Celebrating — and Arguing About — the Best Pop of 2022 So Far

From the Weeknd’s Dawn FM to Omar Apollo’s Ivory to Sky Ferreira’s “Don’t Forget” and Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now dives deep into the best pop songs and albums of the year so far. 

Staff writer Tomás Mier joins host Brian Hiatt for the discussion, which touches on the widespread influence of Olivia Rodrigo’s guitar-driven hits (her friend Conan Gray, who also collaborates with her main creative partner, producer-songwriter Dan Nigro, is an obvious example), the innovative mega-hit albums by Bad Bunny and Rosalía, and much more. (Another of the year’s very best pop albums, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, was covered in a full recent episode.)

Elsewhere in the episode, Kory Grow discusses the very metal fourth season of Stranger Things, from Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” hitting the top 40 after its memorable use in the finale to the way the season’s plot drew on real-life, metal-related Satanic panics in the 1980s.

To hear the whole episode, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or press play above.

Download and subscribe to our weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts), and check out six years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many others — plus dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters. Tune in every Friday at 1 p.m. ET to hear Rolling Stone Music Now broadcast on SiriusXM’s Volume, channel 106.

From Rolling Stone US.