Pranav Trewn
@ptoon.bsky.social
Behavioral Scientist x Music Writer x Management
✍🏽: Stereogum | Passion of the Weiss | Vinyl Me, Please | +
mgmt: Spoonerism | POW Recordings
linktr.ee/ptrewn
✍🏽: Stereogum | Passion of the Weiss | Vinyl Me, Please | +
mgmt: Spoonerism | POW Recordings
linktr.ee/ptrewn
The second edition of the POW Book Club is on Such Great Heights by @chrisdeville.bsky.social, who I spoke with for a lovely interview about “indie”: the pros and cons of your favorite bands hitting it big, the fading trust between artists and critics, and where the genre goes from here
An interview with @chrisdeville.bsky.social about the last 2 decades of "indie:" how it transformed into an aesthetic, the difficulties of balancing mainstream success with underground fandom & his excellent book "Such Great Heights"
By @ptoon.bsky.social
www.passionweiss.com/2025/11/04/p...
By @ptoon.bsky.social
www.passionweiss.com/2025/11/04/p...
How Indie Transformed From A Sub-Culture Into An Aesthetic: A Conversation With Chris DeVille | Passion of the Weiss
For the second edition of Book Club, Pranav Trewn speaks to Chris Deville, the author of "Such Great Heights," e about how indie music transitioned from a real definition into a stylistic motif.
www.passionweiss.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:58 PM
The second edition of the POW Book Club is on Such Great Heights by @chrisdeville.bsky.social, who I spoke with for a lovely interview about “indie”: the pros and cons of your favorite bands hitting it big, the fading trust between artists and critics, and where the genre goes from here
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
So grateful to @ptoon.bsky.social and @passionweiss.bsky.social for featuring me and my book
How Indie Transformed From A Sub-Culture Into An Aesthetic: A Conversation With Chris DeVille | Passion of the Weiss
For the second edition of Book Club, Pranav Trewn speaks to Chris Deville, the author of "Such Great Heights," e about how indie music transitioned from a real definition into a stylistic motif.
www.passionweiss.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:14 PM
So grateful to @ptoon.bsky.social and @passionweiss.bsky.social for featuring me and my book
@chrisdeville.bsky.social’s excellent new book was as fun to write about as it was to read. Shared some reflections in the Spoonerism newsletter (with more reflections to come)
I tend to think of my book SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS as a history of overlapping, sometimes contradictory mainstream-facing conceptions of "indie," but I like this take summing up the peak p4k era as a moment of "underground monoculture"
Lewsnetter #009: remembering the underground monoculture
+ Dave P pays tribute to the Lot Radio, Sijya spits game, and Blake Mills and Pino Palladino perform quantum mechanics
spoonerismllc.substack.com
September 30, 2025 at 7:25 PM
@chrisdeville.bsky.social’s excellent new book was as fun to write about as it was to read. Shared some reflections in the Spoonerism newsletter (with more reflections to come)
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
Few groundbreaking cultural institutions survive 2 full decades intact. Philly's Making Time ∞ is a rare exception, remaining experimental at its core
In advance of this year's festival, @ptoon.bsky.social
spoke to founder Dave P about how he's made it work
www.passionweiss.com/2025/09/18/w...
In advance of this year's festival, @ptoon.bsky.social
spoke to founder Dave P about how he's made it work
www.passionweiss.com/2025/09/18/w...
We Outside: 25 Years In, Making Time's Dave P Hasn't Lost His Edge | Passion of the Weiss
An Interview with Philly's beloved promoter on programming his festival the way he builds a DJ set.
www.passionweiss.com
September 18, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Few groundbreaking cultural institutions survive 2 full decades intact. Philly's Making Time ∞ is a rare exception, remaining experimental at its core
In advance of this year's festival, @ptoon.bsky.social
spoke to founder Dave P about how he's made it work
www.passionweiss.com/2025/09/18/w...
