Hearing Things
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Independent music journalism. No algorithms. We promise.
On the biggest U.S. stage, Bad Bunny showed why he is so massive, and why his Grammy-winning love letter to his homeland, 𝘋𝘦𝘣𝘪́ 𝘛𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘴 𝘍𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴, resonates across the world—from Latin America to Palestine to China to Switzerland
Benito Bowl Wasn’t About Them—It Was About Us
How Bad Bunny triumphed on the Super Bowl stage.
www.hearingthings.co
February 9, 2026 at 6:50 PM
On the biggest U.S. stage, Bad Bunny showed why he is so massive, and why his Grammy-winning love letter to his homeland, 𝘋𝘦𝘣𝘪́ 𝘛𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘴 𝘍𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴, resonates across the world—from Latin America to Palestine to China to Switzerland
Brain-breaking club artist Zora Jones is your favorite producer’s favorite producer for a reason.
Big-Jeans Anthems and Anime Fjords
Get strapped into your JNCOs, folks.
www.hearingthings.co
February 5, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Brain-breaking club artist Zora Jones is your favorite producer’s favorite producer for a reason.
Barely a few seconds ever pass in 𝘚𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘴 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘴 𝟤.𝟢 without a blast of low-end that seems to tear through not just the mix but the fabric of existence as you know it
A Thrilling Slice of Brazilian Funk
Plus: music that sounds like the last breath of a whoopee cushion and a pop album from a band of 10-inch-tall dolls.
www.hearingthings.co
February 3, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Barely a few seconds ever pass in 𝘚𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘴 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘴 𝟤.𝟢 without a blast of low-end that seems to tear through not just the mix but the fabric of existence as you know it
I couldn’t help but also notice how 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 Bad Bunny looked in the Grammys audience, seemingly the only person sitting at his table right up front. It’s a lot of cultural weight for one person to bear. He carried it with grace.
Why I Can’t Quit the Grammys
Confessions of a conflicted trophy watcher
www.hearingthings.co
February 2, 2026 at 10:01 PM
I couldn’t help but also notice how 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 Bad Bunny looked in the Grammys audience, seemingly the only person sitting at his table right up front. It’s a lot of cultural weight for one person to bear. He carried it with grace.
Street rap continues to pop off in cities like Philadelphia and Detroit. Local sounds like plugg, juke, and minimalist swag rap still exist. Lyricists are bending traditions into weird shapes. You don’t have to dig that deep to find the good shit.
Monocultural Rap Stardom is Dead—and That’s OK
What does it mean to be a rap star in 2026? Some thoughts on rap’s current standing in the mainstream and the genre’s health in the post-social media era.
www.hearingthings.co
February 2, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Street rap continues to pop off in cities like Philadelphia and Detroit. Local sounds like plugg, juke, and minimalist swag rap still exist. Lyricists are bending traditions into weird shapes. You don’t have to dig that deep to find the good shit.
Try as I might, I can’t stop watching this silly pageant
Why I Can’t Quit the Grammys
Confessions of a conflicted trophy watcher
www.hearingthings.co
February 2, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Try as I might, I can’t stop watching this silly pageant
Tyler, The Creator addressed recent pushback for years of shock jock antics at the Grammys last night. As Dylan writes, when you build a brand around that kind of trolling, you run the risk of reckoning with it every time new fans revisit the classics.
Tyler, the Creator Brought This Reckoning on Himself
The California rapper-producer spent his early years cultivating a fanbase of trolls. How much reckoning will it take to shake them?
www.hearingthings.co
February 2, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Tyler, The Creator addressed recent pushback for years of shock jock antics at the Grammys last night. As Dylan writes, when you build a brand around that kind of trolling, you run the risk of reckoning with it every time new fans revisit the classics.
"By turning his attention back to his home—the beating heart of Puerto Rico—Bad Bunny has rediscovered what truly matters to him. That love, and the fight to protect it, will set a person free." Read Julianne's review of the Grammys' Album of the Year
Bad Bunny ❤️ PR
The superstar finds freedom amid his homeland’s glories and struggles on ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos.’
www.hearingthings.co
February 2, 2026 at 2:36 PM
"By turning his attention back to his home—the beating heart of Puerto Rico—Bad Bunny has rediscovered what truly matters to him. That love, and the fight to protect it, will set a person free." Read Julianne's review of the Grammys' Album of the Year
What does it mean to be a rap star in 2026? A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar aren't the only rappers doing things worth your attention. Dylan says fuck a Big Three--go find your own generational rap hero.
