Nathaniel Rateliff is a singer and songwriter from Colorado. He’s released four solo albums, and two with his band, the Night Sweats.

Those two Night Sweats albums were produced by Richard Swift, who passed away in 2018. In a statement, his family said that he “suffered from alcohol addiction, and it’s ultimately what took his life.” Nathaniel Rateliff’s new solo album, And It’s Still Alright, was supposed to be produced by Richard Swift, as well, but Richard died before they could work together again. In this episode, Nathaniel breaks down the title track, which was inspired by his own complicated relationship with alcohol, and by his friendship with Richard Swift.

You can buy or stream “And It’s Still Alright” here. You can also hear Richard Swift himself on Song Exploder, with his band The Arcs, in this episode from November 2015.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Richard Swift
“S.O.B.” – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Eric Nam is a Korean-American pop singer from Atlanta. He currently lives in Seoul, South Korea, where he found fame as a K-pop star. He was named “2016 Man of the Year” by GQ Korea, and Forbes named him one of their “30 Under 30 Asia.”

But his success in Korea has been complicated a little by what he wanted to do with his career versus what he felt he was allowed to do. As his career as an artist has evolved, he’s gotten closer and closer to making the music he wants to make. In November 2019, Eric released Before We Begin, his first album entirely in English. In this episode, Eric Nam and producer Rabitt break down a song from that album called “Love Die Young.”

You can buy or stream “Love Die Young” here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Han
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Sophie Allison makes music under the name Soccer Mommy. Her debut album came out in 2018, when she was 20 years old, and the New York Times named it one of the best albums of the year. Her second album, Color Theory, comes out this week, and it includes this song, “Circle the Drain.” In this episode, she takes “Circle the Drain” apart and explains how it was influenced by songs from her childhood.

You can buy or stream “Circle the Drain” here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
“Torn” – Natalie Imbruglia
“Soak Up The Sun” – Sheryl Crow
Gabe Wax – producer
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