Song Exploder
Episodes
Nakhane - New Brighton (feat. Anohni)
20 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nakhane is a singer and songwriter from Johannesburg, South Africa. His first album, Brave Confusion, won the South African Music Award for best alter...
Mumford & Sons - Beloved
06 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mumford & Sons are a Grammy-winning band that formed in London in 2007. They’ve put out four albums, and sold millions of copies. Their last thr...
Phoebe Bridgers - Scott Street
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Phoebe Bridgers is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. In September 2017, she released her debut album, Stranger in the Alps. One of the breakout so...
Wonderly - The Daily (Theme)
06 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Daily is a hit podcast from The New York Times, hosted by Michael Barbaro. Every weekday, over 1.7 million people download the show. It launched i...
Japanese Breakfast - Boyish
23 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Japanese Breakfast is the musical project of Michelle Zauner, who’s been making music under that name since 2013. In July 2017, she released her sec...
Hozier - Nina Cried Power (feat. Mavis Staples)
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Hozier-Byrne is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter from Ireland. His debut single from 2013, “Take Me to Church,” was a massive, multi-pl...
Yo-Yo Ma - Prelude, Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major
20 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Yo-Yo Ma is perhaps the most famous and well-loved cellist in the world. He was born in Paris in 1955; his family moved to the U.S. when he was seven....
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Astonished Man
13 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Thao Nguyen is taking over as the new host of Song Exploder in 2019. This is a reissue of an episode from 2016 in which she was the guest.Thao & t...
Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Lindsey Buckingham is a singer-songwriter, a guitarist, and a producer. In 1974, he joined the band Fleetwood Mac, along with Stevie Nicks, his girlfr...
Breakmaster Cylinder - Reply All
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Four years ago, on November 24, 2014, the first episode of the podcast Reply All came out. It’s a podcast about the internet hosted by Alex Goldman ...
Empress Of - When I'm With Him
19 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Lorely Rodriguez is a singer, songwriter, and producer who goes by the name Empress Of. She’s released two albums, and she’s sung on tracks with K...
Big Boi - Order of Operations
05 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Big Boi is a rapper from Atlanta. When he was a teenager, he and Andre 3000 formed OutKast, and went on to sell over 25 million records and win six Gr...
John Carpenter - Halloween (Theme)
26 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 1978, John Carpenter wrote, directed, and scored the film Halloween. It was made on a $300,000 budget, and ended up grossing over $70 million, maki...
Janelle Monáe - So Afraid
15 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Janelle Monáe is an award-winning musician and actress who released her first record in 2007. She’s been nominated for multiple Grammys, and starre...
Cat Power - Woman
04 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Chan Marshall is a singer-songwriter who’s been making records under the name Cat Power since 1995. In 2018, she put out her tenth album, Wanderer. ...
Blood Orange - Saint
25 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Blood Orange is the project of songwriter and producer Devonté Hynes. He’s produced and co-written songs for artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, Solange...
Patrick Carney feat. Ralph Carney - BoJack Horseman (Main Title Theme)
19 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
BoJack Horseman is a Netflix original series, an animated comedy about a washed up 90s sitcom star who's trying to figure out his life and career with...
The Decemberists - Once In My Life
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Decemberists are a Grammy-nominated five-piece band from Portland, Oregon. They released their first album in 2001, and since then they’ve put o...
Mitski - Your Best American Girl
29 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mitski has been making records since 2012. Her third record, Puberty 2, came out in June 2016 and was critically acclaimed Pitchfork gave it Best New ...
Christine and the Queens - Doesn't Matter
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Christine and the Queens is a singer, songwriter, and producer from France. Her debut album was first released in 2014 in French, and in 2015, she rel...
Neko Case - Last Lion of Albion
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Neko Case is a singer and songwriter. She’s been nominated for multiple Grammys, and in addition to her own music, she’s a member of the band The ...
Courtney Barnett - Depreston
25 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Courtney Barnett released her debut album in March 2015. By the end of the year, she had been nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist, Spin named h...
Action Bronson - The Chairman's Intent
18 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Action Bronson is a rapper from Queens who’s been making records since 2011. He also stars as the host of two TV shows about food on Vice’s channe...
Jhené Aiko - Sativa (feat. Swae Lee)
04 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jhené Aiko is a Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter. She’s released three albums so far. In addition to her own records, she’s been a featured...
CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue
28 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
CHVRCHES is a trio from Glasgow, Scotland. In this episode, they break down the song “Clearest Blue,” from their sophomore album Every Open Eye. Y...
Yo La Tengo - Here You Are
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Yo La Tengo formed in 1984. The band is made up Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew. In March 2018, they released There’s a Riot Going On, t...
Wolf Alice - Don't Delete the Kisses
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Wolf Alice is a band from North London. Their second album, Visions of a Life, was released in September 2017. In this episode, singer Ellie Rowsell a...
Kelela - Rewind
31 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Kelela is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. In 2015, she released Hallucinogen EP, and landed on critics lists in The New York Times, The ...
Jon Hopkins - Luminous Beings
23 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jon Hopkins is an electronic music producer whose been nominated twice for the UK’s Mercury Prize. Along with his frequent collaborator, Brian Eno, ...
Liz Phair - Divorce Song
09 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 1993, Liz Phair released her debut album, Exile in Guyville. It was an instant hit, critically and commercially. It sold hundreds of thousands o...
Arcade Fire - Put Your Money On Me
25 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Arcade Fire is a Grammy-winning six-piece band originally from Montreal. They’ve released five albums, and the last three have all debuted at number...
Kimbra - Top of the World
11 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Kimbra is a singer from New Zealand. Her first album came out in 2011, and in 2013 she won two Grammys for her collaboration with Gotye, the multiplat...
Jack Johnson - You Can't Control It
28 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Johnson is a grammy-nominated singer-songwriter from Hawaii. He's had four number one albums on the Billboard charts. In September 2017, he rele...
Ludwig Göransson - Black Panther
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Marvel’s Black Panther was released in theaters on February 16, 2018, and in just a few weeks, it made over a billion dollars worldwide. It’s a...
Natalie Prass - Short Court Style
28 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Natalie Prass released her debut album in 2015. That year, Time Magazine called her an Artist to Watch, Pitchfork gave the album Best New Music, an...
Moses Sumney - Quarrel
14 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Moses Sumney is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. His first album, Aromanticism, came out in September 2017, but before that, he’d already w...
Bleachers - I Miss Those Days
31 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bleachers is the moniker of Jack Antonoff, a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He won two grammy awards as a member of the band fun., a...
Julien Baker - Appointments
17 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Julien Baker is from Memphis, Tennessee. She released her second album, Turn Out The Lights, in October 2017, on Matador Records. The New York Tim...
The Roots - It Ain't Fair (feat. Bilal)
03 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Drummer Ahmir Thompson, also known as Questlove, and rapper Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, started The Roots when they were in high school in Phila...
R.E.M - Try Not to Breathe
20 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
R.E.M. was formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills, guitarist Peter Buck, and drummer Bill Berry. They’ve won...
Nine Inch Nails - The Lovers
06 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Trent Reznor started Nine Inch Nails in 1988. He released eight albums, sold over 20 million records, won two Grammys and was nominated for 11 more. T...
Rachel Platten - Broken Glass
08 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Platten is a singer and songwriter who’s released four albums, including her 2016 album Wildfire, which went Gold. The lead single from tha...
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein - Stranger Things (Main Title Theme)
26 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The show Stranger Things is a Netflix original series. It was first released in July 2016. Season two’s release date: October 27, 2017. After the fi...
TOKiMONSTA - Bibimbap
18 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Los Angeles producer and beatmaker Jennifer Lee released her first album as TOKiMONSTA in 2010. She has released music on Flying Lotus's label Brai...
The Killers - Rut
06 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The Killers formed in Las Vegas in 2001. Since then, they’ve released five records. Their newest album, Wonderful Wonderful, came out in September 2...
Lorde - Sober
25 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Lorde is a Grammy-award winning singer, songwriter, and producer. Her second album, Melodrama, debuted at number one on the charts in June 2017 – fi...
Rostam - Bike Dream
14 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Rostam Batmanglij is a songwriter, producer, and composer, who first rose to prominence in 2006 as one of the members of Vampire Weekend. He’s produ...
Ibeyi - Deathless
05 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The band Ibeyi is made up of twin sisters Naomi Diaz, and Lisa-Kaindé Diaz. When they were only teenagers, they were signed to a record deal by Richa...
Maggie Rogers - Alaska
24 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie Rogers had a breakthrough moment when she was a student at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute. Pharrell Williams visited to her class, and when he h...
St. Vincent - New York
15 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Annie Clark grew up in Texas, studied the guitar, and moved to New York in the mid-2000s. She started recording and performing under the name St Vince...
Grizzly Bear - Four Cypresses
03 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Between 2004 and 2012, Grizzly Bear put out four critically-acclaimed albums. Their newest album is called Painted Ruins, and it features this song, F...
Phoenix - Ti Amo
25 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Phoenix is a Grammy-winning band from Versailles, France. They started putting out music in 1999, and in June 2017, they released their sixth album, T...
Slowdive - Sugar for the Pill
13 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Slowdive formed in 1989 in Reading, England. They put out 3 albums between 1991 and 1995, and their sound helped define the shoegaze genre. In 2017, t...
Goapele - Stand
05 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Goapele is a singer/songwriter from the Bay Area. She released her first album in 2001. Since then, she’s released five more albums and collaborated...
Fleet Foxes - Mearcstapa
22 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Fleet Foxes formed in Seattle, Washington in 2006. In 2011, they put out their second record, which was nominated for a Grammy, and then, the band wen...
Michelle Branch - Best You Ever
14 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Branch is a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter. She released two platinum albums when she was still a teenager. Because those records were su...
alt-J - In Cold Blood
02 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Alt-J formed in Leeds, England in 2007. Their debut album won a Mercury Prize and their second was nominated for a Grammy. Their third album, Relaxer,...
Michael Kiwanuka - Black Man in a White World
22 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Kiwanuka is a singer/songwriter from London. His second album, Love and Hate, came out in 2016, and was named one of the Best Albums of the Ye...
Perfume Genius - Slip Away
11 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Hadreas has been making music under the name Perfume Genius since 2008. In May 2017, he put out his fourth album, No Shape to widespread critical...
Little Dragon - Sweet
02 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Little Dragon is a Grammy-nominated band from Gothenburg, Sweden. They formed in 1996, and they released their fifth album Season High in April 2017. ...
Aimee Mann - Patient Zero
21 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Aimee Mann is a Grammy- and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter. In the 80s, she fronted the band Til Tuesday, and in 1993, she released her first solo ...
Gorillaz - Andromeda (feat. D.R.A.M.)
11 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Gorillaz is the creation of musician Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett. They’re a virtual band made up four animated characters. Thei...
Norah Jones - Day Breaks
30 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Since her debut in 2002, Norah Jones has sold over 50 million albums, and won 8 Grammys. She released Day Breaks, her sixth album, in 2016. In this ep...
Dirty Projectors - Up in Hudson
21 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Longstreth started making music under the name Dirty Projectors in 2002, while he was in college. Since then, he’s released seven albums and co...
Sleigh Bells - I Can Only Stare
14 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sleigh Bells formed in 2008. They released their fourth album, Jessica Rabbit, in 2016. In this episode, Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller break down the...
Bonobo - Break Apart (feat. Rhye)
28 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Green is a producer and DJ who’s been making music under the name Bonobo since 2000. In January 2017 he released his sixth studio album, Migra...
Sara Watkins - Without a Word
17 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sara Watkins began her music career when she was only 8 years old, as one of the founding members of the Grammy-award winning band Nickel Creek. In 20...
Dropkick Murphys - Blood
07 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The band Dropkick Murphys formed in Boston in 1996. For over twenty years, they’ve made music that’s reflected the culture and community they’ve...
Nicholas Britell - Moonlight
30 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The film Moonlight tells the story of its main character, Chiron, in three chapters: when Chiron is a young boy, nicknamed Little, when he's a teenage...
Solange - Cranes in the Sky
16 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Solange Knowles released her first album in 2002, at the age of 16. Her third album, A Seat at the Table, came out in September 2016, and debuted at #...
Metallica - Moth into Flame
06 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Metallica formed in 1981. They were teenagers. Since then, they’ve gone on to become one of the most successful bands of all time, selling over 110 ...
Justin Hurwitz - La La Land
21 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The film LA LA LAND tells the story of Mia, an aspiring actress played by Emma Stone, and Sebastian, a jazz pianist played by Ryan Gosling, both of th...
DJ Shadow - Mutual Slump
08 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In 1996, Josh Davis, aka DJ Shadow, released his first album, Endtroducing. It’s been hailed pretty much universally as one of the best albums of th...
Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me
30 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Angel Olsen released her third album, My Woman, in September 2016. It’s been critically acclaimed, including Pitchfork’s Best New Music and NME’...
Jóhann Jóhannsson - Arrival
17 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In the film Arrival, Amy Adams plays a linguist trying to decode an alien language. The score was composed by Johann Johannsson, his third film collab...
