop music—also known as Afrobeats–whether it’s the swaggering Nigerian Afro-fusion of Burna Boy, the playfully genre-bending anthems of Ghanaian-American singer Amaarae, or the enthusiastic dabbling of stateside superstars like Drake and Diplo. On this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by Nigerian journalist Joey Akan, publisher of the Afrobeats Intelligence newsletter, and Mankaprr Conteh, Pitchfork Editorial Operations Associate, for a discussion about the music’s global rise and the West’s complicated rush to embrace it, as well as the fraught nature of the term “Afrobeats” itself. 

Building Pitchfork’s year-end lists of the best albums and songs is a lengthy and painstaking process, involving careful consideration of the 1,000-plus releases we review each year, and others we may have missed. We include innumerable factors in our decision-making, but sometimes it’s a matter of following instincts: with a gun to your head, which would you choose? On this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by Reviews Editor Jeremy Larson and Contributing Editor Andy Cush for some good-natured arguments about which songs by some of our favorite artists—like Waxahatchee, Phoebe Bridgers, Destroyer, and Moses Sumney—should make the cut this year.

A few months ago, we launched the Pitchfork Request Line, asking listeners to call in with requests for music to soundtrack whatever is going on in their lives. On this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is answering your requests along with Contributing Editors Rawiya Kameir and Philip Sherburne. They take calls from a midwestern transplant who’s nostalgic for her suburban D.C. hometown, a Mancunian looking to recapture the feeling of his city’s famously vibrant live music scene, and a father who’s teaching his kids music history by way of Willie Nelson. They also discuss the music they’ve been turning to for comfort during a difficult year.

In a year of historic protests, on the eve of a critical election, we’ve been thinking a lot about the place of music in movements for social and political change. In this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel speaks with Jason King, professor at NYU and founding faculty member of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, and Allison Hussey, Pitchfork Associate Staff Writer, about the changing role of protest music across American history, from 19th-century Black spirituals to Public Enemy, Lady Gaga, and Janelle Monáe. They also touch on the secret history of a Bob Dylan classic, and the new ways pop stars have engaged with activism in the social media era.

A global pandemic hasn’t slowed the prolific output of Adrianne Lenker, who released her gorgeous solo collections songs and instrumentals this week, not long after making two of 2019’s most celebrated albums with her band Big Thief. On this episode, Lenker chats with Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel about the music that accompanied her occasionally turbulent journey from childhood as a musical prodigy to adulthood as one of her generation’s greatest songwriters. She touches on an early fascination with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, a teenage encounter with the songs of Elliott Smith, and the story behind her Leonard Cohen tattoo.

What is hyperpop? A movement? A meaningless label? A Spotify playlist? Whatever the answer, it surely has something to do with 100 gecs, the duo of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, whose songs sometimes sound like the last three decades of popular music happening all at once. On this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel interviews Les and Brady about their conflicted relationship to the genre they’ve come to embody, as well as their influences—ranging from PC Music to Lil Wayne to John Zorn to Britney Spears—and a new wave of artists who are taking their cues from gecs themselves. 

It’s been six months since the live music industry operated under any semblance of normalcy in the U.S., thanks to COVID-19. Which means most of us haven’t seen a proper show in at least that long. When will concerts come back, and what needs to happen before they do? Are outdoor events and reduced-capacity venues safe and financially viable options? Can a livestream really match the energy of an in-person performance? On this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by two veterans of putting on shows—Kristen Kaza, co-founder of Chicago’s beloved Slo ‘Mo series of queer dance parties, and Adam Krefman, Pitchfork’s own Executive Director of Festivals—to discuss those questions, as well as their own experiences with navigating the pandemic’s challenges

This week brought new albums from a pair of beloved artists who emerged a little over a decade ago as purveyors of artful indie folk: Fleet Foxes, who announced their fourth full-length Shore on Monday and released it 24 hours later, and Sufjan Stevens, whose eighth solo album The Ascension arrives today, September 25. Each has navigated listeners’ weighty expectations in their own way: Fleet Foxes by eschewing promotion and embracing the vibrant simplicity of their early songwriting, and Stevens by avoiding the character sketches and personal narratives of his past albums in favor of broader questions about the state of the world. On this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by Features Editor Ryan Dombal and News Editor Matthew Strauss for a discussion of both albums and the artists who made them.

Next month, Matt Berninger of The National will release Serpentine Prison, his first solo album, produced by the legendary Memphis multi-instrumentalist Booker T. Jones. On this episode, Berninger chats with Pitchfork Staff Writer Sam Sodomsky about the songs that shaped him as a musician and informed the new album, touching on his childhood infatuation with Olivia Newton-John, The Smiths and U2 records he blasted while getting pelted with golf balls at his first job, and The National’s early aspirations to emulate the Silver Jews.

For years, Enya’s music was treated as a cultural punchline, the eerily soothing soundtrack to countless crystal shops and Pure Moods commercials. But lately, a new generation of artists—from Weyes Blood to Nicki Minaj—is proudly claiming the misunderstood Irish auteur as an influence. On this episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by Contributing Editor Jenn Pelly, a recently converted Enya fanatic, for a discussion about the depth and complexity of Enya’s artistry and the ways she maintained creative control of her music and image in a male-dominated industry. Next week, Pitchfork will publish Pelly’s longform written feature on Enya's blooming influence in 2020, featuring interviews with many of the artists who look to her as a guiding light.

