As a capstone to Pop Girl Summer, Sabrina Carpenter's new album, 'Short n' Sweet,' is here. Nora and Nathan talk about the wit and playfulness that runs throughout this album (1:00); how Carpenter is trying out a variety of sounds on this album, from R&B to yacht rock (26:21); and some of their favorite lyrics off an album with an array to choose f…

Nora and Nathan talk about the news and surprises that came out of Taylor Swift's final slate of European shows in London (1:00). Then they turn to Post Malone's first foray into country music: F-1 Trillion. They discuss how the rapper came to the genre (15:29), how seemingly every big name in country has a feature on this album (36:32), and their …

Nora and Nathan cover a range of pop music news from the last few weeks, including Charli XCX's star-studded birthday party (1:00), who made it onto Barack Obama's annual summer playlist (17:16), why Katy Perry got in trouble with Spain because of the music video for her second single "Lifetimes" (23:45), and the Eras Tour shows that got canceled i…

After having the two songs of the summer in "Espresso" and "Please Please Please," Sabrina Carpenter is gearing up to release 'Short n' Sweet.' So first, Nora and Nathan go back to her album 'Emails I Can't Send.' They talk about her transition from a "lowercase pop girl" to an "uppercase pop girl" (1:00), her drama with Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua B…

In a spring and summer that has been dominated by female artists, Nora and Nathan talk about some of the male artists that have managed to break through on the charts: Post Malone, Zach Bryan, and Eminem. They discuss Post Malone's forthcoming country album and what it tells us about the evolution of Nashville's music scene (1:00), Zach Bryan's 'Th…

Nora and Nathan open up the mailbag to answer a few questions about our year in pop music so far. They make some predictions about who will win the Big Four Grammy Awards (Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year) (1:00), discuss Kamala Harris's campaign's adoption of "brat summer" (26:47), and debate whether Tay…

Nora and Nathan talk about the new Katy Perry single 'Woman's World' within the context of her career (1:00) and why this new song feels so oblivious to the current moment (19:24). Then they discuss Camilla Cabello's new album 'C, XOXO,' which has not one but two Drake features (36:43) and ultimately falls flat (46:57). Hosts: Nora Princiotti and N…

Nora and Nathan each draft and discuss their 10 favorite songs from all of the pop albums that they've talked about this spring and summer, including 'The Tortured Poets Department,' 'Brat,' 'Cowboy Carter,' 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,' and 'Hit Me Hard and Soft.' Hosts: Nora Princiotti and Nathan Hubbard Producer: Kaya McMullen Learn…

Nora and Nathan discuss the second studio album from Gracie Abrams: 'The Secret of Us.' They then talk about Taylor Swift's influence on and close relationship with Abrams, as well as whether that's helping or hurting Abrams's music (1:00). Later, they get into how her songs feel the strongest when her lyrics are plain-spoken (39:37), and how, with…

Nora and Nathan kick off their "brat summer" by talking about Charli XCX's sixth studio album. They talk about how this album differs from her past, more mainstream pop albums (1:00), the inner monologue that is running through many of the songs on this record (31:49), and the narrow palette of sounds she pulled from for these songs (56:46). Hosts:…

Nora talks about her experience at the Eras Tour in Edinburgh, Scotland (1:00). Then, Nora and Nathan talk about the meteoric rise of Chappell Roan and her 2023 album 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.' They discuss how her career took off this summer after opening for Olivia Rodrigo and performing on NPR's 'Tiny Desk Concert' (16:05), what …

By John Viinalass

Nora and Nathan cover a grab bag of pop music news, including Sabrina Carpenter's announcement that her next album, 'Short n' Sweet,' is coming in August (1:00), whether or not Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish are feuding over releasing vinyl variants (15:21), and what surprise songs Taylor has been playing at Eras shows recently (38:31). Hosts: Nora…

At long last, Nora and Nathan cover Ariana Grande's 'Eternal Sunshine,' her seventh studio album. They talk about how this album seems to be lacking the viral hits that 'Sweetener' and 'Thank U, Next' had (1:00), whether this is a divorce album or if it's actually about Grande's relationship with the press (22:38), and the classic Max Martin produc…

Nora and Nathan talk about the third studio album from Billie Eilish: 'Hit Me Hard and Soft.' They discuss how Eilish is displaying new vocal ranges in songs like 'The Greatest' and 'Birds of a Feather' (17:32), her continued collaboration with her brother Finneas and whether or not she might branch out in the future (45:14), and how many songs on …

Nora and Nathan check in on the newly revamped Eras Tour setlist. They talk about the new 'Tortured Poets Department' section of the show, and which songs Taylor Swift chose to include (1:00), which songs she decided to cut in order to make room (36:12), and why she might have decided to change up the show even though tickets have already been sold…

