Every Single Album - Summer Music Roundup: Justin Bieber, Kesha, and Reneé Rapp

Episode Date: July 24, 2025

Nora and Nathan talk about some releases they missed while they were out, including Justin Bieber's surprise album, 'Swag' (1:00), Kesha's 'Period,' her first album since she left her record label (30:13), and a couple more singles off of Reneé Rapp's forthcoming album, 'Bite Me' (42:25). Hosts: Nora Princiotti and Nathan HubbardProducer: Kaya McMullen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello and welcome to every single album. I'm Nora Princeati. And as almost always, but it's been a minute, I am joined by my pal, Nathan Hubbard. Nathan, do you feel so back? Because we're so back. What do you mean almost always? Do you do shows without me that I don't know about? I just meant that you and I had taken a brief summer hiatus and therefore there were some weeks when we were not... One of us took a summer hiatus. I did take a summer hiatus. I've been tracking your vacation through your Instagram. I did take a summer hiatus. I had a fabulous time. Thanks for asking.

But I'm very happy to be back. And there are a lot of things that I did not get the chance to talk to you about that I am going to hijack this podcast in order to discuss. Because some things did take place while we were away. And we're not going to let them go by. Justin Bieber released a surprise album. There's some other music that came out that I want to talk to you about. There are some memes. Charlie X-EX got married.

We've just got a whole little grab bag. However, I do feel that we need to... You know what, actually, I'm sorry. Nathan, how are your last couple of weeks? Who cares? They were fine. Anything to report? No.

No. Nothing to report other than what we're going to talk about. Okay. I just wanted to know. Something could have happened. Maybe you didn't tell me. I listened to Lucky Star off the Hime album a lot. I didn't know that was going to happen to me,

but I did listen to that song. Yeah. Yeah. I like had a weird moment with that song for like two weeks. I'm listening to the Hym album a lot. Okay. I'm glad to hear that. More than I thought I was going to.

And you know what? You know what? I'm listening to Lord too. Yeah. And particularly I'm listening to Favorite Daughter and if she could see me now, which we did sort of predict. But I would say that like, like, I even more have kind of hyper-fixated on those two songs. Because I'm an actress.

All of the medals I want for you. I could feel me. Oh, God. If she could see me now. Okay. I'm super into if she could see me now. I'm glad that we, I just, again, there's just a lot to touch base on. There's a lot to catch up on.

However, here's the one thing that we really, really, really need to discuss. Okay. Which is that while we were away, Justin Bieber, of all people, released a surprise album, and it is called Swag. Nathan.

And for the first 11 songs, it is fucking good, Nora. Okay. Yeah. I, like, yes, I totally agree. I've really enjoyed this Bieber album. I, like, I come at it with a very,

very receptive and generous sort of spirit, which has been interesting to me because I don't know that that is how I've been generally receiving the Lifetime's trials and tribulations of Justin Bieber over the last, do you want to call it several months? Do you want to call it several years? Yeah. Well, it depends because I think a lot of like when he went on tour after COVID, it and was having so much trouble and all of that. Like, I think I hope that I would have had a lot of generosity of spirit towards him

at that time. But I think lately, like, with the stuff of how he's posted about Haley and some of that has seemed a little bit less easy to get behind. And so when this dropped, like, to me, there were some real stakes to it. And stakes to just sort of like what he was going to be able to do by reminding people that the reason that he is Uber, Uber famous as he is, is because he makes music. And I have just been really pleasantly surprised with how I feel about this, even though besides Daisies, where you got me on in my head. I don't know if any of these songs are going to go in like hyper, hyper rotation to me.

But I just, I'm just sort of glad that Justin Bieber is in a place right. now that he is making this. That's how I feel. Yeah, I think it's a really great listen through the first, I guess, not 11, 12 songs. Through devotion, I think it's terrific. I also think it is a McGee album. And there is no doubt that that's what he'd been listening to. And he obviously brought him in the studio and got the guitar tone that everybody's been wanting

that only McGee seems to be able to make. And I mean, this feels like the second McGee record with Justin Bieber singing on it. But all that said, I really enjoyed. I mean, Daisy's is great, but I think straight through, I don't love Yukon. I don't love all I can take, but there are people who are riding for those songs. I think Go Baby is awesome. I ride for Yukon a little bit. That's one of my standouts.

I think Daisy's all the way through is great. I think Butterflies is terrific, but I think Go Baby's cool. I think things you do is really cool. I think way it is in first place they're fine. I love devotion a lot. I promise to take my time with devotion. It's great. And then there's some weird interludes,

which I know you take issue with. you always have a problem with the interludes. And I had a problem. I take issue with these sort of twofolds because I have the bee in my bonnet about interludes. And I also think that these are particularly vacuous. They're super jarring and like, I know it's like Drewski's a comedian and so whatever.

