Riffs on Riffs

What happens when the artist isn’t real, the voice never lived, and the face can change with a prompt? In a different kind of Riffs on Riffs episode, Joe and Toby dive headfirst into the increasingly strange world of AI-generated music, beginning with the controversy surrounding virtual artist Sienna Rose and accusations of “digital blackface.” From there, the conversation gets much bigg...

It’s baseball playoff season, so Joe and Toby are taking the mound for a different kind of pitch. In this special “Wild Pitches” episode, each host brings three artists they think deserve a bigger audience, whether they’re genuinely under the radar, underappreciated in the U.S., or simply making music too good not to share. Toby makes the case for Kareen Lomax and her adventurous, genre-bending so...

This week on Riffs on Riffs, Joe and Toby hop aboard Stella Lefty’s “Boston,” a deceptively simple song about what happens when something good shows up and your first instinct is to run the other way. The conversation starts with the noise surrounding Lefty: accusations of nepotism, comparisons to Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season,” questions about borrowed melodies, and the eternal debate over whether a...

What happens when R&B, grunge, hip-hop and a healthy disregard for genre boundaries all collide? This week, Joe and Toby dive into Steve Lacy’s “Oh Yeah?,” a track that found new life through the Spider-Man soundtrack and opens the door to a much bigger conversation about where music and culture itself is headed. They unpack Lacy’s stripped-down, almost stream-of-consciousness approach to songwrit...

Ariana Grande is going a little feral, but she’s doing it with remarkable restraint. This week, Joe and Toby dig into “Petal” and Ariana’s latest album, exploring how one of pop’s most gifted vocalists is choosing subtlety over fireworks and using her music to say some things she may have been too polite to say before. The image of a flower pushing through concrete becomes the perfect metaphor: re...

Prepare for an intergalactic funk transmission as Joe and Toby explore “Fabiano” by Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine. Armed with masks, polka dots, microtonal guitars, dizzying rhythms, and enough looping pedals to frighten a Guitar Hero champion, these two musicians create a sound that is equal parts math rock, funk, jazz, and delightful absurdity. But the riffs quickly launch a much bigger conversa...

What are you willing to die on a hill for? For rising British singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro, the question becomes a haunting exploration of loyalty, stubbornness, and the moment you realize you may be fighting for someone who would never fight for you. In this episode, Joe and Toby dig into Spiro’s breathtaking single “Die on This Hill,” from its stripped-back piano opening and sweeping string ar...

Joe and Toby dive into Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drop Dead,” unpacking the emotional precision, lyrical sharpness, and intimate vocal delivery that make her music feel like an inner monologue. The conversation explores how Rodrigo’s songwriting connects across generations, pulling younger listeners into the immediacy of heartbreak while transporting older listeners back to their own formative relationship...

This week on Riffs on Riffs, we tackle one of the most polarizing artists of the modern era: Drake, his track “Janice STFU,” and the massive cultural machine surrounding the release of Iceman. Alonog the way, Toby and Joe discuss celebrity, marketing, authenticity, attention spans, social media, AI, and whether modern culture has become addicted to constant stimulation. We break down Drake’s ambit...

This week on Riffs on Riffs, we dive into “Fallin” by Chris Brown featuring Leon Thomas, and what starts as a conversation about one song quickly turns into a full-blown exploration of modern R&B, blues revivalism, AI music culture, performance authenticity, and why pain sometimes translates into great art. We unpack the cinematic weight of the song and its visual parallels to Sinners, asking whet...

In this episode of Riffs on Riffs, we unpack “Folded” by Kehlani—a song that’s equal parts breakup, late-night temptation, and emotional tug-of-war. Inspired by a shoutout from Olivia Dean, we dive into why this track has resonated so widely—and why it might not be as straightforward as it sounds. Along the way, we trace Kehlani’s journey from a turbulent childhood and early industry struggles to...

In this episode of Riffs on Riffs, Joe and Toby dig into “If You Don’t Want My Love” by Jalen Ngonda — a track that feels equal parts vintage and urgent. From the moment the needle drops (figuratively speaking), the conversation moves beyond the song itself and into something deeper: love, longing, and what we do when connection isn’t returned. Along the way, they unpack Ngonda’s origin story—from...

Happy hour meets high art in this episode of Riffs, as Joe and Toby crack open a drink—and Harry Styles’ latest single, “Aperture.” What starts as a laid-back catch-up quickly unfolds into a thoughtful exploration of artistry, vulnerability, and what it really means to “let the light in.” The guys dig into Harry’s evolution from boy band phenom to genre-defying artist, unpacking how Aperture refle...

