Trying to describe Mykki Blanco’s music feels like a bit of a fool’s errand. The singer-songwriter, academic, and performance artist has spent their career pushing boundaries, and their latest album, Cafe Paradiso, finds them leaning further into their craft as a songwriter. Sure, there are song titles like “Butt S#x” and “F&%k as Friends,” so if you’re unfamiliar with Mykki, you might be wondering what the hell is going on. But trust me, you’re going to love their music, and Mykki themselves.

Mykki is the kind of artist who makes music for the freaks, the misfits, and anyone who’s ever felt a little out of place. They’re quick-witted, allergic to pretension, and have a knack for making you laugh one moment and feel emotional the next.

Some artists make music that feels like it belongs somewhere between the world we spend most of our days occupying and somewhere that we can’t reach. I’m ridiculously biased in saying this, but Sofi Paez is one of those artists. Based in Berlin and hailing from Costa Rica, Sofi makes music that can make a piano feel alive, and her sophomore album, Bodies of Water, explores the emotions we attach to water: time, memory, stillness, storms, and everything in between.

But this conversation is about more than an album. Sofi is a dear friend whose openness, humour, and willingness to sit with whatever she’s feeling has had a profound impact on me. Like most episodes of the pod, we use her music as a way to discuss becoming more comfortable with oneself and the strange beauty of being alive.

A wonderfully unorthodox journey sits at the heart of Daughter of the King, the debut album from Australian-American singer-songwriter Grace Mitchell. Together we chat about leaving a major record label, moving from Los Angeles to Melbourne, and how Grace eventually found herself back to writing and recording on her own terms. We also get into the soul-searching behind these songs, the strange beauty of embracing uncertainty, and what happens when you stop hiding from yourself. Because while the journey to this record might sound anything but natural on paper, the honesty that runs through it feels like exactly where she needed to arrive.

The new King of the North is named Antony Szmierek, a true wordsmith in every sense of the word; you see he’s a poet that’s on a mission to make you dance. His music is this beautiful collision of joy, vulnerability and storytelling, with the dancefloor having morphed into a place for him to pour his heart out. After blowing me away with his debut album, Service Station at the End of the Universe, Antony is back with Decoding Birdsong, out August 21st, and somehow he’s managed to take things even further.

After getting to know each other over the past year or so, we finally sat down for a chat. Recorded the morning after his first New York show on a rooftop with a skyline view (here’s proof). Yeah, you can say this is a special one.

There’s a strange kind of malaise that can come from loving music in a world where everything increasingly feels like “content.” Between the endless stream of clips, posts, and noise we consume every day, it’s easy to lose sight of why we create and what makes art meaningful in the first place. That’s part of what makes this conversation with Hrishikesh Hirway so beautifully serendipitous.

On his new album, In The Last Hour of Light, Hirway explores life, memory, and emotion through song with a thoughtfulness that feels almost like an antidote to that noise. We discuss his return to music after more than a decade devoted to Song Exploder, the stories behind these songs, and the importance of remembering that content isn’t everything; that ultimately, people are what matter most.

If you want to hear more of Hrishikesh sharing his thoughts on songwriting and life, be sure to check out his first appearance on the pod back in season 4 (here).

Before I even heard Joshua Idehen's debut album, I Know You're Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try, a trusted friend told me it would become one of my favorite records. In hindsight, it’s crazy how he couldn't have been more right. Blending spoken word with electronic music, house, gospel, jazz, and dance, Joshua and producer Ludvig Parment have created something that feels both deeply personal and universally comforting. In this conversation, Joshua opens up about the emotional foundation behind the album, why acknowledging life's darkness is essential to finding hope, and how building (and losing) friendship and community carried him through difficult seasons. Together, we explore grief, gratitude, vulnerability, and the courage it takes to keep trying when life feels overwhelming; something that I imagine many of us can relate to in 2026. Out of all the talks I’ve shared with you recently, this is the one that I already know I’ll return to for years to come.

Big Special are a punk duo from England's Black Country whose music feels completely inseparable from where they come from. Full of grit, humour, vulnerability and soul, Joe and Callum make songs that are as emotionally raw as they are confrontational; often showcasing a brutality that’s somehow always inviting.

I won't spoil the story of how I fell in love with this band, which comes up pretty early within this episode, but I will say this: I fucking love these guys, and I know that you will too. At a time when so much can feel polished, airbrushed, and stale, Big Special continues to make music that feels startlingly human.

The band will be touring the US this autumn, along with an extended tour of Europe and the UK until the end of the year. Be sure to see their tour dates and to catch them live; trust me, it’ll change your life.

It’s a colossal privilege to welcome HAAi to the finale of season 11. We close this season with a pointed conversation about creativity, vulnerability, and what it means to remain human in an increasingly algorithmic world. Across her acclaimed album HUMANiSE, HAAi crafts music that feels simultaneously intimate and expansive, using electronic production to explore connection, identity, and the courage required to truly express oneself. Together, we discuss the philosophy behind the record, collaborating with Jon Hopkins and the Trans Voices Choir, and why preserving our humanity has become one of the defining artistic challenges of our time.

We also dive into her forthcoming album, DIGITiSE (out October 9th via Mute Records), and the excitement she feels as she opens the door to this new creative chapter.