But it's just that there is this great start to a song called Sweet Spot that has me completely roped in. I'm excited about the song. I am fully leaned in, and then sexy red shows up and just drops a bunker buster bomb on the whole thing. It just is one of the most jarring musical moments of the year for me. It is unintentionally awful. Oh, it's just awful.

I mean, it just destroyed me. and it lost me for the rest of the record. Like, I just couldn't take anything seriously after that. I think 405 is decent, you know, whatever. This is a really interesting record. It's just a reminder of what a talented guy, Justin Bieber, is. There are moments where you think, oh, he's okay, and he's in on it, and he's paying attention, and he, you know, he's a misunderstood, troubled kid

that just like so many of our other pop stars, we made famous too young, and his mind just was not made to handle all that. And then there's other moments on this record where you like, God, he is a punk-ass motherfucker, isn't he? And I just walk away from it. Like, I am listening to it in my free time a lot. A lot.

Some of it is the McGee stuff. But some of it is just like it's great to hear Bieber singing this way, stripped back more able to, to sort of really work his vocal inflections, his tone is great, his runs are cool, like, yeah, this is what I want from Bieber. I wish that I didn't follow him on Twitter because all of his posts drive me bananas. You know, you have the power, right? That's right. This website is free. Did you know that, Nathan? But look, I have to give it a big

thumbs up. Like I was a major skeptic and I came away like, fuck, this is good. I mean, what do you think? Like, tell me what, so where, like, what was the gap between you knowing that there's going to be Beaver music and getting into the album and having this response to it? I listened to it the day that it came out. Okay. I was on a flight and I was like, wait a minute, what? And I put the earbuds in somebody I was traveling with's ears and was like, what do you hear? Is it me or is this like really good? And I talked to my girls and they were like, no, no, this is good.

So I, look, I'm happy for him. I know that he's a very divisive character at the moment. And I know there's a lot of reasons why, you know, whatever, man. I don't want to sit here and judge the guy from afar because we just don't have any idea what's going on. There's lots of internal industry rumors about, you know, he's had a hard time. And yeah, I think there was some financial hardship. And yeah, I think when you grow up young and famous, like you don't build up probably the muscle of financial discipline that most of us have to do and that can run you into trouble. But, I mean, Haley Bieber just sold a company for a lot of money and will continue to make a lot of money.

so I don't think they have financial problems as a couple. What I want to ask you, Nora, is I didn't get it on first pass, but I think on second and third I did, and some of the people that I talked to about this record were faster to point to it than I was. But I sort of heard it as a bunch of love letters to Haley. Other people have told me they hear this as like the relationship is right on the edge.

Did you take anything away from that component of the lyrical part of this record? I take a little bit of both of those things, I think, is how I receive it. Look, I think lyrically is probably the least effective mode of Bebers. I think the way that he sings is my favorite part of this album. Yeah. I think the production is a close second. I just, I think the reference points, you know, he has for a long time throughout

his career clearly sort of demonstrated that the artist that he really wants to be is playing in this sandbox of 80s, 90s, R&B. It's really tender. It's really loving. He has a wonderful voice for that. And I love when he uses it. Yes, there are, you know, that is a style of music that has such a close relationship with historically black musical styles that there are moments when that's a little little cringy. But in general, I think he's really strong in that mode.

There's some indie rock to this more than there is hip-hop or R&B for me. I don't know. Like the McGee stuff feels like almost dead indie rock. You are such a McGee head that this is like straight down the middle for you there.

I think. But like D.J. But, but... I think those are, my point being that I think those are stronger modes for the album than the lyrics. I don't know that I think lyrically there's like a clear point of view. You know, clearly I think he, you get this picture that he wants to be, he wants to be a loving father. He wants to be a good husband. He wants to be a good sexual partner.

He like, like. Sweet spot. Sure. Yeah. And. It's out of control. It is so out of control. That song is just...

I was kind of, honestly, the other features don't really work for me. I was... I like sexy red. You like the sexy... Oh my God. I can't... I just thought it was like so mind-blowing

that those words and that tone was intersecting with the rest of this album. That I just... I'm given a lot of credit for the fact that some people got in a room and decided to do that. I also like, I don't think of Bieber as a sexual person.

Like, and... Really? Yeah, no, like, not at all. Because he's... He's still just the little boy for you. Like, even though I was that age too, when he was coming up. And then also, there's something so blank about Haley, and I don't mean that pejoratively. What does that mean?

Like, that's often what makes a great model, right? Is, like, someone who goes into the world as a blank canvas, where it's very hard... like you can sort of put anything on to them where I don't, I just don't get a sense of a person from her very easily, but I get beautiful skin, beautiful clothes, beautiful glossy hair. And that is not to say that there isn't a person inside of her. That is just to say that that is part of her job and she's very good at it. And so therefore, like... Well, she built a killer brand.

I'll tell you that. And there's, but like, do you know what I'm talking about? just the way that she, the... Yeah. Like, what is her persona? We don't hear her speak a lot. We see her look. We don't hear her speak a lot.

