Pop music has come a long way in the public eye, rising to become respected as a genre of music as worthy of analysis and criticism as any other (although Paste has always been of that belief). 2021 ...

It’s brutal out there, and that’s why, more than ever, we needed the consoling and prodding pleasures of popular music to help everything make sense in here. [Stage direction: taps chest, knowingly.] ...

The sound of pop music shifted quickly and unpredictably this year: In 2021, ’90s club music made a euphoric return, an Afrobeats song cracked the Billboard Top 10, and hyperpop consolidated while a ...

In Slate’s annual Music Club, Slate critic Carl Wilson emails about the year in music with fellow critics — featuring New York Times contributor Lindsay Zoladz, freelance writer Briana Younger, NPR ...