Episode 233 of the Look At My Records! podcast features an interview with Marc Masters, author of High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape. The cassette has a long, storied, and complex history, and in High Bias, Masters takes readers through some of its most notable moments. From the birth of magnetized sound to the proliferation of the game-changing Sony Walkman, and much of what happened in between and after, Masters dives into key technological advancements, tape subcultures, mixtapes, tape traders, and more.

Episode 232 features an interview with Eliza Vera, who performs under the moniker Hot Moms Club. The San Diego-based project just released their second EP, Welcome To The Club, which features three songs that soothingly reflect on finding joy in simple pleasures, like the calming effects of wading through Trader Joe’s and the memory-triggering scent of fried pork.

Episode 231 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Matt Allan of the Brooklyn-based band Star 80. We last chatted with Allen prior to the pandemic on the Look At My Records! radio program. Back then, he was releasing his first singles as Star 80, and in the intervening years, he’s accumulated a bevy of solid material. Much of it appears on his brand new, debut full-length, New View. The record is a cohesive, yet eclectic mix of stories and sonics, with Springsteen, British post-punk, and more playing an influential role.

Our friend Kip Berman, who performs as The Natvral, returns to the Look At My Records! podcast for Episode 230! Since he last appeared on the podcast in 2021  the former Pains of Being Pure at Heart frotman has released a few singles as The Natvral, and last week, he shared the project’s second full-length, Summer of No Light. The title, which was inspired by the climate crisis of 1816, draws parallels to two “lost summers” in Berman’s own life, specifically, his first summer post-grad in 2002 and the shut-in pandemic summer of 2020. It was during the latter that Berman penned the songs that appear on the record, escaping nightly to the basement of his Princeton home after putting his kids to sleep.

Episode 229 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Brooklyn artist Oropendola. The project of songwriter Joanna Schubert recently shared their debut album as Oropendola, an eclectic and vibrant 11-song collection titled Waiting For The Sky To Speak. The record, which is described as a “celebration of choosing life even in the face of its ephemerality, and of finding motion even in the midst of stillness,” shimmers with bursts of energy and emotion, swinging from playfulness to earnestness with deft, technicolor brushstrokes.