And so the two, like, neither of the two of them, to me, connotes any element of sexy time. Wow. And so there's something very jarring about the presence of sexy red. But wait, but hold on. But hold on. Some of the, like, clearly the interludes are at least trying to speak to the current moment in Beaverdom and Beaver Baldwin

Dumb. Standing on business. I'm a human convener standing around my car at the beach. You know what I'm saying? I like that you pronounce business. Usually when I say standing on business, I say standing on business.

Standing on business, the, you know, if people keep asking me over and over if I'm okay, it starts to make me wonder if I am. I started to feel badly for him for a moment there. So people are always asking if I'm okay and that starts to really weigh on me?

Yeah. No, me too. I do feel bad. Like, I think he's pretty undeniably been through a lot. I don't know if I feel confident after listening to this that he's reached sort of like the state of a state of self-awareness that I think. No, no. Tends to help, like, get out of some of the dark times. But it's interesting that that doesn't prevent him from making, like, I wouldn't have been sure if that wouldn't have prevented him from making a very good album.

And clearly it hasn't. And I don't quite know what that says about whether it's innate musical ability or taste or an inner compass that leads him to the right collaborators and the right ideas when he's with those people. but I do find it interesting that Justin Bieber can make an album this good and this savvy in a moment when he lacks a general savvy, I think, in his life and also, you know, is still applying that to some of the latter half of the album and the interludes, which I don't think are as successful. If your question, wait, hold on, I want to make sure I'm answering your question. If your question is, does this album make me think one way or another, are they going to stay together?

I don't know. I don't really think that it operates on that plane. Okay. I mean, I sort of was there and then I listened. You know, Go Baby is definitely a love song for Haley. That's my baby. She's iconic. iPhone case.

Lip gloss on it. Walking away sounds like, yeah, there's, it's. it's not easy. I think this is like a very troubled human being. I just think he is. And I think there's part of it as maybe like it was inherent. He was born as a little bit of a punk. But, you know, I don't, I just think that when you're that famous, that young,

and we talk about this all the time, the subject of worship, like the human brain is not made, not built to be worshipped at that age and deified. and he's sort of showing us the output of that. And I think it's hard. I think it's, but all that said, this is the first time I've listened to a Bieber record and been like, wow, he really is an artist. Like some of these other albums felt like,

okay, we pulled together all the best pop people we could. And he did his thing and he's going to go out and be the heartthrob that people want to smooch or whatever. And like, that's not to say, like, I, you know, one less lonely girl is the fucking shit. Amazing. Like, that song is the shit. So there's lots of really good stuff in the Beaver catalog. But this record, I was like, whoa.

Like, it's not quite like a folklorian turn. And I'm not trying to be hyperbolic. But it did make me go, wow, this guy can pivot. And the darkness in him, I think, played well in this kind of music. Like this sort of, you know, there's a, anyway, I, this is a, this is an album that is worth paying attention to. I don't know if he is emotionally and mental, from a mental health perspective, capable of going out on tour in a full-time way.

Which he's currently planning to do, at least, although. Well, let's see. Yeah, history does not tell us that. There's a lot of complicated business stuff there, which is that, you know, if you believe the murmurs, he's still got some tour debt to pay off. You know, he took some money that he wasn't able to deliver on. And so he's still got to earn that back. And I think, you know, the folks who work with him on the touring side are very conscious of his situation and want to make it easy for him and want to work with him. and, you know, if that means he goes and plays four shows in Singapore and then takes a month off

and then he goes and plays out, you know, let's see how they structure it. I will be surprised if he just goes and does a, you know, if they announce a, you know, four show a week tour where he's in a bunch of towns and it's just the grind. That, to me, feels not like it's in the cards and certainly not like it's a good idea. Yeah, that seems reckless. But, you know, maybe he does a residency somewhere. It will be big. If he can manage from an emotional perspective, it will be big.

And it sure sounds like, I mean, at this point from a financial perspective, I don't think the Bebers are in a position of peril, thanks to her hugely successful brand at Road. Yeah, but that doesn't mean, that doesn't mean that he doesn't want to do it himself, right? It takes the edge off of and the pressure that they were feeling two years ago off, almost entirely. And so that's a great thing because it means that he can do it for the right reasons. And he can do it only if he's healthy and only if he's able as opposed to he has to because he spends millions of dollars a month and on a lifestyle and is running out of money. That's a bad place for any artist to be out there.

That's how you get fat Elvis. Oh gosh. Nobody wants Fat Elvis. On that, we can all agree. Can we talk about Daisies for another second? I'm curious because I'm glad you brought up one less lonely girl. I've really developed a big soft spot for that song. Obviously, right now it is the most successful.

I do, I have this little tiny inner conflict because I don't think it's quite as sophisticated as some of the rest of the top half, the top two thirds of the album. I can't call it swag. I can't with it. It's so funny. It's called swag. Like, I keep wanting to be like, I don't think, you know, the top half of swag. And then I'm like, I can't even do this.

It's so, like, the Justin Bieber lives. It's just very Bieber. Anyway, I don't think it's quite as, like, it doesn't encapsulate the actual sophistication that I think he's achieved, which is really notable to me because if you told me that I would be sitting here being like, the Bieber album is pretty sophisticated. Yeah. That's not a sentence I expected to be delivering into a microphone in July of 2025. However, that song just hits the spot to me of here is Justin Bieber, you know, heart throb of my youth. singing a cutesy little love song

with a pretty little guitar. And it just makes me so happy and I love it. Whatever it is, you know I can take it and I can see you again. Yeah, Daisy's is great. I wanted to know if you were having that reaction as well, having not been a 14-year-old girl in 2009.

Yeah, I mean, my, as you heard, my reaction was, holy shit, this is a McGee record. And so I was drawn to the tone of the guitar and sort of the rhythmic stuff that's going on in the background. But like, daisies is a good on-ramp because what else should you dabble in if you want to hear?

You should listen to Daisies. You should listen to devotion. You should listen to butterflies. You should listen to things you do. You should listen to Gilbadi. I think you should listen to Yukon. I'm in the Yukon Hive. You should prepare for a murder

about one verse into Sweet Spot. Put it on me, baby, all yeah. Yeah, it's been overdue. He's going to do whatever I say because Dacey got that who she coos. I just think it's really funny that that exists. It's just, my God, look away. It's a little bit like bang me box. It's like, all right.

It's so good to be back. It's so good to be back in talking about bang me box by Piley Cyrus. It's like, man. this one must have been for you. That's fine. There are others on this record for me. This one's for you. That's fine.

I mean, how much, like, Daisy's obviously has really caught on, how much of the rest of this do you think has a chance to be actually big? I got to tell you, like, like, hit. I don't think there are going to be massive hits that roll off of this. But I think this is like a secret sneaky credibility razor for Bieber. Like my observation is that the core fan base of, you know, girls who grew up screaming loudly at Bieber shows are pretty into this.

And that, like, guys are like quietly like, whoa, this is a cool kind of rock. Like, this is a, this has a little cultural cachet. So I think, is it going to be a hit? I, you know, I don't know. Is there another one that's going to be? bigger than daisies? No, I don't think so. But I think as a body of work, there's a lot of people nodding their head to this. Yeah, no, I definitely agree. It is a credibility razor. I definitely agree nothing will be bigger than daisies. I just, I wouldn't be surprised if people, if people listen to this.

You know, if it's, if it's pretty healthy and it's not the type of, you know, it's not the type of album where there's one single that that gets really big and then people forget about the rest of the stuff. I think people will really listen to this as an album. You can put this on in a party and play the first 12 songs for sure. Yeah. You want to be careful about where you stop,

but definitely a vibe. And I think, look, I think the fact that this is his first album without Scooter Braun, you know, he owed him a bunch of, of money, which I think has been settled and paid, although I can see how that would factor into some of the financial stuff and how that plays into the decision making around touring or even doing this.

I don't know. As you said, it's probably less pressing, given what his wife has been up to lately. But I also think that that there's a little bit of a narrative piece to it of Justin can do what he wants to do, he's sort of made himself square in certain ways. And I think that is compelling as well. Well, let's see. I mean, there is a wide open lane for, you know, the pop star boy to come back. I think Harry Stiles is just biting his time waiting to come reclaim the throne. Harry posted on it, Harry posted to his Instagram story this afternoon. And the way that I got got and then it was just a pleasing ad.

Right, because there was like, milk and then the Morse code. And I was like, oh my gosh. And then I was like, oh, no, no, this is pleasing. Okay, I'm so happy that happened to you too. Like, I'm sorry, but I'm so happy. Well, it's out there. I mean, he is due now.

I don't think we're going to see him until 2026. But like... Do you think that this is like a gauntlet for Harry in any way? I don't. I don't think I think things that way. No, I don't either at all. I was just curious since we were talking about it. But it is pretty unequivocally true that like we've been talking for months, if not over a year at this point, about how the boys are nowhere to be found.

And I don't think that Bieber is a planner and a plotter in a way where he would go. here's this opening, here's this lane, I'm going to take it. But I do think that he may have sort of accidentally wound up in that place. And that can only be the benefit of this. Well, Harry should pay attention because it's certainly a left of center album in terms of what you might have expected. But I think Carrie's just Biden's time. I think 26 is when we're going to see him.

I don't think it's a coincidence that we're starting to see more of Harry. People are posting videos of him. He's out and about. Like, that's all, I think, with purpose. But he spends a shocking amount of time in Rome. Yeah. He loves Italy. He's in Italy.