In this episode of Riffs on Riffs, Joe and Toby dive into Megan Moroney’s breakout hit “Tennessee Orange.” What begins as a conversation about Moroney’s songwriting quickly expands into a lively discussion about modern country music, storytelling, and the formula behind hit songs. Joe and Toby explore the clever narrative hook at the center of “Tennessee Orange.” The song opens with a line that fe...

On this episode of Riffs on Riffs, Joe and Toby tumble headfirst into the dreamy deep end with “No One Noticed” by The Marías, a song that doesn’t so much start as it appears, like fog rolling under a streetlamp. After a very calm, very normal intro that absolutely does not get hijacked immediately (😅), the guys unpack why this track hits with such quiet force: it’s simple on paper, hypnotic in p...

Can you really go back to being “just friends”? In this episode Joe and Toby dig into “Back to Friends” by rising artist sombr, unpacking why this deceptively simple breakup song hits such a deep nerve. What starts as a discussion about a chart-climbing track quickly becomes a wide-ranging conversation about relationships, emotional maturity, artistic process, and the strange pressures of blowing...

In this episode of Riffs on Riffs, Joe and Toby unpack Ella Langley’s breakout country single “Choosin' Texas” and use it as a launchpad for a wide-ranging conversation about authenticity, songwriting, and what it means to grow up musically without losing your soul. What starts as a joke about surprise Midwest snowfall quickly turns into a thoughtful exploration of why this song feels different fr...

Joe and Toby clock in just ahead of game time to break down “All the Way” by BigXThaPlug, a country-rap crossover featuring Bailey Zimmerman. What starts as a quick review turns into a wide-ranging riff on genre blending, formulaic pop music, and where authenticity still lives in an increasingly algorithm-driven soundscape. Both hosts land in the same place with different routes: the song is fine,...

In this episode of Riffs on Riffs, Joe and Toby take a deep, joyful, and thoughtful journey into “Baile Inolvidable”, a song that feels like a dance remembered long after the music stops. What begins as a discussion of Bad Bunny’s latest single quickly unfolds into a rich conversation about salsa, nostalgia, cultural memory, and what it means to honor your roots while still pushing art forward. We...

Welcome back to Riffs on Riffs, where in this episode Joe and Toby break down Amber Mark’s “Sweet Serotonin,” a track off her latest album Pretty Ideas, and explore why she’s becoming one of the most compelling voices in modern pop, R&B, and genre-bending artistry. They dive into Amber’s global background—Jamaican roots, German family, years spent in Berlin, India, Miami, and New York—and how that...

When Daniel Caesar quietly dropped his album "Son of Spergy", most of the world didn’t see it coming. In this episode Joe and Toby dive deep into Caesar’s lead single “Call On Me,” uncovering the soulful layers, hidden nuance, and emotional depth that make his music feel both intimate and transcendent. Per usual, the conversation starts with a laugh — Shakespeare references, hats, and Toby’s ongoi...

Sink your teeth into Tame Impala’s “Dracula” as Joe and Toby riff on the glittering, slightly dystopian pull of Kevin Parker’s synth-pop era. Is “Dracula” a shimmering cousin to “The Less I Know the Better”? Where do The Weeknd vibes and MJ/“Thriller” nods fit in? The duo debates lone-wolf studio genius vs. the power of collaboration, decode the video’s cult-ish unease, geek out on sounds (hello,...

Slide into cozy Sunday-morning vibes with Joe and Toby as they dive into Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” from her new album The Art of Loving. They unpack why this track is exploding right now, trace the album’s inspirations (bell hooks’ All About Love and a Mickalene Thomas installation), and explore the record’s intentional warmth — “fearless joy” delivered with classic, less-is-more production and a...

Joe and Toby ladle up a hearty conversation about Remi Wolf’s track “Soup” from her 2024 release Big Ideas. From funky basslines to chaotic brilliance, they break down how Remi’s stream-of-consciousness writing and fearless authenticity create songs that are equal parts journal entry and anthem. Along the way, Joe and Toby reflect on what it means to show up as your whole self—in music, in work, a...

“Sometimes all I think about is you…” In this episode of Riffs on Riffs, Joe and Toby revisit Glass Animals’ breakout hit “Heat Waves” — the indie-pop anthem that simmered for more than a year before reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. They explore how a song written in an hour became a global phenomenon, fueled by TikTok trends, a FIFA soundtrack placement, and a slow-burn resonance during the...