In advance of this year's festival, @ptoon.bsky.social
spoke to founder Dave P about how he's made it work
www.passionweiss.com/2025/09/18/w...
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
In a festival world that has become homogenized and interchangeable, @ptoon.bsky.social attends Outside Lands and offers three lessons that its competition can take from the Bay's premier three-day music festival.
www.passionweiss.com/2025/08/17/t...
www.passionweiss.com/2025/08/17/t...
Three Lessons Every Festival Should Learn From Outside Lands
For his latest “We Outside Column,” Pranav Trewn breaks down how Outside Lands makes the most of its lineup, infrastructure, and host city.
www.passionweiss.com
August 18, 2025 at 6:42 PM
In a festival world that has become homogenized and interchangeable, @ptoon.bsky.social attends Outside Lands and offers three lessons that its competition can take from the Bay's premier three-day music festival.
www.passionweiss.com/2025/08/17/t...
www.passionweiss.com/2025/08/17/t...
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
Writing for Passion of the Weiss has been one of the most magical experiences of my career, so it’s insane to see its lens rotated towards me. Had a brilliant chat about Words for My Comrades with @ptoon.bsky.social, who wrote it up with the fire you’d expect from the site
POW Book Club 001: Words For My Comrades by Dean Van Nguyen
In his new book, Dean Van Nguyen outlines how 2Pac’s revolutionary-minded on-mic ethos left a lasting footprint on the rap game in the decades since his death.
www.passionweiss.com
August 14, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Writing for Passion of the Weiss has been one of the most magical experiences of my career, so it’s insane to see its lens rotated towards me. Had a brilliant chat about Words for My Comrades with @ptoon.bsky.social, who wrote it up with the fire you’d expect from the site
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
2Pac's legacy & the circumstances of his murder have been endlessly dissected, but his politics have rarely received the same attention
@ptoon.bsky.social interviewed @deanvannguyen.bsky.social about his excellent new book that explores 'Pac radical philosophy. www.passionweiss.com/2025/08/13/p...
@ptoon.bsky.social interviewed @deanvannguyen.bsky.social about his excellent new book that explores 'Pac radical philosophy. www.passionweiss.com/2025/08/13/p...
POW Book Club 001: Words For My Comrades by Dean Van Nguyen
In his new book, Dean Van Nguyen outlines how 2Pac’s revolutionary-minded on-mic ethos left a lasting footprint on the rap game in the decades since his death.
www.passionweiss.com
August 14, 2025 at 6:14 PM
2Pac's legacy & the circumstances of his murder have been endlessly dissected, but his politics have rarely received the same attention
@ptoon.bsky.social interviewed @deanvannguyen.bsky.social about his excellent new book that explores 'Pac radical philosophy. www.passionweiss.com/2025/08/13/p...
@ptoon.bsky.social interviewed @deanvannguyen.bsky.social about his excellent new book that explores 'Pac radical philosophy. www.passionweiss.com/2025/08/13/p...
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
Do co-headlining tours give fans a chance to experience 2 distinct solo shows a& see double the music? Or does it dilute the experience and shatter the momentum of a traditional stadium show?
@ptoon.bsky.social reports from the Kendrick/SZA tour for We Outside
www.passionweiss.com/2025/06/25/w...
@ptoon.bsky.social reports from the Kendrick/SZA tour for We Outside
www.passionweiss.com/2025/06/25/w...
We Outside: Less Than Their Sum? The New Model of Co-Headline Tours
The Grand National Tour felt like a B-Tier concert interspersed throughout an A-Tier show.
www.passionweiss.com
June 27, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Do co-headlining tours give fans a chance to experience 2 distinct solo shows a& see double the music? Or does it dilute the experience and shatter the momentum of a traditional stadium show?
@ptoon.bsky.social reports from the Kendrick/SZA tour for We Outside
www.passionweiss.com/2025/06/25/w...
@ptoon.bsky.social reports from the Kendrick/SZA tour for We Outside
www.passionweiss.com/2025/06/25/w...