I feel like every is like, here's this restaurant and here's Harry Stiles eating by himself in the corner of it. Yeah. I love it. I think it's great. He's running marathons and, you know, basking in the Italian countryside. Good for him. I mean, like, it's a campaign.

he comes back, it's a full throttle, you know, world tour, always on experience. So I don't begrudge him being out of the limelight. And again, you know, you compare these two guys who both were pretty famous and pretty worshipped, pretty young. In this moment, it looks like one of them is turning into a bit of a monk in the Italian countryside to sort of deal with and process the, you know, just the unnatural state of being that he exists in. and he certainly in this moment seems to manage it in a little more healthy way than we've seen Bieber do it. But I am hopeful.

I'm hopeful for the beeps because this is a really, really, really, really strong album. I like it a lot. I agree. Can I talk to you about another album that I like a lot? You're going to talk about Kesha, aren't you? Yeah. So Kesha released period, stylized as just the dot.

On July 4th, Independence Day, this is her first album under her own label, you know, completely separated from the Dr. Luke Saga being behind her. And I just want to say that I really liked it. I think it's really good. I was so happy that it found a way to reclaim a lot of the old kind of hot mess, Kesha, in a way that felt separate from that actual era and the complications of that because of Dr. Luke. And I really enjoyed listening to it.

I think, I mean, I think Joyride has gotten some traction. I think Boy Crazy has gotten a little bit of traction. I by no means think this is going to be like a massive, massive album. Delusional is my favorite song. Yeah, I like delusional too. I could hear Taylor Swift singing that song. Yeah. And I sort of feel like this is the album Katie Perry should have put out.

You know, I thought that too. I heard. I had the reaction of a lot of this, I think, could have been Katie Perry or sounds like it could have been Katie Perry. But. No, no shit. And Katie Perry does not need any more shade right now. Did you see that fucking flying thing break? Yeah.

I mean, we almost lost Katie Perry. No, I know. plus Beyonce. We've got to stop flying these women around. Yeah. Can we actually like play some moratorium on the flying objects at arena tours until we can whoever does the hydraulics or whatever it is get them in there? It's just cable fastening.

Somebody's not, there's some bolts that are loose out there on the road. Okay. Well, whoever's job it is to tighten the bolts that keep Katie Barry and beyond. say alive. Like, please, please get on it. Yeah, that, like, I feel bad for Katie Berry, even though she has brought a considerable amount of this on herself. I do too. I do too. I mean, it just even, like, she played L.A. and she sent a tweet that was like, can't wait to see the hairstylist and the person who walked up to me on the street and the friend of the friend and all this. I was like, Katie, you're making it sound like you had to give

tickets away to the, she's like the burrito guy, the Uber eats burrito delivery guy. Like, Katie, No, she did. Yes. She said the Uber Eats Burrito guy? Yes. And I was like, Katie, can we at least, like, maintain the illusion of scarcity here? Just, just please. Like, I really, I love her.

I love this artist very much. I really do love this artist. It's just like, this was the tweet. Ecstatic to play a show for all the Angelinos, including my best friends, my business partners, mom, dad, my ear and nose and throat doctor, my dog groomer, my MDMA therapist, my acupuncturist, my manicurist, the teacher from the yoga class I went to in 2015, the Uber Eats guy that delivered my brisket breakfast burrito this morning from Dialogue Cafe and all the friends that are friends with someone that knows Tamara. Let's fucking go.

I love L.A. It's like, Katie, there shouldn't have been that many open seats at your arena show in L.A. Not the ear, nose and throat doctor. Not the yoga teacher from 2015. Why would she tweet that? And I know that she was just excited. Katie Barry does not exercise good judgment. No. No.

And meanwhile, she's got this broken heart and I feel so badly for her that this relationship has failed for her and her daughter. And like it takes me right back to that movie where she's in Rio or whatever and she's in tears and she's just had her heartbroken

by like the worst person on the planet. and you're just like, oh my God, yeah, I really genuinely love Katie Perry, and I just wish that there was somebody who was helping her more, who was helping to manage her, because she is in a bit of a bubble. Beyonce's in a bubble. Madonna's in a bubble. Like, Katie Perry's big enough that she's in a bubble. Okay, somebody has to.

Okay, well, I would like for her to be in a bubble the next time she gets up out of flying saucer. Right. but in all those bubbles, there has to be a little compartment where somebody on the outside can pass you a note to be like,

Katie, you need to not, or Katie, you should. Or like, let me just give you some like real world insight here because you can't see because you're in a fucking bubble. Anyway, let's come back to Keshe because I do think what's exciting about this record is that it continues this trend from a macro perspective of artists

going independent and taking back control. And in a lot of cases, like Taylor Swift, she's independent, but she's partnered with Universal, the biggest record label in the world for distribution because her determination was that those guys can distribute her music around the world in the best possible way, and they can do all the coordination and some of the marketing and all that. And I think that's totally fun,

but Taylor still has more control than she would in a traditional label arrangement with Universal. She gets access to the really great people there, but she sort of gets to drive the bus. And I think we're going to continue to see this happen. Historically, like record labels did just a few things, right? They could distribute your stuff. Well, now you and I are recording this on Tuesday afternoon.

