Catherine Zhang

On <em>Be the Cowboy</em>, Mitski attempts to challenge the implicit pressure of her "sad girl" portrayal.

Mitski's Fiction Is Your Truth On 'Be The Cowboy'

Catherine Zhang

On her fifth album, Mitski isn't an inconsolable woman, leaking with grief; she's an object of her own artful construction — a woman in control.

Courtney Barnett at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. on July 24, 2018.

Tell Me How You Really Feel: A Conversation With Courtney Barnett

Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton, Catherine Zhang

The singer and guitarist fields comments from listeners about her music and talks about the ways her songs can be interpreted.

Clockwise from upper left: Villagers, Ohmme, Metric, Mirah

NPR Headlines

New Mix: Metric, Villagers, Richard Thompson, Mirah, More

Robin Hilton, Bob Boilen, Catherine Zhang

This week's episode of All Songs Considered features the return of several veteran favorites: the Canadian rock band Metric, the Irish folk group Villagers, and guitarist Richard Thompson.

This playlist is for you, your friends and the guy you tell yourself you'll stop seeing but never do.

NPR Headlines

Wine & Whine: 32 Sweaty, Sticky Songs For Your Sweaty, Sticky Life

Catherine Zhang, Emily Abshire, Summer Holmes

The interns of NPR Music present their own version of roséwave: the boxed-wine, plastic cup, twist-cap version. Think Kesha and old Miley, but also Vampire Weekend's preppy, self-satisfied smirk.

NPR Headlines

American Anthems: The Songs That Unite Us

Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton, Elizabeth Blair, Catherine Zhang

Sometimes it's a stirring call to arms or a recognition of injustice. But an anthem always captures something much larger than itself - the spirit of a community, unified in a common feeling or cause.

Florence + The Machine's new album, <em>High As Hope</em>, comes out June 29.

NPR Headlines

In 'High As Hope,' Florence + The Machine Embraces Optimism

Catherine Zhang

The new album preserves Florence Welch's big, torrential melodrama, but it feels less like a storm than the soft light breaking in afterward.

Clockwise from upper left: Shy Boys, The Decemberists, Hauschka, Bermuda Triangle

NPR Headlines

New Mix: The Decemberists, Bermuda Triangle, Justin Vernon And S. Carey, More

Bob Boilen, Catherine Zhang, Robin Hilton

On this week's All Songs Considered, hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton have a bleakly funny track from The Decemberists, jangly-pop from Shy Boys, gentle folk from Bermuda Triangle and more.