
Just the other day, everyone was sharing their Spotify Wrapped graphics and having a giggle and all that, but things were about to get tremendously serious at Spotify HQ. This week, the streaming behemoth announced that they’d be sacking 17% of their staff. That’s around 1,500 people losing their pay just before Christmas. Pretty brutal.…

Kiss are no longer real people, and will be forever young as some imaginary thing. See, they’ve announced the ‘end of its physical existence’ because now, they’ll be digital avatars. They’ve copied ABBA obviously, because pop walks so rock can run. Anyway, it all feels a bit weird and this whole scenario is like when…

Kenya Grace apparently had a viral smash, but virality is something that passes us by so we’ll just have to accept what’s been said regarding all that. What we do know, however, is that Kenya’s new single ‘Paris’ is a slice of future pop that we like a whole bunch. Writing, producing and performing her…

Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band are bringing back the jangle, with Ciao Ciao Bambino! Recorded in West Kirby with Bill Ryder-Jones (him again!), Head says: “’Ciao Ciao Bambino’ came to me one night when I was thinking about the first words I ever heard. It was a song called ‘Ciao Ciao Bambino’ that my…

Writing pop music isn’t easy, despite what dopes might say. When you get a slice of baroque, folk-pop, you better not ignore it and we’re super into this new track from def.fo, ‘Autumn Leaves’. If you like some strings with your jangle, get on this. It’s a group that features Tom Powell (Michael Head and…

Now ambient music is back, the good folks over at Light In Attic Records have teamed up with Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed’s Archive custodians to give us a vinyl reissue Lou’s ‘Hudson River Wind Meditations’. It’s not been on record before, and as you’d expect, it’s a real fancy package indeed. Out January 12,…

Some songs, some albums are beatified by rock critics decade-on-decade, and sure, we should doff our cap to cultural impact and massive sales and all that stuff. But honestly, we’re allowed to just be irritated too. There’s loads of stuff that gets rammed down your craw so hard that the sheer ubiquity of the damned…

Goodbye to 2023, and hello 2024. It’s vital that you try and have a good time tonight, whatever that looks like. The world can be an impenetrably dark place at times, but there’s always a good record to lift the spirits. If you’re partying at home, going to a club, cosying up on the sofa,…

In the UK, sales of vinyl just keeps on growing. That’s the 16th consecutive year that this has happened, and now we’re hitting the levels we saw in the early ’90s, which is great news. People just getting into vinyl are in for a lifelong love affair, and have just become the easiest person to…

We’ve been trying to have a Christmas and it’s nearly NYE time, which means recreational things and good music. Speaking of raves, the mighty Bandsplaining channel have made a killer video about the ‘final party’ of the Soviet Union. Illegal raves, acid house music, fringe art and intellectuals, and amazing footage of the scene in…

We’re having some time off now. It’s Christmas. You should have some time off too, hopefully. Get some presents. Eat well. Be merry. Raise a glass to those who can’t be with us. Give a squeeze to those we’re with. There may be some sporadic posts. There might not. This is not a slick operation.…
THERE’S NO MONEY IN THIS GAME ANYMORE, BUT IF YOU WANT TO WRITE SOMETHING FOR THE POP CORPS, YOU ARE WELCOME TO GET IN TOUCH. HAPPY HUNTING.
POP CULTURE IS WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
CONTACT: HOWDYPOPCORPSATGMAILDOTCOM