If Kaya wanted to, she could post it by dinner time onto Spotify. So it's easy to get your music distributed way more than it was before. from a marketing perspective, all these artists have direct relationships with their fans over social media. And so they are the best marketing. Yes, there's other marketing that happens. But like at the end of the day, the value of outside marketing is less, particularly for an artist like Kesha who isn't an up-and-comer, but already has the established social presence. And the last thing that a label really does well is it's a source of capital. And it can give an artist, you know, a big advance and help pay for lifestyle. But what's happened,

over the last 25 years is that artists now make almost 80% of their money on average from the road. And so the money that you get from your recorded music is less valuable. And therefore, there is more incentive for artists to take control and do it. And Kesha, for all of her story and history, is really from a business perspective, putting a flag in the ground here for all of her pop girls and saying it's possible. You know, pop music is expensive because it's hard to break through and it still requires you know, a little bit of... You have to build persona and market

and get people to know you. And spend time out there with radio still sort of matters and there's a lot of that kind of stuff. It's just a more expensive format. But the fact that an independent pop star can do this and have a record that is getting an album that is getting heard and is streaming a lot around the world, I think it's a great signal.

And from a business perspective, It's as interesting as it is sort of reassuring to hear music that feels very comfortable, doesn't it? There's nothing about this where you're like, oh, God, why did we do this? It just felt familiar, but not old. I love calling it comfortable in a good way, not that it's safe, but I think that's actually exactly how I felt. And I like Joyride, and I think Joyride is cool. And the accordion is so funny. You say you love me.

Well, so do I. Like, it's, it, there are things about that sort of as an idea that I really love. But that song doesn't quite hit for me. And I, part of it, I think, is because the opening line, Are You a Man? Because I'm a bitch is so good. Are you a man? And that, like, I want it to go to a place that kind of equals the energy of that. And then it doesn't quite.

And there's, and when I struggle. with that song, the way that I struggle with it is that it makes me wonder if she felt like she needs to do things that are sort of left field for her in order to differentiate, you know, that was the old me, this is the new me. And I think actually the breadth of the album, it is comfortable in that way. We're like, she seems very at ease playing both lyrically and musically with like the kind of playing through shitty phone speakers vibe of red flag feels old Kesha but in a current way. The, you know, the God I love a hopeless bastard line is really funny to me in a way that only

Kesha can really be funny. And so, you know, the one is kind of anthra. in a way that a lot of the best Keisha songs that we know and love are kind of anthemic. And so the comfort with stuff that reminds you of things that she is singularly great at made me very happy as a listener and also just happy for her. You know, I think it's probably mostly for existing fans. That's right. But I don't think it's going to be anything. massive, yeah.

But she's playing all things go. She's going to, you know, I think it puts her on, back on course to be a touring artist. And you know what? There's a world where this album is, you know, it's something she wanted to make, fine, whatever,

where, because she is touring. And I would, you know, I would love to go see Kesha, but say a bunch of friends of mine who, and I, who went to high school, you know, when TikTok was big. Like, say we went and we were going and we're really excited about hearing all of those songs. There's a world in which we listen to this album and go, okay, well, we're going to have to slog through the new stuff a little bit, but then she'll play the hits that we love,

and that'll be worth it, and we'll get to see Keshe and whatever. I don't feel like that at all. I would walk into that show being like, I'm excited to hear it all. I'm excited to hear boy crazy, I'm excited to hear Red Flag. I'm excited to hear like even freedom. The piano is really fun. You know, it's kind of a scene setter. But I would, I wouldn't be like that's the price you pay

to hear the songs from forever ago that you love. I would be excited for a little bit, which I think is great. Okay. A couple other songs from Renee Rapp whose album Bite Me, we are going to cover. That is coming out on the first of August. but while we were away, two singles, mad and why is she still here? Where are you?

So I feel good. Here's what I feel good about. I feel like she is finally singing. And I like a lot of Renee rap songs, but I do feel like for a Jimmy award winner with an incredible set of pipes, there is this thing that happens where she'll kind of speak, sing a lot of choruses.

And I'm like, Renee, you have God-given talent. And I think on these two songs, she opened up the belt a little bit, which I was grateful for. Heart of Hearts, none of the three that we have so far have, like, really hit for me. But I'm happy that on both of these, I think I like Matt a little bit more, but I like both of them. And I feel like she's singing. And that makes me happy. What about you? Yeah, she's spilling a little bit of tea.

I think I want to reserve judgment. I want to hear this album. I mean, she's so right on the cusp of breaking out. She is like she's got like egot potential. She is swinging with full attitude in the visuals that we're getting. And I agree with you. Like I really like when she belts because I think she's a very, very talented singer. I'm really interested to hear what the entire album is.

sounds like. Well, we will be covering it. Okay, Nathan, can we go through like meme corner slash just music adjacent stories that I want to talk to you about for a few minutes here at the end? Yes, please. Is this cold play thing taking over your life? It did. I mean, these people were the main characters on the internet, and that is the worst place in the world to be. It did for a while. It is slow. It is slow. now, fortunately. But now there's the like second and third order like baseball teams doing the cold play cam

at games where people are reenacting it and shit like that. I don't know if this one's going to die. This is like the Epstein file thing. You would think that we'd move on to the next thing. But no, it's still hanging around. People are not letting this go. Not the comparison that I would have chosen, but that's interesting.

