A Short King, a Tall King, and a TikTok Jester: Debating New Music From Kendrick Lamar, Father John Misty, and More
Topics include holiday music that doesn’t suck, John Misty the folk hero, and an explicit ditty that will change the way you think about macaroni and cheese
Talking about music with your friends, trying to make them laugh, and playfully arguing about albums and songs—these are some of the best parts of working at a music website. With our podcast Waste or Taste, we capture that kind of unfiltered banter between longtime critics and friends, and invite you to listen along.
The concept is simple: Every episode, three Hearing Things founders each bring a new song to the table and debate whether it’s Waste or Taste. Sometimes we will reach a critical consensus; other times it will be fisticuffs, absurdity, or both.
This week, our host Jill Mapes sits down with Ryan Dombal and Dylan Green to break down Father John Misty’s take on a Coldplay-style ballad-banger “Screamland,” Kendrick Lamar’s beast-mode GNX highlight/“Not Like Us” sequel “TV Off,” and TikToker Veronika Slowikowska’s horny-sad pop parody “Mac and Cheese.” Side topics include a defense of short kings, joke songs as a form of music criticism, and all the melancholy Christmas tunes we can stand.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe to Waste or Taste wherever you get your podcasts. Hearing Things is an independent music publication run by critics, and we could use your support to keep doing what we do.
Waste or Taste is a co-production of Hearing Things and 3dB. We’re produced by Mark Yoshizumi and Elia Einhorn. The show is recorded at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music in Downtown Brooklyn.
