Spencer Kornhaber
Before joining The Atlantic as an editor in 2011, he was a staff writer at OC Weekly, an editor at Patch, and a freelancer for Spin and The A.V. Club. In 2019, he won the Excellence in Column Writing Award from NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists. At The Atlantic, he covers pop culture and music.
Björk Is Building a Matriarchy
On her fascinating 10th album, the artist takes stock of the world she helped create—and, once again, conjures a new one.
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Rich Fury / Getty A Rapper Who Spoke Quietly and Had a Big Impact
Remembering Takeoff, the quiet force of Migos
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Sthanlee B. Mirador / Sipa / AP Rihanna Is Back in the Pop Game—On Her Own Terms
Thank goodness.
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Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP Don’t Blame a Man for Midnights
Taylor Swift’s new album surely sounds how it sounds because she, not her producer, wanted it to.
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Beth Garrabrant The Beautiful Banality of Taylor Swift’s Midnights
The album treads aggressively familiar territory—but with new wisdom and confidence.
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Meredith Jenks Carly Rae Jepsen Pierces the Fantasy
“I thrive on a little chaos,” the queen of bubblegum pop said, describing her new album’s grit and glitter.
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Ellen Qbertplaya The Band That Invented Millennials
How the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a trio of Gen X rockers, made radical sincerity cool
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Santiago Felipe / Getty How to Listen to Björk, According to Björk
The Icelandic artist breaks down her powerful new album, Fossora.
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Thurstan Redding A New Generation of Pop Stars Are Dancing With the Devil
Rina Sawayama’s new album, Hold the Girl, is full of righteous anger, grace, and a spirit of searching.
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David Levene / Guardian / eyevine / Redux Gen Z Has Found Its Guitar Hero
Steve Lacy’s genre-blending hit, “Bad Habit,” taps into a wistful, online-inflected vibe.
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Amanda Searle / HBO What Makes Industry the Most Thrilling Show on TV
Prestige television is getting very intense.
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Carlijn Jacobs / Parkwood Entertainment Beyoncé’s Renaissance Is a Big, Gay Mess
Hell yes!
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Ewen Spencer The Problem With Saying Oontz Oontz
The story of dance music in America is a story of boom and backlash. As Beyoncé and Drake turn to house-inspired sounds, will the cycle happen again?
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Mason Poole / A.M.P.A.S. / Getty The Pop Star We Need Right Now
Music and culture have changed dramatically since Beyoncé’s last album, but she’s poised to push them forward—again.
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Atlantic Records Lizzo’s Music Really Is Special
The pop star’s new album continues her heartwarming world-domination plan.
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Zik Images / Getty The Kate Bush Resurgence Is a Reminder That We Can Have Nice Things
Songs like “Running Up That Hill” stay in rotation not because of nostalgia but because they’re timeless.
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The Atlantic; Cole Burston / Kevin Mazur / … Welcome to the Summer of Dancing and Darkness
Beyoncé and Drake are turning to house music to encourage listeners to let loose. But are we ready to submit?
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Getty; Alex Cochran TikTok Killed the Video Star
MTV turned music into spectacle. The app is doing the opposite.
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Erik Tanner for The Atlantic The Vindication of Jack White
An obsessive protector of rock’s past could hold the key to its future.
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Jeong Park / Searchlight The Bittersweet Silliness of Hulu’s Fire Island
The smart new rom-com understands that vacation is not liberation.
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Anton Coene Patriotic Songs for a Cruel Country
Wilco’s new album resets with a folkier sound—and a hunt for serenity.
