Before You Dismiss Pop Music, Give It An "Academic Listen"

Antipoptimists are no match for music theory. Today, an exploration of pop & its backlash, & an "academic listen" of Taylor Swift & Charli XCX that proves pop is so much more than musical junk food.

Every once in a while I’ll read a “hot take” (not so hot, since it’s a very commonly held opinion) that pop music is simplistic garbage, and that the people who like it or defend it are little more than corporate shills.

You know, this sort of nonsense:

The rise of poptimism, and the antipoptimism that grew around it, isn’t anything new. And though my irritation with antipoptimists isn’t new either, it’s been festering so much that I couldn’t wait any longer to lay into it.