Flatbush Zombies - Bounce
08 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Flatbush Zombies are a hip hop trio from Brooklyn. They formed in 2010. Their album 3001: A Laced Odyssey came out in 2016, and debuted in the top ten...
Oathbreaker - 10:56 / Second Son of R.
28 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The band Oathbreaker formed in 2008 in Belgium. In this episode, Caro and Gilles from the band break down the two-part song that opens their third alb...
James Vincent McMorrow - Get Low
19 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
James Vincent McMorrow is a singer/songwriter whose first albums fell somewhere on the folk music side of things. But his sound has changed over the y...
Phantogram - You Don't Get Me High Anymore
06 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter started Phantogram in 2007. They’ve worked on crafting a particular sound and they’ve had a particular way of making...
Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks
21 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In 2006, Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John released their third album, Writer’s Block. For months and months after that, it felt like you couldn’t...
Mitski - Your Best American Girl
07 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Mitski has been making records since 2012. Her third record, Puberty 2, came out in June 2016 and was critically acclaimed Pitchfork gave it Best New ...
Tobacco - Gods in Heat
25 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Fec, aka Tobacco, has released four albums since 2008. He's also the frontman of the band Black Moth Super Rainbow, and he created the theme music...
Andra Day - Forever Mine
15 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Singer/songwriter Andra Day put out her first record in August 2015. Since then, she’s been invited by the Obamas to perform at the White House on m...
Patrick Carney feat. Ralph Carney - BoJack Horseman (Main Title Theme)
04 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
BoJack Horseman is a Netflix original series, an animated comedy about a washed up 90s sitcom star who's trying to figure out his life and career with...
Band of Horses - Solemn Oath
25 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Band of Horses released their 5th album in June 2016. In this episode, the band’s frontman, Ben Bridwell breaks down the song Solemn Oath, and how i...
Grimes - Kill V. Maim
14 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Grimes is the project of Claire Boucher. In 2015, she released Art Angels, her 4th album. In this episode, she breaks down her song Kill V. Maim, he...
Andrew Bird - Roma Fade
05 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Bird is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, maybe known best for his violin playing and his whistling. In this episode, Andrew br...
CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue
23 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
CHVRCHES is a trio from Glasgow, Scotland. In this episode, they break down the song "Clearest Blue," from their sophomore album Every Open Eye. You'l...
ODESZA - Kusanagi
14 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In September 2014, Odesza put out their album In Return. It debuted at #1 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic charts, and spent 13 weeks in the top 10. Bu...
Old Crow Medicine Show - Dearly Departed Friend
29 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Old Crow Medicine Show is a six-piece band from Tennessee, who have been around since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2013, and th...
Busdriver - Worlds to Run
24 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Busdriver is a rapper from Los Angeles, and since 2001, he's been releasing albums with a signature hyperliterate, intellectual style. But over a deca...
Carly Rae Jepsen - When I Needed You
09 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Carly Rae Jepsen released her third album, Emotion, in 2015. The closing track on the record is When I Needed You. In this episode, Carly tells the st...
The Lumineers - Ophelia
28 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Lumineers released their second album on April 8, 2016. Their first album went platinum, and they spent months touring relentlessly in support of ...
Weezer - Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori
18 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Weezer's 10th album, the self-titled "White" album, came out April 1, 2016. In this episode, Rivers Cuomo breaks down the meticulous process of making...
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Astonished Man
05 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down released the album A Man Alive in March 2016. In this episode, Thao Nguyen breaks down the song "Astonished Man." Thao...
Iggy Pop - American Valhalla
22 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Iggy Pop is a pioneer of punk rock, whose legendary career began over fifty years ago. In 2015, he began collaborating on music with Joshua Homme, of ...
Oneohtrix Point Never - Sticky Drama
10 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Lopatin has been making experimental electronic music as Oneohtrix Point Never since 2007. In this episode, he takes apart the song "Sticky Dra...
KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See
01 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Singer/songwriter KT Tunstall released her debut album in 2004. It was nominated for a Mercury Prize. The song "Suddenly I See" from that record was a...
Clipping - Work Work
18 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Clipping is a trio made up of producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes, and rapper Daveed Diggs. You might be familiar with Daveed’s voice from ...
The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
09 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The New Pornographers are kind of a supergroup, with seven members in the band, including Neko Case and Dan Bejar, who are both acclaimed songwriters ...