After its launch a few weeks ago, the Pitchfork Request Line is still ringing off the hook with listeners calling in for recommendations of music to soundtrack their lives. This week, we’re taking requests from an aspiring metalhead, a road tripper making a move from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and someone who just wants to get the hell out of 2020, if only for the length of a song. 

If you want to get a recommendation of your own, give us a call at (917) 524-7371 and tell us a story about what’s going on in your life right now. 

A few weeks ago we launched the Pitchfork Review hotline, asking our listeners to call in if they want help finding music to soundtrack their lives. Thank you to everyone who’s called in. It’s been pretty great going through all the voicemails that we’ve gotten in from all over the country and hearing a little bit about what’s going on with you. In this episode, we answer requests for music to get over an ex and music for falling in love, and we also share our personal love and heartbreak stories.

If you want to leave us a message to get a recommendation of your own, give us a call at (917) 524-7371.

By this time of year, there’s usually consensus around what the “Song of the Summer” is. But 2020 isn’t like any other summer in so many ways, including the pop charts. The Billboard Hot 100 has been all over the place for the past several months, with a new artist rising to the top most weeks, including Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, the Weeknd, Lady Gaga, and DaBaby. In this episode, we’re going to break down what makes a song of the summer and take a look at our favorites from 2020.

British singer/songwriter Lianne La Havas recently released her third album, a self-titled collection of songs about love, heartbreak, and independence. Pitchfork editor Puja Patel recently spoke with Lianne at home in London over video chat for Pitchfork’s Listening Club. They talked about the nostalgia of breakup songs, staying true to yourself, Lianne’s cover of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes,” and the advice she took from Prince.

If you want some help finding new music, leave us a voicemail at ‪(917) 524-7371. Tell us a story about what's going on now in your life that you need a soundtrack for. We’ll take a listen and pick a few to feature on an upcoming episode, where Pitchfork's music critics will recommend you something new.

Listening to new music is what we do all day here at Pitchfork. But it isn’t always easy. Sometimes (OK, a lot of the time) it can be tempting to just throw on an old favorite rather than dig into something fresh. On this week’s episode of our podcast, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by Reviews Editor Jeremy Larson to talk about the science behind why it’s difficult to engage with music you’re unfamiliar with–and also why it’s worth it.

Follow PitchforkRadio on Instagram and Twitter to find out more about Pitchfork's audio/podcasts.

Last week, Taylor Swift surprised her fans with the announcement of the imminent release of a new 16-track album, entitled folklore. The National’s Aaron Dessner co-wrote or co-produced 11 of the songs, and it also features collaborations with Bon Iver and Jack Antonoff. “Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen,” Taylor’s announcement said of the making of the album. At its best, folklore reinforces something that has been true throughout Swift’s career: her biggest strength is her storytelling. On this week’s episode, Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by Senior Editor Jillian Mapes and Associate Editor Anna Gaca to discuss everything Taylor Swift—and her most recent release.

On June 19th, Bob Dylan released his 39th album, Rough and Rowdy Ways -- his first full length album of original songs in nearly a decade. Throughout his career, Dylan has followed moments of silence with something wholly new. In the mid-sixties, after a motorcycle accident brought Dylan’s creative and popular explosion to a halt, he retreated for a year and a half. Then, he released John Wesley Harding -- a stark and simple album with standouts like “All Along the Watchtower” and “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine.” Thirty years later, Dylan released Time Out of Mind, after years of doing mostly folk cover albums. Time Out of Mind, produced by Daniel Lanois, had an atmospheric and dark quality never heard before in Dylan’s previous work. Similarly, Rough and Rowdy Ways sees Dylan breaking new ground again. Pitchfork Editor Puja Patel is joined by Staff Writer Sam Sodomsky and Contributing Editor Andy Cush as they break down Dylan’s comeback albums and discuss his most recent album.

On February 19th, 2020, Pop Smoke’s life was tragically cut short, when he was shot and killed at the age of 20. At the time of his death, the rapper was a leading light of Brooklyn drill, the hyper-local scene that had quickly become the premier NYC hip-hop subgenre. With hits like “Welcome to the Party” and “Dior,” Pop had helped reinvigorate interest in New York hip-hop overall. His posthumous album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon was released on July 3. Listen to this week’s episode of The Pitchfork Review as Editor Puja Patel sits down with Pitchfork Staff Writer Alphonse Pierre and Contributing Writer Sheldon Pearce to discuss Pop Smoke’s come up and legacy, Brooklyn drill and its intersections with policing and protests, and the new album.

TikTok, the omnipresent fifteen-second video platform, has taken over social media. The app has also changed the landscape of the music industry, churning out chart-topping hits like Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” and DaBaby and Roddy Ricch’s “Rockstar” in the process. This summer, following the killing of George Floyd and nationwide protests, activists have co-opted dance and music TikToks in the name of racial justice. But can a supercapitalist app like TikTok really be a force for social change? Listen to this week's episode of The Pitchfork Review as Editor-in-Chief Puja Patel discusses this question, and more, with Pitchfork staffer Cat Zhang.

From the upcoming episode “The Revolution Will Be TikTok’d”, Pitchfork Staffer Cat Zhang shows us what it takes to make a TikTok hit—and why the music industry is taking notice.

Introducing The Pitchfork Review -- the music podcast you’ve always wanted, from the most trusted voice in music. Hosted by Puja Patel, editor in chief of Pitchfork, our brand new podcast launches on July 10th. Subscribe to get episodes right when they drop at midnight.