J.B. Simmons (jbsimmons.com) Guaranteed Good News: Homepage - Sign Up | Primal PathBy John Viinalass

Nora and Nathan are here to review and discuss Dua Lipa’s third album, 'Radical Optimism.' They start by talking about their journey with Dua Lipa (2:13). Then they get into the album, starting with what they think the biggest hit is (18:52). During their breakdown of the album, they talk about the best song, what they are cutting, and much more. T…

Nora and Nathan give a few final thoughts about 'The Tortured Poets Department,' including what the charts can tell us about how people are listening to this album (1:00), and whether Taylor Swift albums can be properly reviewed anymore (34:25). Then, they talk about Sabrina Carpenter's song 'Espresso,' and how she's poised to be one of our next bi…

The Tortured Podcasters Department meets again, this time to open up the mailbag! Nora and Nathan answer a bunch of listener questions about whether their opinion has changed on any songs, what they want to hear next from Taylor, and much more (4:13). Then they answer rapid-fire questions, including one about how they think Taylor will incorporate …

It's the inaugural meeting of the Tortured Podcasters Department. Nora and Nathan discuss the rollout for this album and how Taylor Swift releasing an entire second album worth of bonus tracks affected it's reception (1:00), whether or not "Fortnight" is going to be the biggest hit off of this album (24:06), how Swift is grappling with her level of…

In this, the second episode of their new show, Cory and Hub digress from their coverage of Champions and discuss the absolutely bonkers Silver Age gofers that is Action Comics #243. Digressions include: Super Lion's surprising pathos, burying scary media in your yard, 18th century fashion, and a bunch of other nonsense!…

Less than a week away from the release of 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Nora and Nathan talk through some of the burning questions they have about this album. They talk about the five "stages of grief" playlists Taylor Swift released on Apple Music (1:00), what it means that this is most likely a breakup album about Joe Alwyn (13:18), and how th…

By John Viinalass

Nora and Nathan are here to break down the third album from Maggie Rogers, 'Don't Forget Me.' They talk about how the fact that the album was written over the course of five days impacted its sound (1:00), how she's moved away from the electronic sounds of 'Heard It In A Past Life' and toward the sounds of Linda Rondstadt and Sheryl Crow (32:05), a…

Nora and Nathan take a look at Kacey Musgraves's sixth album, ‘Deeper Well.’ They start by talking about where they think Kacey is at in her career before getting into the album. They go through all the songs, talking about which were their favorites and least favorites (19:30), and at the end, they talk about what they are looking for from Kacey i…

'Cowboy Carter' is here, marking Beyonce's foray into country music—or has she been here all along? Nora and Nathan talk about the breadth of this 27-song album (1:00), the array of influences that Beyoncé pulled from for this project (39:13), and some of their favorite and least favorite songs (1:09:46). Hosts: Nora Princiotti and Nathan Hubbard P…

With everyone from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift to Dua Lipa releasing albums this spring, Nora and Nathan are coming together to discuss them all. They talk about why we may be seeing this flux in album releases (1:00), what Taylor's been up to ahead of the release of 'The Tortured Poets Department' (24:03), and the bonus tracks on Olivia Rodrigo's 'Gut…

Nora and Nathan are back to cover a very busy spring for pop music. They'll be breaking down everything from Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter' to Dua Lipa's 'Radical Optimism' and of course Taylor Swift's newest release: 'The Tortured Poets Department.' It's "Pop Girl Spring" starting March 28th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a…

By John Viinalass

Our intrepid hosts, Hub and Cory, embark on a bold new adventure. They discuss The Champions #1 and indulge themselves in many digressions along the way.

Nora and Nathan convene for an emergency pod after Taylor Swift announced her new album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. They talk about how the announcement went over with her fan base versus in the room at the awards show (1:00), speculate on what the album is about based on the track list that was released yester…

Nora and Nathan are here to walk you through everything you need to know before two big Taylor Swift events: the Super Bowl and the Grammy's. They give a rundown on the Chiefs and the 49ers and how the game might go for Travis Kelce (1:00), the logistics of Taylor getting from Tokyo to Las Vegas in time for the game (37:01), and what squad she migh…

Taylor Swift was named TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year, and in conjunction with that honor gave a rare interview for the profile. Nora and Nathan talk about why she might have decided to give the interview (1:00), some of the major revelations that came from the piece (15:58), and what it means for her future music that she’s in a very happy moment …

Welp, that's a wrap on Titan Up the Defense! For our final episode, we take a look at Teen Titan Spotlight #21, featuring the original Teen Titan lineup. We talk about Woodstock, the 60's vs the 80's, Arsenic and Old Lace, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I don't remember. Thanks so much for listening, everybody! We love you. Enjoy! Enjoy!…

