Into The Music
Thomas Bangalter Played a Set for the First Time in 17 Years. Here Is What That Means.
Thomas Bangalter played a DJ set last month. He was a special guest during Fred again..’s residency at Alexandra Palace in London, and the two of them played...
Deep Dives
Long-form essays on the albums, artists, and moments that shaped music history.
Britney Spears and the Machinery That Chews Up Pop Stars
When Britney Spears was arrested in early March for driving under the influence, she had been free from her conservatorship for roughly four years. Free, technically. The legal...
Robyn Took Eight Years Off and Came Back Better. Here Is What That Actually Means.
Eight years is a long time. In pop terms, it is practically a geological era. Careers rise and collapse. Trends complete their full cycles from underground to mainstream...
Pitchfork at 30 and the Strange Persistence of Music Criticism
When Pitchfork’s bracket challenge to mark its 30th year of publishing went live in March 2026, asking readers to vote the best album of the past three decades...
The Reissue Economy Is Not Nostalgia. It Is Something More Complicated.
Three major box sets hit the market in March 2026. Van Halen’s 5150 got an expanded anniversary edition. Rush celebrated Grace Under Pressure at forty years with a...
The Drake vs. Kendrick Beef Is in Federal Court Now. That Tells You Everything.
It was supposed to be over. Kendrick Lamar won the beef. Drake looked diminished. “Not Like Us” became a cultural event that summer and turned Lamar’s victory into...
Flying Lotus Made a Film. Then He Made Big Mama. This Is What Happens When You Clear Your Head.
When Flying Lotus spent the better part of 2024 and early 2025 deep in the production of Ash, his debut horror film, he was not making music. He...
Two Shell and the Art of Making Music Without a Face
Two Shell released a new song called “Smile” this week, and like most things the duo has released, it arrived without much in the way of explanation. That...
What Protest Songs Actually Do
The question people keep asking about protest songs is whether they actually work. It is a reasonable question framed in the wrong way. Protest songs do not topple...
Why Everyone Needs to Cover Tom Waits
The new Tom Waits tribute compilation is not the first and will not be the last. It features Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and the Ramones among the artists...