Yeah, no, people, this is, I think this is a big one. This is like the Moodang of 2025, maybe, is this Coldplay thing. I, first of all, didn't know Coldplay was still touring. Come on. I feel like Coldplay has been on tour for like two years. Well, they have, and it is one of the biggest tours of all time. This band is massive.

You know, if this band is getting some of the shade that you two ultimately got in kind of the same way, which is that, I don't know, maybe just people resent how big they are. and that I don't know Well they're very there's an earnestness that I think people's

how palatable that is to people like goes in waves and I think that's part of it I like Coldplay very much Yeah I do agree that they are kind of millennial you too Yeah

Yeah I I just think back to When Russia Blood of the Head came out Like that album at the time was one of those albums that like it was so good it made you want to run through a brick wall. Just in that moment in time in culture, it was like, oh my God, the scientist. Like, yes, sign me up. And then X and Y came out and Fix You Just sort of an unstoppable song that now 15, 20-ish, almost 20 years later, it's like, okay, I think Chris has an understanding of this.

and it's why he's sort of basically said, we're going to stop making albums. Like, it's enough already. You don't need to hear from us. Like, I appreciate and value the self-awareness. Have you ever been to a Cold Play show? No. And I would really like, wait, have I?

No, I don't think so. I think I tried to go once and for some reason it didn't. You would know if you did. I would know. Chris Martin is an incredible frontman. And he's taught a lot of others how to actually engage a stadium. They were the ones doing the B stage up way in the crowd and then making their way

running back through. He was the one who said, I got to get as close to people on all sides as I can. They were the ones who introduced a whole lot of technology, either blinking bracelets, which now sounds like, you know, that's everywhere. But like that kind of stuff really came through Coldplay, turning the visual canvas beyond the stage into an element of the show. the use of color and all that. Yeah, they really get the credit for that. And so I would just say it is a near religious experience to go to a Coldplay show.

But I think that it's been going on for so long now that I think people are sort of looking at it a little bit like the skepticism that comes with like evangelical preachers hosting an event in a stadium. It's like, okay, so there's those people. It's those people that are going, It's those cold play people. But when you're in there, you're like, holy shit, this is an experience.

That makes sense. It is funny to me that this whole thing has caused me to think about cold play more than I've thought about cold play in several years. But here is my question for you. This tour is called The Music of the Sphere's Tour. Yeah. Are they doing it at the Sphere? No.

That was their album. What the fuck? Well, you know how expensive is. Fear. You know where I want to see Coldplay is at the sphere. That's when I would go to the sphere. Well, I think you want to see any bandit's sphere. It's pretty cool. Backstreet Boys shit looks pretty fucking cool. At least their intro does. Okay, yeah, I would do that too. But don't you think that Coldplay should play at the sphere because they are so visual in that way and they would have all the like kaleidoscope things going on and it would be very them? I think it, I think it would be.

The only thing about the sphere that is antithetical to a Coldplay show is that it's hard to get amongst the people. There's actually, I think, purposefully, a small stage at the sphere because your eyes are looking at the $9 to $15 million worth of production that's basically a full film that's going on behind you on this incredible screen. Chris likes to get out amongst the people. He just likes to engage in that way. The only thing worse than taking your side piece to cold play at Gillette Stadium and getting exposed on the Jumbo Trot would be if it happened at the sphere on the outside of the sphere. Can you imagine that whole ball with just those two people's faces as they freak out because they've been caught? Oh, it's is tough.

It's tough all the way around. Okay. Well, anyway. I did like Oasis being like, we don't put anybody on. We don't care who you're snogging. Do it. Okay.

Okay, you have no control over that, actually, but that's nice. Yeah. Thanks, boys. Nora, RIP, Ozzy Osbourne today. That's a pretty crazy moment. I don't know if you saw his goodbye concert just a few weeks ago. And I mean, I think he was keeping himself alive to get through it.

But we don't cover a lot of rock and metal on the show. But we need to acknowledge that he had a massive influence. And there was a whole like sort of next generation of rockers that really were influenced by him. So I'm, the timing of it is pretty wild. He also really like broke the fourth wall of musicians going on TV. TV. Oh, that's interesting. Osbournes was a show on MTV that was like a reality show about the family moving to LA. And there to date, like, he got so much more famous when he was on TV. And it wasn't really cool for artists to do TV in that way. But he was like rock and roll. Like there were legends of him like, you know, biting the head off bats and shit that never actually happened. But like he was like, you know, the dark prints and shit. And, and shit. And, like, he was like, you know, the dark prints and shit. And then watching him like run around talking about how much he loved burritos and won burritos for dinner, it just like humanized him and rock and roll and gave a very interesting,

uh, back channel view into what an artist's life was like. And I think it, I think it in a lot of ways it made it okay and cool and gave permission to artists to start being these multi-format creators and to be on television. And was an early seed of reality, right? And the types of, so many of the types of shows that we have to. Yeah.

