Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding from Switched on Pop are passionate about fresh veggies and guitar effects.
As if you needed another reason to jam to Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” beyond its catchy hooks, it’s also the inspiration behind Switched on Pop, a standout music podcast. Hosts Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding dive deep into pop songs, exploring everything from musical theory to production techniques. If you’re passionate about pop music, this podcast is essential listening.
Sloan, a composer and musicology professor at USC Thornton School of Music, studies pop, jazz, and even the classics of Tin Pan Alley. Harding, a songwriter and music journalist, also teaches. Their combined expertise is vast. Whether they’re dissecting the text painting in Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” or discussing Taryn Southern’s AI projects, they uncover the intricate layers of even the simplest tracks.
After 12 years and nearly 500 episodes, the show has recently transitioned to video on Netflix, featuring guests like Aaron Dessner and Trevor Horn. Sloan and Harding shared insights about the significance of the metronome, fresh produce, and their somewhat complicated relationship with guitar pedals.
What is your most indispensable tool?
Charlie Harding: The Martin D-28 embodies the ideal sound and, I’ll admit, the look of a guitar. It’s been featured in classics like “Blackbird” and “Wish You Were Here.” I found a 1970 model in an antique shop in Maine, but I’m still waiting for it to help me create a timeless hit.
Nate Sloan: Sibelius music notation software. I don’t fully grasp a song until I transcribe its melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Which is the most underappreciated?
CH: Keyboard shortcuts and the app Rectangle save me countless hours by streamlining window management on my computer. Plus, they make me feel like I’m in control of a spaceship.
NS: The metronome.
What is the first app you install on a new phone or computer?
NS: AudioHijack for capturing audio.
What is one thing you wish you could change about your phone?
CH: This might be a bit picky, but it frustrates me. I rely on focus modes in iOS to minimize distractions, but I also need my family to reach me, which creates exceptions. This means any group chat with just one family member floods my notifications when I’m presenting to a lecture hall full of songwriting students. I appreciate my dad’s fishing updates, but I’d prefer to hear about them after 5 PM when I’m off “do not disturb.” If that makes me sound grumpy, I own it.
NS: I wish I could strum it like a guitar.
What sites do you have pinned to your tab bar?
NS: ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
How many tabs do you have open right now?
CH: 92… but they’re neatly organized into groups that only I understand.
NS: Two. I used to have hundreds open, but it was wrecking my attention span, so I now make a point to close them regularly.
Which social media platform do you use the most (if any)?
NS: Instagram, with a hint of guilt.
What is your happy place online?
CH: Browsing Sweetwater for guitar pedal variations I already own.
NS: Watching ukulele tutorials on YouTube.
What is your favorite gadget you’ve ever owned?
CH: The Dato DUO synthesizer and Dato DRUM drum machine. They’re the easiest way to learn synthesizer programming, and you can’t make a bad sound. My kids jam on them every night, turning them into little Brooklyn DJs.
NS: The iPod I took around the world in 2006.
Which was the most disappointing?
NS: The minidisc player.
What game do you have the fondest memories of?
NS: Pac-Man.
Which tech trend do you wish would go away?
CH: AI music slop, no question.
NS: Wearable computing.
What is one thing you wish you had created?
CH: Back in 2007, I pitched my college friends on an app for legal hitchhiking in other people’s cars. We ended up starting a tea company instead, which was a safer bet.
NS: Autotune.
What creation are you most proud of?
CH: Switched On Pop. My wife suggested I also mention my kids.
NS: Coining the term “pop drop” to describe the instrumental post-chorus in a pop song.
Which are you least proud of?
CH: My wife thinks I should mention my guitar pedal collection.
NS: Getting roasted by YouTuber Rick Beato after calling the Jonas Brothers “stupefyingly funky” in an article.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
CH: You can never have too many guitar pedals.
NS: Have a short memory.
What is your current obsession?
NS: LeBron James signing with the 76ers.
What do you do when you need to focus?
CH: Drink some tea.
NS: Step away from the computer, take a walk, and record a voice note about my goals.
What do you do when you’re feeling stuck?
CH: Drink some tea.
NS: Call Charlie Harding.
When was the last time you went somewhere without your phone?
CH: During routine surgery.
NS: Whenever I hit the gym.
What’s the last piece of physical media you bought?
CH: The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck.
NS: Vinyl copy of the Jeff Parker IVTet.
What do you think is worth splurging on?
CH: My guitar pedals. And my wonderful wife.
NS: Fresh vegetables.
What would the tagline for your biopic be?
CH: He is embarrassed there is a biopic about him.
NS: One man dared to overanalyze pop music, taking on BTS Army, Madonna stans, and the Little Monsters, and lived to tell the tale.
What’s the last GIF or meme you used?
CH:
NS:
