Song Exploder
Song Exploder
Song Exploder
Song Exploder
Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features an artist discussing a song of theirs, breaking down the sounds and ideas that went into the writing and recording. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway.
Wednesday 01 July 2020 : The Netflix original series Dark debuted in December 2017. It’s a really mysterious, mind-bending German science fiction show with a...
Wednesday 17 June 2020 : The rappers Prodigy and Havoc met when they were still in high school in New York. Havoc grew up in Queensbridge, the biggest public housing...
Thursday 04 June 2020 : Instead of a new episode this week, revisiting this episode originally published in May 2017. Please consider donating to local and national...
Wednesday 20 May 2020 : 100 gecs is a duo, made up of Laura Les and Dylan Brady. In 2016, they put out an EP called 100 gecs, and three years later, they released...
Wednesday 06 May 2020 : Laura Marling is a singer and songwriter from London. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist—she’s been nominated...
Wednesday 22 April 2020 : Tame Impala is the project of Kevin Parker, a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Perth, Australia. Since putting his first...
Wednesday 08 April 2020 : FKA twigs is a singer, songwriter, and producer from London. She’s released three EPs and two albums. Her most album, Magdalene, came out...
Wednesday 25 March 2020 : Nathaniel Rateliff is a singer and songwriter from Colorado. He’s released four solo albums, and two with his band, the Night...
Wednesday 11 March 2020 : Eric Nam is a Korean-American pop singer from Atlanta. He’s currently lives in Seoul, South Korea, where he found fame as a K-pop star. He...
Wednesday 26 February 2020 : Sophie Allison makes music under the name Soccer Mommy. Her debut album came out in 2018, when she was 20 years old, and the New York Times...
Wednesday 12 February 2020 : Dan Snaith has been making Caribou records since 2001. He won Canada’s Polaris music prize in 2007, and this month, he’s releasing the...
Wednesday 29 January 2020 : When Laetitia Tamko started making the second Vagabon album, she really wanted to produce the entire thing on her own. It would be a new...
Wednesday 15 January 2020 : The song “Closing Time” by the American rock band Semisonic came out in March 1998. It hit #1 on the Alternative charts, and was...
Wednesday 25 December 2019 : The band Vampire Weekend started in 2006, in New York. Their third album came out in 2013, and was named one of the best albums of the year...
Tuesday 17 December 2019 : Thao Nguyen has been guest hosting Song Exploder this year, with Christian Koons producing, to give Hrishikesh a little room to daydream....
Wednesday 11 December 2019 : Meek Mill is a rapper from Philadelphia. He’s put out five albums. His most recent, Championships, debuted at #1 on the charts, and was...
Wednesday 27 November 2019 : Natasha Khan makes music under the name Bat for Lashes. She’s released five albums, including Lost Girls, which came out in September...
Wednesday 13 November 2019 : Melina Duterte goes by the name Jay Som. She’s a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She’s released three albums as Jay Som,...
Wednesday 30 October 2019 : Slipknot is a Grammy-winning metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, who first formed in 1995. They’ve sold over 30 million records. In this...
Wednesday 16 October 2019 : Raphael Saadiq is a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, and artist from Oakland, California. He was the lead singer of the legendary ‘90s...
Wednesday 02 October 2019 : Claire Cotrill is a singer, songwriter, and producer who goes by the name Clairo. She started releasing music in 2014 as a teenager. A few...
Wednesday 18 September 2019 : Brittany Howard is the guitarist and lead singer of the four-time Grammy-winning band Alabama Shakes. This month, she’s releasing her...
Wednesday 04 September 2019 : Robyn is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Her first album came out in 1995, when she was 16 years old. It went platinum in the US,...
Wednesday 21 August 2019 : Justin Vernon founded the band Bon Iver in 2006. Bon Iver’s released four albums, and won two Grammys, including Best New Artist. The...
Wednesday 07 August 2019 : Sleater-Kinney was formed in 1994 by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. Drummer Janet Weiss was a member of the band from 1997 until 2019....
Song Exploder
Song Exploder
Apparat - Goodbye (Theme from "Dark")
Explicit content
The Netflix original series Dark debuted in December 2017. It’s a really mysterious, mind-bending German science fiction show with a...
Mobb Deep - Shook Ones, Pt. II
Explicit content
The rappers Prodigy and Havoc met when they were still in high school in New York. Havoc grew up in Queensbridge, the biggest public housing...
Reissue: Michael Kiwanuka - Black Man in a White World
Instead of a new episode this week, revisiting this episode originally published in May 2017. Please consider donating to local and national...
100 gecs - Money Machine
Explicit content
100 gecs is a duo, made up of Laura Les and Dylan Brady. In 2016, they put out an EP called 100 gecs, and three years later, they released...
Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter
Explicit content
Laura Marling is a singer and songwriter from London. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist—she’s been nominated...
Tame Impala - It Might Be Time
Explicit content
Tame Impala is the project of Kevin Parker, a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Perth, Australia. Since putting his first...
FKA twigs - Mirrored Heart
Explicit content
FKA twigs is a singer, songwriter, and producer from London. She’s released three EPs and two albums. Her most album, Magdalene, came out...
Nathaniel Rateliff - And It's Still Alright
Explicit content
Nathaniel Rateliff is a singer and songwriter from Colorado. He’s released four solo albums, and two with his band, the Night...
Eric Nam - Love Die Young
Eric Nam is a Korean-American pop singer from Atlanta. He’s currently lives in Seoul, South Korea, where he found fame as a K-pop star. He...
Soccer Mommy - Circle the Drain
Sophie Allison makes music under the name Soccer Mommy. Her debut album came out in 2018, when she was 20 years old, and the New York Times...
Caribou - Home
Dan Snaith has been making Caribou records since 2001. He won Canada’s Polaris music prize in 2007, and this month, he’s releasing the...
Vagabon - Water Me Down
When Laetitia Tamko started making the second Vagabon album, she really wanted to produce the entire thing on her own. It would be a new...
Semisonic - Closing Time
The song “Closing Time” by the American rock band Semisonic came out in March 1998. It hit #1 on the Alternative charts, and was...
Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
The band Vampire Weekend started in 2006, in New York. Their third album came out in 2013, and was named one of the best albums of the year...
Intro Theme and Thao's Farewell
Thao Nguyen has been guest hosting Song Exploder this year, with Christian Koons producing, to give Hrishikesh a little room to daydream....
Meek Mill - Trauma
Explicit content
Meek Mill is a rapper from Philadelphia. He’s put out five albums. His most recent, Championships, debuted at #1 on the charts, and was...
Bat for Lashes - Kids in the Dark
Natasha Khan makes music under the name Bat for Lashes. She’s released five albums, including Lost Girls, which came out in September...
Jay Som - Tenderness
Melina Duterte goes by the name Jay Som. She’s a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She’s released three albums as Jay Som,...
Slipknot - Unsainted
Explicit content
Slipknot is a Grammy-winning metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, who first formed in 1995. They’ve sold over 30 million records. In this...
Raphael Saadiq - Kings Fall
Explicit content
Raphael Saadiq is a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, and artist from Oakland, California. He was the lead singer of the legendary ‘90s...
Clairo - Alewife
Claire Cotrill is a singer, songwriter, and producer who goes by the name Clairo. She started releasing music in 2014 as a teenager. A few...
Brittany Howard - Stay High
Brittany Howard is the guitarist and lead singer of the four-time Grammy-winning band Alabama Shakes. This month, she’s releasing her...
Robyn - Honey
Robyn is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Her first album came out in 1995, when she was 16 years old. It went platinum in the US,...
Bon Iver - Holyfields,
Justin Vernon founded the band Bon Iver in 2006. Bon Iver’s released four albums, and won two Grammys, including Best New Artist. The...
Sleater-Kinney - The Future Is Here
Sleater-Kinney was formed in 1994 by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. Drummer Janet Weiss was a member of the band from 1997 until 2019....
