Episodes

  • Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa
    Mar 11 2024

    Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia saw the singer spearheading a disco & 80s revival in pop music, while figuring out how to promote her album during the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hear about how she kicked off with "Don't Start Now", the creative process and inspiration behind her concept album, and the game-time decision to push up the release date amidst International lockdowns. Discussions topics include "Levitating", her remix album, Moonlight Edition re-release, and Studio 2054 livestream concert. Plus, what does this all mean for her upcoming "Houdini"-led third studio album?

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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • Endless Summer Vacation, Miley Cyrus
    Feb 21 2024

    “Endless Summer Vacation” by Miley Cyrus finds the singer achieving her biggest hit with “Flowers” and winning Grammys for the first time in her 17-year career. This week, Keith Montena and Carly Giacoio rewind and discuss how prior career moves and projects like She Is Coming & Plastic Hearts led the singer into a rough commercial territory despite being packed with solid material. With a label switch and new management, the pair investigate how her album rollout surrounding a New Years Eve special and fan-driven narrative surrounding Liam Hemsworth sculpted a huge commercial resurgence. Plus, hear about the album’s singles and creative collaborators through a track-by-track discussion.

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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Joanne, Lady Gaga
    Jan 26 2024

    Lady Gaga's "Joanne" showcases the singer ditching dance-pop in exchange for country and americana. Hear about the creative process behind the 2016 album, as well as the aftermath of 2013's ARTPOP album and how this shift helped the singer recover. The album marked a commercial resurgence for Lady Gaga with performances at The Super Bowl Half Time Show and Coachella, projects like Five Foot Two and A Star Is Born. Plus, discussions on "The Cure" and puzzled fan reception to her new sound. Also, is Lady Gaga releasing a new album this year? Hear about rumored collaborators for her seventh LP, and if Joanne is the best indicator of her next artistic venture.

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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Emails I Can't Send, Sabrina Carpenter
    Dec 15 2023

    Sabrina Carpenter's fifth album Emails I Can't Send marked a turning point in the artists career. Even with the eerie start-stop nature of her release campaign, the fifth album prevailed as a success with breakout hit "Nonsense". Rewind to 2021 as Keith Montena and special guest Abbey Velischek break down the infamous love triangle that plagued the star, her response song "Skin", and how the star shifted directions and created a very strong album. Topics include the singer's slot on Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour, her videos including "Feather", and the battle stars face when breaking out of the Disney or child-star umbrella.

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo
    Nov 17 2023

    Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album chronicles her 19th year and journey after achieving such a high level of success with her debut album. Keith Montena returns this week with special guest Carly Giacoio to break down the campaign surrounding GUTS, how Olivia's success rivals other young Disney stars, and the speculation surrounding drama with Taylor Swift. This is also a detailed look into SOUR's success in retrospect and the viral plagiarism accusations. Other topics include Rodrigo's creative process with collaborators like Dan Nigro & Ian Kirkpatrick, Grammy nominations, the VMAs, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes soundtrack single.

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    58 mins
  • Doll Domination, The Pussycat Dolls
    Mar 4 2022

    Keith Montena returns this week with previous co-host Ashley Tatum to discuss one of the world's best-selling girl groups, The Pussycat Dolls. The groups sophomore (and last) era was helmed by collaborators like Polow Da Don, Timbaland, and Darkchild. The album, interestingly, was sculpted by beginning sessions for Nicole Scherzinger's debut solo album, "Her Name Is Nicole". Listen to hear about the group's evolving dynamics, why we feel it was always bound to cause drama, and where the girls are now after reuniting in 2020 with "React". While instances of drama at Britney Spears' Circus Tour or the American Music Awards became bait for tabloid culture of the 2000s, the girls still delivered some discography highlights and a huge hit with "When I Grow Up".

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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Red (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift
    Feb 25 2022

    Red (Taylor's Version) is the second installment of Taylor Swift's re-recorded albums. Drawing comparisons to the originals and discussing vault tracks, Keith Montena was happy to welcome back Katie Hausler and Hannah Relovsky to the podcast. In Vinyl Drop's first-ever round table, the trio touches on the politics behind the re-recordings, the highlights (and low points) across both versions, and the intricacies of All Too Well's multiple recordings are discussed. Also, is Speak Now (Taylor's Version) next? We'll see.

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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • Chromatica, Lady Gaga
    Feb 18 2022

    Keith Montena returns to Vinyl Drop this week with a discussion on "Chromatica" by Lady Gaga. With special guest Logan Powers, the pair dive into Lady Gaga's first dance-pop release in nearly seven years, the rush of "Rain On Me" with Ariana Grande, and how the campaign attached got halted during Covid-19. Diving into every track and video, fan reactions, and how it compares to past efforts like "The Fame", the album still remains a celebration.

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    1 hr and 30 mins