This week, I wanted to go back and revisit an older episode. I recorded an interview with singer and songwriter Julien Baker in 2018. It was a few months after her second album came out. Since then, she’s put out another solo album, called Little Oblivions, which was critically acclaimed. And now she’s also a member of boygenius, which is the supergroup made up of Julien, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. They’ve put out an EP and then, earlier this year, they put out their first full-length. Julien is a really interesting artist, and I think her songwriting is just heartbreaking, especially the song she takes apart for her episode. Here it is:Julien Baker is from Memphis, Tennessee. She released her second album, Turn Out The Lights, in October 2017, on Matador Records. The New York Times called her music "devastating" and Pitchfork gave the album Best New Music. In this episode, Julien tells the story of her song "Appointments," and how writing it helped her work through her thoughts around addiction, depression, and relationships. Julien also takes apart the track “Over,” which was written as part of “Appointments,” but then split off as a separate track.For more, visit songexploder.net/julien-baker.

In 2010, a photographer named Reuben Cox moved to Los Angeles to start Old Style Guitar Shop. In the years since, the instruments that he continues to repair and sell have come to define the sound of the LA indie folk scene among artists like Blake Mills, Andrew Bird, Madison Cunningham, Ethan Gruska and Phoebe Bridgers.Reuben’s guitars are Frankenstein-esque creations, cobbled together from spare parts and neglected guitar bodies found in flea markets and estate sales. The sounds that these make, though, are as eccentric as their source: the strings are laid on top of Reuben’s signature, a rubber bridge.This sound, and the mythos of the rubber bridge guitar, has turned Reuben into a local celebrity and put Old Style at the center of Los Angeles’s indie music scene. In this episode of Switched on Pop, host Charlie Harding explores that sound and the man behind it all.Songs Discussed (playlist) Taylor Swift - champagne problems Olivia Rodrigo - hope ur ok boygenius - Emily I’m Sorry Jenny Owen Youngs - Vampire Weeknight Andrew Bird - The New Saint Jude Marcus Mumford - Only Child Perfume Genius - Slip Away Andrew Bird - Underlands Madison Cunningham - Anywhere Madison Cunningham - Life According to Raechel Phoebe Bridgers - Garden Song Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our Season 3 finale opens with “The Trick Is to Pretend,” a poem by Natalie Scenters-Zapico, read by the singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers: “I climb knowing the only way down / is by falling.” The actor Jessica Hecht plays Joan Didion in a reenactment of her classic Art of Fiction interview with Linda Kuehl. Jericho Brown reads his poem “Hero”: “my brothers and I grew up fighting / Over our mother’s mind.” The actor, comedian, and podcaster Connor Ratliff reads Bud Smith’s “Violets,” the story of two unlikely arsonists rediscovering life in the flames. The episode closes with Bridgers performing “Garden Song.” To hear more from Connor Ratliff, check out his podcast Dead Eyes. To hear Avery Trufelman’s latest show, find the podcast Nice Try! “Hero” by Jericho Brown appears courtesy of the 92nd Street Y Unterberg Poetry Center. This episode was sound designed and mixed by Hannis Brown, and mastered by Justin Shturtz.

Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus discuss the success of indie supergroup boygenius and the biggest music stories of 2023, including the first regional Mexican song to reach the top 10 of the U.S. Billboard charts and Luke Combs' platinum cover of Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car'. They also explore the influence of TikTok on the music industry, recognize women's contributions in hip hop culture, and delve into Grammy nominations and the impact of the pandemic on music.

Arlo Parks and Phoebe Bridgers collaborate on new release. James Bluemel and Craig Murray discuss new documentaries on The Troubles. Tribute to Martin Amis and exploration of his novels and criticism.