There was a really cool moment at that Ozzy concert where Youngblood did the song changes. And at the end, he just sort of walked out on stage and had the crowd sing the chorus, Acapella. And it was very reminiscent of Freddie Mercury. Like, it was a, there was a direct parallel there. And it sort of was a very interesting moment where he seemed to take the torch, did Youngblood from Ozzy there. So to have him passed two weeks later is pretty shocking. But anyway, that wasn't on the agenda.

I'm glad. I'm really glad that you shared that. And it is, I mean, it's very sad. But in the way that, you know, people, what would it be like to attend your own funeral in some ways? Like making it through that concert is pretty remarkable at experiencing the feedback. from the other artists, the passing of the torch, the crowd is really cool. Yeah. Okay.

Last thing for me. What's going on with Stevie Nix and Lindsay Buckingham? You really want to know what's going on? I think there's a documentary kind of. Oh. Okay. Interesting. And I think that there's a little bit of music that maybe be.

associated with that. I mean, that's the main speculation, right, is that some sort of remastered edition of Buckingham Knicks is going to come out and therefore they are gearing up to tease that. But I hadn't seen anything about a documentary. That would be fun. Yeah. And I think that it's time for it, right? I think multi-generations have fallen in love with the lore of this couple, right? And I think Daisy Jones and the Six had something to do with that. And then I think it's, you know, that YouTube video where they're singing Silver Springs and she's yelling at them

has sort of embedded itself in the next generation, TikTok, send it around. So like there is this, I think, soft spot in the hearts of lots of general music fans for this relationship. And I don't know. It has been, how many times can you get, it's just an insane situation. to have in your 70s.

But here they are. And I'm all for it. Give me all. Maybe it's because Lindsay Gwaghanem or Stevie Nix, you know, they need to buy a new castle in the English countryside. And so they're willing to set aside their differences. Maybe it's because, maybe it's because in this moment and time, they've, you know, let bygons go and reconnected.

It is like, it is the OG situation. Like, it is an all-time situationhip, and I do feel like that is why, like, why is this still so relevant to people? I mean, obviously, I think A number one answer is that these people were part of creating iconic all-time, forever pantheon songs. But also, it is because having a 70-year situationhip is crazy. Yeah. Well, it's crazy, but it also, maybe it taps into this idea that, like, there's still always a chance. Like that person

for whom you still have that bit of love in your heart, it could still happen. Decades later. Are looking at those two posting matching Instagram statements or matching Instagram posts

and being like, there's hope for me and Chad. Their friends are got to be like, you guys, what the fuck are you doing? This never ends well. Why do you think it's going to end well this time? It's just

combustible, city. What are we doing? Well, I'm excited to find out. I'm really excited that you said there might be a documentary. I would love to watch a documentary. Me too. That's great. Maybe we can have like an every single album movie, movie experience. Watch this space. More to come. Well, yeah, let's see. Let's see if they actually get there without killing each other.

What's the date, September 16th or something? 19th, September 19th. Yeah. Whatever it is, it's like two months. away. There's plenty of time for Stevie Nix to try to strangle him with a B string from an acoustic guitar before these things are. I mean, it's not out of the realm of

possibility that this is actually just all an elaborate plot to make that happen. So. No. And you will recall, Stevie is managed by Irving Azoff, the great Irving Azov, father to Jeffrey Azoff, manager of Harry Styles.

Irving is an old hand at navigating these and other conflicts. So if anybody can shepherd them there, it will be Irving Azoth. But it's going to be interesting to see what the dynamic is like in the 70s. Is it the same as it was in the 1970s?

Or have we returned it all? Who knows? I mean, look, I'll say this. Chrissy McVee's passing was, I mean, that was a hard one for maybe. because I really, Christy wrote some of the best Fleetwood Mac Songs, period, including Songbird and many others. She, I think, was the secret weapon to that band.

So it wouldn't surprise me if her passing gave them a moment of reflection. Obviously, they would have interacted through the service part of that. And they did, because I think Stevie did some interview where she said that they talked for like three minutes. And it was the first time in however long. Look, as everybody who has a situation, ship knows, all you need is that one accidental phone call, the butt dial, the you up text, the like on the Instagram post. This is not good advice. Screw goes totally loose and you're right back in it. This is not good advice.

And I'm going to end the podcast before someone gets hurt. Nathan, it has been wonderful catching up with you. on Beaver, on Keshe, on Coldplay, on the royal wedding, and on famous situationships of decades past and perhaps decades future. This has been every single album. As always, I'm Nora Princeati. He's Nathan Hubbard. Thank you to Kaya McMullen for producing this episode.

And we will talk to you next week.