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
The Top 20 Performances of Coachella
The endless Brat summer beats on ceaselessly, The LA Phil concocts a desert orchestral fever dream, Kraftwerk illustrate the sustained power of German engineering. Green Day lives on.
@ptoon.bsky.social was there. www.passionweiss.com/2025/04/23/w...
The endless Brat summer beats on ceaselessly, The LA Phil concocts a desert orchestral fever dream, Kraftwerk illustrate the sustained power of German engineering. Green Day lives on.
@ptoon.bsky.social was there. www.passionweiss.com/2025/04/23/w...
We Outside: Ranking Every Set I Attended at Coachella, Part II
Pranav Trewn returns swiftly to round out his top 20 sets from Coachella 2025, ranging from A.G. Cook to T-Pain, Green Day and others.
www.passionweiss.com
April 23, 2025 at 7:01 PM
The Top 20 Performances of Coachella
The endless Brat summer beats on ceaselessly, The LA Phil concocts a desert orchestral fever dream, Kraftwerk illustrate the sustained power of German engineering. Green Day lives on.
@ptoon.bsky.social was there. www.passionweiss.com/2025/04/23/w...
The endless Brat summer beats on ceaselessly, The LA Phil concocts a desert orchestral fever dream, Kraftwerk illustrate the sustained power of German engineering. Green Day lives on.
@ptoon.bsky.social was there. www.passionweiss.com/2025/04/23/w...
Part II of my Coachella roundup for @passionweiss.bsky.social is up! Read my thoughts on Arca, Kraftwerk, Kneecap, Hope Tala, Lady Gaga, and 15 others (was a good year)
We Outside: Ranking Every Set I Attended at Coachella, Part II
Pranav Trewn returns swiftly to round out his top 20 sets from Coachella 2025, ranging from A.G. Cook to T-Pain, Green Day and others.
www.passionweiss.com
April 23, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Part II of my Coachella roundup for @passionweiss.bsky.social is up! Read my thoughts on Arca, Kraftwerk, Kneecap, Hope Tala, Lady Gaga, and 15 others (was a good year)
Part One of my two part column this month ranking everything I saw at Coachella this year, for @passionweiss.bsky.social
We Outside: Ranking Every Set I Attended at Coachella, Part I
Pranav Trewn reports live from Coachella to begin counting down the best (and worst) performances he saw this year – from the shakiness of Travis Scott, to the impressive set from K-Pop group XG.
www.passionweiss.com
April 22, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Part One of my two part column this month ranking everything I saw at Coachella this year, for @passionweiss.bsky.social
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
POW Radio is going live now on @dublab.bsky.social
with a guest mix from the 404 master and found sound manipulator Kartik
Mixing everything from Yacht Rock to Ras G, Quelle Chris to Boards of Canada, late 00s UK dubstep, Quasimoto and more.
12-2 PST.
Lock in www.dublab.com
with a guest mix from the 404 master and found sound manipulator Kartik
Mixing everything from Yacht Rock to Ras G, Quelle Chris to Boards of Canada, late 00s UK dubstep, Quasimoto and more.
12-2 PST.
Lock in www.dublab.com
dublab
www.dublab.com
April 9, 2025 at 6:57 PM
POW Radio is going live now on @dublab.bsky.social
with a guest mix from the 404 master and found sound manipulator Kartik
Mixing everything from Yacht Rock to Ras G, Quelle Chris to Boards of Canada, late 00s UK dubstep, Quasimoto and more.
12-2 PST.
Lock in www.dublab.com
with a guest mix from the 404 master and found sound manipulator Kartik
Mixing everything from Yacht Rock to Ras G, Quelle Chris to Boards of Canada, late 00s UK dubstep, Quasimoto and more.
12-2 PST.
Lock in www.dublab.com
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
An ode to the concert film, an art form that has become popular again, despite the proliferation of short-form video & iPhone footage
And how they offer a more immersive way to understand another subculture's followers, language & norms
By @ptoon.bsky.social
www.passionweiss.com/2025/03/31/w...
And how they offer a more immersive way to understand another subculture's followers, language & norms
By @ptoon.bsky.social
www.passionweiss.com/2025/03/31/w...
We Outside: Concert Films Offer Windows of Empathy for a Jaded World
Concert films have the power to not only provide fans with a snapshot of an artist’s performance prowess at a moment in time, but a broader window into their cultural moment, Pranav Trewn writes.
www.passionweiss.com
March 31, 2025 at 6:14 PM
An ode to the concert film, an art form that has become popular again, despite the proliferation of short-form video & iPhone footage
And how they offer a more immersive way to understand another subculture's followers, language & norms
By @ptoon.bsky.social
www.passionweiss.com/2025/03/31/w...
And how they offer a more immersive way to understand another subculture's followers, language & norms
By @ptoon.bsky.social
www.passionweiss.com/2025/03/31/w...
Almost ten years ago I landed my first @stereogum.bsky.social byline, and now I’m being mentioned in the text as a manager. Full circle moment!
Hear the Chicago musician Sparklmami's soulfully slinky new song "Touch"
Sparklmami Shares New Song "Touch": Listen
Sparklmami is the stage name of Ariella Granado, a musician from Texas who’s currently based in Chicago, and she’s managed by Stereogum contributor Pranav Trewn. Her sound is a swirling, cosmopolitan ...
www.stereogum.com
March 25, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Almost ten years ago I landed my first @stereogum.bsky.social byline, and now I’m being mentioned in the text as a manager. Full circle moment!
The second edition of the Spoonerism newsletter is live! Featuring words on Liz Pelly’s “Mood Machine”, the false promise of AI-generated music, and Baalti’s incredible EP Mela + the new MIKE and Venturing albums
the value is in the inputs
+ Spotify’s regressive influence, connecting the Bronx to West Bengal, and really committing to an alias
spoonerismllc.substack.com
February 27, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The second edition of the Spoonerism newsletter is live! Featuring words on Liz Pelly’s “Mood Machine”, the false promise of AI-generated music, and Baalti’s incredible EP Mela + the new MIKE and Venturing albums
Wrote for this month’s We Outside about Noise Pop, San Francisco’s homegrown music festival keeping the spirit of independent music alive (for @passionweiss.bsky.social)
We Outside: San Francisco’s Noise Pop Organizers Talk Running Their Homegrown Music Festival
Pranav Trewn delivers the latest edition of his We Outside column, speaking to the organizers of a unique San Fransisco festival about the process of putting it together, ticket prices and more.
www.passionweiss.com
February 27, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Wrote for this month’s We Outside about Noise Pop, San Francisco’s homegrown music festival keeping the spirit of independent music alive (for @passionweiss.bsky.social)
Launched the newsletter, in which I take stock of the death of platforms, the joy of physical media, and the lesson Arooj Aftab can teach us about stretching beyond a monolingual mindset
letting the work speak for itself
+ the politics of platforms, physical media over everything, and Arooj Aftab's crucial lesson on language
spoonerismllc.substack.com
February 3, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Launched the newsletter, in which I take stock of the death of platforms, the joy of physical media, and the lesson Arooj Aftab can teach us about stretching beyond a monolingual mindset
Examined the state of the 2025 festival economy, and ultimately found hope in spite of the many red flags littered across these lineups.
www.passionweiss.com/2025/01/28/w...
As 2025 starts in earnest, the latest "We Outside" column examines the state of the modern music festival: the contracting market, the nascent stars prematurely elevated to headliners, the rampant nostalgia, the country takeover and more.
By @ptoon.bsky.social
As 2025 starts in earnest, the latest "We Outside" column examines the state of the modern music festival: the contracting market, the nascent stars prematurely elevated to headliners, the rampant nostalgia, the country takeover and more.
By @ptoon.bsky.social
We Outside: A State of the Union on the 2025 Festival Slate
For the first 2025 edition of We Outside, Pranav Trewn delivers some thoughtful insights into the lineups for upcoming festivals this year.
www.passionweiss.com
January 28, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Examined the state of the 2025 festival economy, and ultimately found hope in spite of the many red flags littered across these lineups.
I’m helming the Spoonerism newsletter, which launches this week. I think it’s some of my best writing yet, if you’d like to tap in: spoonerismllc.substack.com?r=a3sy&utm_c...
Spoonerism | Pranav Trewn | Substack
Remixing culture in our image. Click to read Spoonerism, a Substack publication. Launched 5 days ago.
spoonerismllc.substack.com
January 27, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I’m helming the Spoonerism newsletter, which launches this week. I think it’s some of my best writing yet, if you’d like to tap in: spoonerismllc.substack.com?r=a3sy&utm_c...
So in addition to music writing, I manage a few artists (Lapgan, Sparklmami, Kartik), and just launched an entity to cover that work: Spoonerism. We focus on music informed by mixed cultural upbringings. Keep up with us! www.instagram.com/spoonerismll...
January 27, 2025 at 5:29 PM
So in addition to music writing, I manage a few artists (Lapgan, Sparklmami, Kartik), and just launched an entity to cover that work: Spoonerism. We focus on music informed by mixed cultural upbringings. Keep up with us! www.instagram.com/spoonerismll...
Baalti dropped one of my favorite dance floor fillers of the last year, and Molly wrote one of my favorite sentences of music writing about it: “I started getting phantom lower back pains from dropping it too low in my mind”
ur fave songs of the year - wrapped!! picks from @patreeeek.bsky.social, @wdgasteyer.bsky.social, @pitchdiscontent.bsky.social, @turbidity-filer.bsky.social, @nonblnary.bsky.social, @leadergrev.bsky.social, @ptoon.bsky.social, @melvinpena.bsky.social + more...
www.ienjoymusic.net/your-favorit...
www.ienjoymusic.net/your-favorit...
listening to Your Favorite Songs 2024, part 15
A marathon post to wrap up this series! Yeehaw!
Part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight, part nine, part ten, part eleven, part twelve, part thirteen, p...
www.ienjoymusic.net
January 4, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Baalti dropped one of my favorite dance floor fillers of the last year, and Molly wrote one of my favorite sentences of music writing about it: “I started getting phantom lower back pains from dropping it too low in my mind”
Wrote about Jessica Pratt’s Here In The Pitch, my favorite album of 2024, for the year’s best blog. It’s the age of what’s to come, happy new year.
www.passionweiss.com/2024/12/31/t...
www.passionweiss.com/2024/12/31/t...
December 31, 2024 at 2:12 PM
Wrote about Jessica Pratt’s Here In The Pitch, my favorite album of 2024, for the year’s best blog. It’s the age of what’s to come, happy new year.
www.passionweiss.com/2024/12/31/t...
www.passionweiss.com/2024/12/31/t...
Wrote about the breakthrough moments from Banditdamack and Doechii for the best end-of-year list in the game @passionweiss.bsky.social
The POW Best Rap Songs of 2024
We know the (subjective) truth
www.passionweiss.com
December 31, 2024 at 3:17 AM
Wrote about the breakthrough moments from Banditdamack and Doechii for the best end-of-year list in the game @passionweiss.bsky.social
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself do a 10 year anniversary tour
December 15, 2024 at 6:45 PM
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself do a 10 year anniversary tour
Reposted by Pranav Trewn
Made a starter pack of some of my fav voices in music writing 🙂
go.bsky.app/F5YFs8C
go.bsky.app/F5YFs8C
December 11, 2024 at 8:18 PM
Made a starter pack of some of my fav voices in music writing 🙂
go.bsky.app/F5YFs8C
go.bsky.app/F5YFs8C