Almost two weeks out from the release of '1989 (Taylor's Version),' Nora and Nathan open up the mailbag to talk about which of the rereleases have had the best vault tracks so far (1:00), which '1989' vault track they think Taylor Swift would make a music video for (45:37), and which album they think best represents Travis Kelce (1:01:51). Hosts: N…

SMRASH! For the penultimate episode of TUtD, we set the wayback machine for 1971 and discuss Sub-Mariner #34, featuring the Defenders' precursor, The Titans Three! Topics include: Uh...stuff? Probably also things. Look, it's been a long couple of weeks, and I was drinking a fair amount of brandy. I think we talked about the Silver Surfer somewhere …

Hey, everybody! I goofed up when I uploaded this years Disco Barn and initially posted a version that was missing some bits. That version was only up a couple of hours, but if you downloaded when it was released and have an incomplete version of the show, please delete that version and re-download. That should fix things. Sorry about the inconvenie…

Welcome Back to the Disco Barn, once the most popular supernatural discotheque in all of rural New England. This year, the Haunted Disco Barn's owner and proprietor, Ezekiel P Shadowmaven, regales us with Punk is UnDead, a bone chilling murder mystery from the Barn's 1970's heyday. Happy Halloween!

Nora and Nathan break down the latest release in Taylor Swift’s re-recording project: ‘1989.’ They discuss if Max Martin not producing affected the re-recordings (1:00), which songs sound the most similar and different from their originals (35:51), and the five new vault tracks that almost sound like they could be found on ‘Midnights’ (51:17). Host…

We get back to our roots, and read Adventure Comics #269, featuring the debut of the undisputed greatest Teen Titan, Aqualad! Hooray! There's also some fun stuff about Super Dogs, Space Pills, and stork rescue, but mostly we talk about the fact that one guy in the comic calls a mistake, "A costly boner." Enjoy! Enjoy! If you enjoy the show and woul…

Nora and Nathan review the Eras Tour movie. They talk about their experiences in the theater (1:00), which songs got cut from the movie (21:35), and whether they would have liked to have seen more behind-the-scenes footage in the film (38:16). Then, they talk about "Tay-vis" (1:00:40) and the forthcoming release of '1989 (Taylor's Version)' (1:16:4…

Bwahaha! We read Defenders (Vol 3) #1, by the creative team behind JLI! Topics of discussion include: Keith Giffen, revised jungle monarchy, Cory redeeming his Cory Points, and skeletal xylophonics. Enjoy! Enjoy! If you enjoy the show and would like access to bonus materials, please consider donating at patreon.com/ttwasteland You can get into touc…

Puff! We read Teen Titans: Year One #1! There's very little comic book in this comic book, so we talk about: Halloween 3, Great Danes, the Cory Point redemption process, horse flies, Dean Moon, and a bunch of other stuff. Enjoy! Enjoy! If you enjoy the show and would like access to bonus materials, please consider donating at patreon.com/ttwastelan…

This is it! We read New Defenders #152, the final issue of the series! Hub and Cory look back on their journey and discuss: an odd costume decision, the final(ish) fates of our heroes, a disturbing potential band name, and much more! Enjoy Enjoy! And thank you. If you enjoy the show and would like access to bonus materials, please consider donating…

Hub and Cory take a look at everyone's least favorite bird themed teenage heroes(?) first encounter with the Teen Titans in The Hawk and the Dove #5! Topics include: a rad present, comic book pacifism, dumb birds, and what to do if someone drops a box on your brother's head. Enjoy! Enjoy! If you enjoy the show and would like access to bonus materia…

Yowsers! After a longer than expected delay, we read New Defenders #151, the penultimate issue of the series! Topics include: komiks, the virtues of lying and stealing, accurate answers to banal questions, and even more tangents than usual. Enjoy! Enjoy! If you enjoy the show and would like access to bonus materials, please consider donating at pat…

This week's recording went sideways on us, so we reached into the archives and pulled out this Bonus episode Cory and Hub recorded for Patreon a depressing number of years ago. They talk about Wonder Woman issues #265-266, and probably a bunch of other stuff as well. Who can remember? It was 2016, a year most of us have tried to blot out of our res…

It's time to spill our guts. Nora and Nathan talk about the sophomore album from Olivia Rodrigo, the immense pressure she was under after the success of 'SOUR' (1:00), how Dan Nigro and other influences helped her develop the sound on this album (24:44), and debate whether or not songs like "the grudge" and "lacy" are about Taylor Swift (41:31). Ho…

The Doctor is in! For reason's Hub barely attempts to justify, he and special guest Sara Century discuss issues 25-41 of Dr. Fate! Topics include: feelings jars, progressive superhero comics, less progressive superhero comics, whether Chaos reigns (it does), and is Inza Nelson the greatest superhero? Enjoy! Enjoy! If you enjoy the show and would li…