Monocultural Rap Stardom is Dead—And That's OK
What does it mean to be a rap star in 2026? Some thoughts on rap’s current standing in the mainstream and the genre’s health in the post-social media era.
www.hearingthings.co
February 2, 2026 at 2:01 PM
What does it mean to be a rap star in 2026? A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar aren't the only rappers doing things worth your attention. Dylan says fuck a Big Three--go find your own generational rap hero.
"It would be way healthier to have a digital independent music landscape where there’s lots of different communities using the tools that work best for them."
Liz Pelly on the Impact of Her Anti-Spotify Book ‘Mood Machine’ and Where We Go From Here
“The point is to encourage people to reject the idea that it’s a one-click solution.”
www.hearingthings.co
January 31, 2026 at 2:00 PM
"It would be way healthier to have a digital independent music landscape where there’s lots of different communities using the tools that work best for them."
The latest episode of our podcast Waste or Taste is here, and we're going deep on Harry Styles's new song. Also discussed: What it means to go “full Boone,” bucking broncos, and whether AI-generated music is a depressing fad or something far more sinister
Harry Styles Just Found Out About LCD Soundsystem
Our intrepid podcast crew dares to ask the question: Should we, as a society, feel bad for Harry Styles?
www.hearingthings.co
January 29, 2026 at 2:12 PM
The latest episode of our podcast Waste or Taste is here, and we're going deep on Harry Styles's new song. Also discussed: What it means to go “full Boone,” bucking broncos, and whether AI-generated music is a depressing fad or something far more sinister
This week, we've got two Must Hear albums: husky, road-weary R&B from the Paris of the Prairies, and a mind-melting dispatch from a young duo proving that rap music is still the future.
Straight Outta Saskatoon
Must Hear road-weary R&B and omnivorous rap experimentalism, a psych-punk supergroup featuring Sonic Youth's secret weapon, and more.
www.hearingthings.co
January 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM
This week, we've got two Must Hear albums: husky, road-weary R&B from the Paris of the Prairies, and a mind-melting dispatch from a young duo proving that rap music is still the future.
The soundtrack from Industry, HBO's horniest show about finance, is clever and impeccably selected, reveling in icy synths that encapsulate the way money, sex, and drugs can intertwine into one nihilistic rush
The Sneaky Genius of Industry's Synthy Soundtrack
For four seasons, the HBO show has given us impeccable needle drops that subtly undermine its shady world of crypto-capitalism.
www.hearingthings.co
January 26, 2026 at 5:57 PM
The soundtrack from Industry, HBO's horniest show about finance, is clever and impeccably selected, reveling in icy synths that encapsulate the way money, sex, and drugs can intertwine into one nihilistic rush
"So much of the power of major labels is rooted in their ability to protect this idea that musical genius is this rare and scarce thing that only they have ownership over."
Liz Pelly on the Impact of Her Anti-Spotify Book ‘Mood Machine’ and Where We Go From Here
“The point is to encourage people to reject the idea that it’s a one-click solution.”
www.hearingthings.co
January 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM
"So much of the power of major labels is rooted in their ability to protect this idea that musical genius is this rare and scarce thing that only they have ownership over."
The legendary experimental trio on the making of their opus, 'Dysnomia,' and coming back to its obsessive rhythms 13 years later
Dawn of Midi's Eternal Return
The legendary experimental band on the making of their opus, “Dysnomia,” and coming back to its obsessive rhythms 13 years later.
www.hearingthings.co
January 23, 2026 at 5:55 PM
The legendary experimental trio on the making of their opus, 'Dysnomia,' and coming back to its obsessive rhythms 13 years later
This week, we've got bars for your haters, easy melodies for tough days, folk-rock with a whole new take on the meaning of “Lynchian”, and a psychedelic instrumental from the guitarist behind one of 2025's best albums www.hearingthings.co/youre-a-goof...
You're a Goofy Goober
Hard-won easy listening, a perfectly outlandish West Coast rap throwback, and more.
www.hearingthings.co
January 22, 2026 at 5:33 PM
This week, we've got bars for your haters, easy melodies for tough days, folk-rock with a whole new take on the meaning of “Lynchian”, and a psychedelic instrumental from the guitarist behind one of 2025's best albums www.hearingthings.co/youre-a-goof...
"We often get compared to lots of bands I’ve never listened to in my life. But a band I have listened to a lot is Life Without Buildings."
Dry Cleaning’s Florence Shaw on the Lyrics That Changed Her Life
The post-punk singer admires Björk’s verbosity and Life Without Buildings’ lateral connections.
www.hearingthings.co
January 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM
"We often get compared to lots of bands I’ve never listened to in my life. But a band I have listened to a lot is Life Without Buildings."
"I think Björk is my favorite lyricist, full stop. The way she writes—I feel like she’s holding you on a leash or something, leading you somewhere, but you don’t know where."
