Hearing Things

On the Hearing Things podcast, we dig into new music from Phoebe Bridgers and Tierra Whack, plus a head-scratcher from a controversial former Love Island cast member

Where Does Phoebe Bridgers Go From Here? Podcast dissections of the biggest indie-rock comeback of the year, a rap comeback we didn’t know we needed, and a reality-TV comeback we might not want at all

For the latest edition of our Words Matter series, we spoke to rapper-producer, model, and skateboarder Navy Blue about how songs by Vashti Bunyan, Broadcast, and Ka inspired his latest album, the searingly reflective Sir Render

Navy Blue on The Lyrics that Changed His Life The rapper-producer, model, and skateboarder breaks down songs from Vashti Bunyan, Broadcast, and the late Brooklyn rapper Ka

From Olivia Rodrigo's overly polished third studio album to IDK's trite suburban trap to Slayyyter's too-little-too-late copy/paste of indie sleaze, these are the Hearing Things staff's picks for the most overrated albums of 2026 (so far)

The Five Most Overrated Albums of 2026 (So Far) Others frothed over these. We did not.

"I refuse to use AI. I don’t want its sweaty little hands all over creative work. Art is an expression of being human that’s transcendent and complex, and the dumbification of that is the last straw for me. That and robot dogs."

Beth Orton Takes the First-Ever HT Questionnaire The esteemed British singer-songwriter on the most radicalizing moment of her life, wanting to be a criminologist, and a mysterious recent meeting with Kate Bush.

Though 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵 is often challenging, it’s never aggro or willfully obtuse; the prevailing mood is communal optimism, a feeling I’ll take wherever I can get it these days

Q***r Reggaetón Mexa and Cerebral Dutch Twee Plus, an experimental scene veteran drops a suite of communal optimism and a promising young upstart conjures 808s and indie-rock riffs.

Seeing Catholic symbols recontextualized through Rosalía, a true artist with a goal of elevating women who are often marginalized within organized religion, was its own kind of syncreticism within my cobbled-together, agnostic belief system

A Lapsed Catholic Goes to Rosalía’s Ecclesiastical Lux Tour How the Spanish star uses devotion to push her art to unprecedented places.

At 32 years old, New York rap staple Wiki is entering a new era. We caught up with him in Seward Park to talk about growing up without aging out, sobriety, and crafting his latest album, Ancient History

A Day in the Park with Wiki The influential New York rapper soaks in the city’s greenery while talking about growing up without aging out, his struggles with sobriety, and crafting his lush new album, Ancient History.

On 𝘚𝘰 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘔𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥, Kelsey Lu’s strength lies in the breadth of their work

An Instant Party-Starter Anywhere on Planet Earth Plus: a melancholy world of glass-topped coffee tables and Armani suits, and a rapper with a vocab sure to melt even the thickest thesaurus.

Rarely does grief manifest in a song about how nobody can tell you s**t. Enter Chicago rapper Earthsignchels

For the Baddies Just Trying Not to Lose It Remember the name Earthsignchels

If you’re allergic to fretless bass, keep it moving

An Instant Party-Starter Anywhere on Planet Earth Plus: a melancholy world of glass-topped coffee tables and Armani suits, and a rapper with a vocab sure to melt even the thickest thesaurus.