And we're back! In this year-end-ish episode, the whole Hearing Things crew—Jill Mapes, Andy Cush, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Ryan Dombal, and Dylan Green—get together to decide whether guilty pleasures by Sabrina Carpenter, Ian, Ice Spice, Raye, and Zeddy Will are Waste or Taste. Topics include bodegas of Wyoming, why the rugby term "flanker" sounds like a slur, and whether it's possible to like a song even if you think its lyrics and melodies suck.

Programming note: This episode of Waste or Taste is available to everyone, but moving forward only paying subscribers will have access to the podcast. So if you like what you hear, consider joining our ever-growing community of music obsessives at hearingthings.co.

Recorded in front of a live audience at this year's On Air Fest in Brooklyn, Jill Mapes, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, and Dylan Green decide whether new songs by Addison Rae, Drake, and Oklou are Waste or Taste—and talk about the music they want played at their funerals. Conversational side quests include the twisted logistics of putting a cigarette between your boobs, Drake's heinous Tinder bio, and why having a secret baby just might be the most ren faire thing someone could do.

Hearing Things is a new independent home for music and culture founded by journalists Andy Cush, Ryan Dombal, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Dylan Green, and Jill Mapes. Read more at hearingthings.co.

Jill Mapes, Andy Cush, and Julianne Escobedo Shepherd decide whether new songs by Gaga, Doechii, and the Weather Station are Waste or Taste, and talk about music that can help everyone escape the winter doldrums. Topics include how Doechii backs up her braggadocio, the likelihood of a Gaga-Chappell Roan collaboration, and the secret to making tasteful music that isn't too fussy.

Hearing Things is a new independent home for music and culture founded by journalists Andy Cush, Ryan Dombal, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Dylan Green, and Jill Mapes. Read more at hearingthings.co.