Dry Cleaning’s Florence Shaw on the Lyrics That Changed Her Life
The post-punk singer admires Björk’s verbosity and Life Without Buildings’ lateral connections.
www.hearingthings.co
January 21, 2026 at 6:20 PM
"I think Björk is my favorite lyricist, full stop. The way she writes—I feel like she’s holding you on a leash or something, leading you somewhere, but you don’t know where."
"In a lot of ways, the fight for a world where music and culture are more accessible and democratized is connected to the fight for free time, because there’s so many people whose everyday lives are mostly spent on work and trying to survive."
Liz Pelly on the Impact of Her Anti-Spotify Book ‘Mood Machine’ and Where We Go From Here
“The point is to encourage people to reject the idea that it’s a one-click solution.”
www.hearingthings.co
January 21, 2026 at 1:01 PM
"In a lot of ways, the fight for a world where music and culture are more accessible and democratized is connected to the fight for free time, because there’s so many people whose everyday lives are mostly spent on work and trying to survive."
Rest in peace to the folk legend Tucker Zimmerman, Big Thief cohort and would-be member of the Grateful Dead. “I believe, when you’ve got something going, go all the way through," he told Andy in a 2024 interview. "Go to the end, see what happens.” 🌈 🙏
How Tucker Zimmerman and Big Thief Made the Album of a Lifetime
The octogenarian singer-songwriter and the millennial indie-rock band just had a feeling about each other.
www.hearingthings.co
January 20, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Rest in peace to the folk legend Tucker Zimmerman, Big Thief cohort and would-be member of the Grateful Dead. “I believe, when you’ve got something going, go all the way through," he told Andy in a 2024 interview. "Go to the end, see what happens.” 🌈 🙏
"For all the #taste and eclecticism being projected outward," Dylan writes, A$AP Rocky's new one "comes off as too manicured—musical aura farming that doesn’t connect at a visceral level."
Does the World Need Another A$AP Rocky Album?
The rapper takes a break from Denzel movies and daddy-dom to drop his most superficial album yet. Plus: Must Hear indie rock about a literal dead horse.
www.hearingthings.co
January 20, 2026 at 5:24 PM
"For all the #taste and eclecticism being projected outward," Dylan writes, A$AP Rocky's new one "comes off as too manicured—musical aura farming that doesn’t connect at a visceral level."
We've got a handful of Must Hear song picks this week: a sax-punk rager, a TikTok rap hit that plays like a scene from Tom and Jerry, and the kind of music that makes the apocalypse feel just fine. www.hearingthings.co/youre-not-re...
You're Not Ready for This Opening Line
Three raging Must Hear tracks and more.
www.hearingthings.co
January 15, 2026 at 6:00 PM
We've got a handful of Must Hear song picks this week: a sax-punk rager, a TikTok rap hit that plays like a scene from Tom and Jerry, and the kind of music that makes the apocalypse feel just fine. www.hearingthings.co/youre-not-re...
"There have been times where people are like, 'I read your book and then I canceled Spotify and I got Apple Music!' That kind of misses a lot of the point that this book lands on." – 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 author Liz Pelly
Liz Pelly on the Impact of Her Anti-Spotify Book ‘Mood Machine’ and Where We Go From Here
“The point is to encourage people to reject the idea that it’s a one-click solution.”
www.hearingthings.co
January 14, 2026 at 1:31 PM
"There have been times where people are like, 'I read your book and then I canceled Spotify and I got Apple Music!' That kind of misses a lot of the point that this book lands on." – 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 author Liz Pelly
"There’s a lot of layers to the way I explore being horny in my music: It’s for my inner child, my inner teen, and Black women as a whole. Nine Inch Nails helped awaken that."
Keiyaa Breaks Down 12 Perfectly Produced Songs
The R&B innovator dissects tracks by faves including Britney Spears, Brandy, and Nine Inch Nails, explaining how they inspired the sound of her brilliant 2025 album ‘Hooke’s Law.’
www.hearingthings.co
January 14, 2026 at 1:00 PM
"There’s a lot of layers to the way I explore being horny in my music: It’s for my inner child, my inner teen, and Black women as a whole. Nine Inch Nails helped awaken that."
Pitfalls, deceptions, and doubt lurk around every corner of life, but to this rapper and producer, stepping out the crib is just the first step toward charting a better path
Super-Useful Seasonal Depression Soundtracks
A Singaporean rapper, a symphonic UK band, an artful club producer, and more music for working out the doldrums.
www.hearingthings.co
January 13, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Pitfalls, deceptions, and doubt lurk around every corner of life, but to this rapper and producer, stepping out the crib is just the first step toward charting a better path