Pop punk is the midst of a revival at the top of the charts so for this week's B-Side, Louie and writer for Alternative Magazine and other pubs, Ryan Piers, break down the history of the genre, how the iconoclasm of punk music and the commercialism of pop music have a strange but fruitful synergy,  pop punk's first wave in the mid-90s through the early 2000s with Blink 182, Green Day, Sum 41, Avril Lavigne and others, how it's fallen in out and of fashion since, and the characteristics of its recent revival with Machine Gun Kelly, Olivia Rodrigo, Willow & others. Listen to Ryan's Alt & Punk Playlist on SpotifyJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on August 25Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on September 16Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Ryan Piers on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Service 95's Brennan Carley joins DJ Louie to discuss Carly Rae Jepsen's new album, The Loveliest Time, which dropped last week and serves as a companion piece to 2022's The Loneliest Time. Louie and Brennan dig into Carly's aesthetic stasis in recent years, the swings-and-misses from Loneliest's attempts to find new avenues for her music, and how Loveliest presents her loosest and most exciting batch of songs in a very long time, serving as a potential jumping off point for a new phase of Carly's career. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive at least three episodes of the show per month, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. 

For part two of our Gwen Stefani series, NPR Music editor Hazel Cills returns to Pop Pantheon to tackle Gwen's solo career. Louie and Hazel discuss Gwen striking out on her own via collaborations with Moby and Eve, then parse through her certifiably bonkers, extraordinarily controversial, hit-stacked solo debut, 2004’s Love Angel Music Baby – undoubtedly one of the mid 2000’s biggest blockbusters. Then they consider her 2006 follow-up, The Sweet Escape, and solo return a decade later, 2016’s This Is What the Truth Feels Like. Along the way, they dig into Gwen’s gleefully polyglot musical aesthetic, her infamous cultural appropriation and, finally, rank Gwen Stefani in the official Pop Pantheon. Read Hazel's retrospective review of Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Listen to Pop Pantheon's No Doubt & Gwen Stefani Essentials PlaylistJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on August 25Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

And Introducing host Molly Mary O’Brien joins the show for part one of a double-header on Gwen Stefani! This week, Molly and Louie discuss No Doubt, a local SoCal ska band that improbably morphed into one of the world’s biggest pop rock bands and then served as a launching pad Gwen’s solo career as one of the important big-tent dance pop stars of her generation. The two dig into what made Gwen a inevitable superstar even before she took her place as the band’s front-woman, No Doubt’s feel-good, goofy early tunes, the monster pop hooks and pop feminism of their 1995 breakthrough, Tragic Kingdom, the contemplative commercial comedown of 2000’s Return of Saturn, 2001’s dancehall-inspired Rock Steady which returned the group to the charts and their final effort, 2012's Push and Shove. Finally, they rank No Doubt in the official Pop Pantheon. Tune in next week for Part II: Gwen Stefani’s solo years.Listen to Pop Pantheon's No Doubt & Gwen Stefani Essentials PlaylistJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreListen to And Introducing on Apple PodcastsListen to And Introducing on Spotify Follow Molly Mary O’Brien on TwitterFollow Molly Mary O’Brien on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Who? Weekly's Bobby Finger joins Pop Pantheon: All Access to revisit Robyn's most recent album, 2018's long-awaited Honey. Bobby and Louie dig into the album's central themes of grief and loss, how it pivots from the catharsis and gratification of classic Robyn songs towards something more amorphous and even frustrating, its deconstruction of dance music genres, the journey of the title track from Girls soundtrack curio to undulating, sensual house track, Robyn's position in the greater pop music ecosystem as the Mother Niche Legend and so much more. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive at least three episodes of the show per month, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. 

Louie and Russ are answering listener questions about what's next for Charli XCX, how Dua Lipa fits into the broader trend of cult-of-personality pop stars, whether The Idol will tank The Weeknd's career, why Luke Comb's "Fast Car" is such a hit, how a Canadian Pop Pantheon might differ from the American one, a slew of Niche Legends, how they make the show and so much more. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy returns to discuss one of the defining pop stars of the late 1980s, Paula Abdul. Louie and Chris discuss the virtuosic choreography that snatched Paula a ticket to pop superstardom, her three year run of signature hits beginning with 1988’s blockbuster Forever Your Girl through 1991's Spellbound, her contributions to the MTV music video boom, why her final album, 1995’s Head Over Heels, flopped, and her second act as a TV personality. Finally, they rank Paula Abdul in the official Pop Pantheon.Listen to Pop Pantheon's Paula Abdul Essentials PlaylistJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreGrab Tickets to See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous in LA on 7/14Follow Chris Molanphy on TwitterFollow Chris Molanphy on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

Nora Princiotti, host of Every Single Album podcast, joins the show to deep-dive into Taylor Swift's album Speak Now. They discuss its major themes, its highlights and lowlights, and how accurate the new versions of the songs are compared to previous re-records. They also touch on the best and worst of the 'From the Vault' bonus tracks.

We’re planning a mailbag episode that's dropping very (and we mean mean VERY) soon + we want your questions! Curious what Louie thinks of a recent trend in pop? Want to know what he thinks is coming next for a certain pop star? Or what goes on behind the scenes at Pop Pantheon? Have burning questions about upcoming album rollouts, historical pop quandaries or Louie + Russ’s personal lives? Hit us up! We want to hear from you! Voicenotes are best, simply record yourself with your phone + send the file to poppantheonpod@gmail.com (we love to hear your voices!). You can also send us written questions too. And did we mention this is dropping soon? So don't wait too long :-) 

On the eve of the third installment of Taylor Swift's re-recording project of her first seven studio albums, Speak Now (Taylor's Version), Switched on Pop's Charlie Harding, Rolling Stone's Larisha Paul and Every Single Album's Nora Princiotti join DJ Louie to break down how this singularly ambitious endeavor has gone so far. Has it achieved its commercial goals? What about its aesthetic ones? What are the differences? When it comes to Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version), is the panel choosing the TV or OG on their free time? As fans, are we obligated to choose Taylor's Versions? Which of her yet-to-be-re-recorded albums will be the most difficult to replicate? And does all of it— along with her new music, massive tour, "Cruel Summer" single release, various romantic endeavors and the rest— add up to too much Taylor?  Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreGrab Tickets to See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous in LA on 7/14Follow Charlie Harding on TwitterFollow Nora Princiotti on TwitterFollow Larisha Paul on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter