Press
Everyone has to pause and take a break from listening to music sometimes. For the hopeless obsessives among us, here’s an alternative: music podcasts. If you can’t stop thinking about your favorite songs, albums, and artists, there are plenty of great podcasts that dive into the nerdiest details of any genre. From interview-focused shows to serialized programs that analyze full albums on a song-by-song basis, there are plenty of great options on Spotify, Apple, and other streaming platforms. The only potential problem comes from having to sift through a sea of options to find the hidden gems worth listening to. So we put together a list of the very best music podcasts:
Heat Rocks
The conceit of Heat Rocks is so stunningly simple that it’s amazing it didn’t exist prior to the show’s debut in October 2017. Two incredibly smart hosts, music supervisor Morgan Rhodes and writer/professor/DJ/Complex Best Producers contributor Oliver Wang talk about a different classic album every week—joined by a notable guest for whom the record has a particular resonance (Meshell Ndgeocello talking Purple Rain, for example; or Afropunk director James Spooner on Minor Threat’s eponymous album). The setup leads hosts and guest into beautiful, surprising places, and will leave you hearing even your most beloved albums with new ears. —Shawn Setaro