My head is already full of pebbles
2026 Mix 12: A re-introduction, the continued fall (or rise?) of A-pop, winners in the post-windowpane sweepstakes, and memes and larks from all over
Was honored to be mentioned in Ann Powers’s NPR newsletter last week in a great essay on looking globally for new music: “I’ve found that seeking out more off-the radar music helps me fight off the tendency to absorb this far-flung music into an Americentric world view. It’s a tiny way I can resist my own provincialism.”
For those of you new to the newsletter, I post a sequenced CD-length mix (at least 20 tracks, no more than 80 minutes) of new songs from around the world every week, along with a bit of commentary for each song and an essay up front. I will occasionally repackage highlights, or you can just skim the ongoing playlist below on Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, or YouTube.
I’ve also written a few larger essay series. My first series was on Taylor Swift. Last year I wrote about our current global pop era of ascendant regional styles, and I refer to a relatively diminished role of the US in this context as “A-pop.” You can read about it here:
So how is A-pop (or at least US-originating music) doing this year? At this point I have a regional snapshot of my own listening in the first quarter of 2026. For the first time ever, the United States has fallen well below a plurality of tracks on my mixes.1 US songs comprise 11% of all tracks, which puts it tied in fourth place with Africa, and below Asia (16%), Latin America (14%), and Europe (13%).2
I’m not consciously downplaying US music in my listening. In fact, I don’t usually think about anything except sounds and vibes when I’m doing my somewhat frenzied weekly listening, which is highly intuitive. The A-pop series was mostly intended as a provocative intervention, poking at English-language music coverage that still treats thriving global scenes competing with US pop on its own terms like they’re geopolitical curios or “world music.” (The historical emergence of “world music” itself is a worth exploring in light of how access to the world’s music has changed over the past few decades.) I still have a deep remaining bias toward thinking and talking about pop culture from a US-centric vantage point, but my ears aren’t really cooperating with that bias.
1. Katelyn Tarver: #1 [2025]
US
2. Mary Middlefield: Summer Affair [2025]
Switzerland
3. PONY: Superglue [2025]
Canada
One side effect of how I listen to music for this newsletter is that it’s been a real challenge to focus on albums. I used to engage with albums to hold my attention across one artist’s work, but I find that I can do that just fine with strings of singles and EPs now, and this makes me much less forgiving of album filler.
One remaining useful feature of the album format is discovering songs I’ve missed in the last six to nine months—it feels like catching a show I’ve missed on cable in syndication, despite everything technically being available on demand.
Here are three lead singles that are what I would maybe call A-pop by genre (only one is by someone from the US), all released in 2025. They’re from pretty-good-to-very-good 2026 albums by Katelyn Tarver, Mary Middlefield, and Pony, all three traversing the post-windowpane indie singer-songwriter landscape in their own ways, mostly by being less shy about pop hooks.
Tarver clearly put everything she’s got into her lead single, maybe her best song ever. The other two artists are new to me. Middlefield is a playlist find, while Pony was one I found mucking through Rate Your Music with a few strict filters applied. This gets harder to do as the year progresses and too many RYM barnacles get stuck to their recommendations across genres.
4. Pipiolas: NaNaNa
Spain
Charming Spanish electropop whose chorus hook reminds me of something specific from the ‘80s that I can’t place.
5. Hallows: Wear You Out
US
By contrast, this is attempting to remind me of something specific from the ‘80s, but it isn’t. That said, I’ll take budget freestyle moves any time.
6. Jappie Lebona: You’ve Got It [1984]
South Africa
If you needed a reminder of what the ‘80s actually sounded like, here’s the real deal, a chunky synth groove from South African artist Jappie Lebona, from a compilation of South African disco and boogie music from label Music Team, put together by Kalita Records.
7. Cochemea: Dilo
US
Indigenous go-to sax session guy for Daptone with an effortless jam that seems ready for the right media sync and/or barbecue.
8. Vv Pete, DEELA, Lisha G, UTILITY: Toss It
Australia/UK/US
Only the “yeet” would clue you in to when in the last 15 years this blooping and bleeping minimal rap might have come out.
9. LB aka LABAT, Skin On Skin: Feel So Good Around U
France
A breakbeat, a guitar riff, a cooing vocal hook, and a little “hey” punctuating the end of the loop—somehow this is music that A.I. can’t seem to replicate, even though it can nail Taylor Swift’s melody and rhythm perfectly. Strange times.
10. BOWPRAT: ความสัมพันธ์ชั่วคราว (Midnight Love)
Thailand
Something about the production here put me in mind of the late aughts boomlet of sunshine teen R&B like Jessica Jarrell, Priscilla Renea (mk 1), Teyana Taylor (also mk 1), and Vistoso Bosses—the latter of which released their first song in 15 years pretty recently, apparently. These sounds have already worked their way through various regional pop scenes for over a decade, but sometimes a specific synth flute timbre takes you back directly.
11. BigDaddy f. Dangrangto: RẤT LÀ NHIỀU TỎI
Vietnam
Haven’t heard much straightforward clave like this in Vietnamese pop, but maybe I haven’t been paying close enough attention?
12. Kuty: Tezgah
Turkey
I couldn’t really tell you why this particular Turkish rap made it through this week, sometimes a song just sorta hangs together, you know? Mix spackle is an important resource.
13. H3adband: BOO
US
It’s been a decent year for meme rap so far, with this low-rent horrorcore plodder ignoring genuine menace for the campy fun of something like Killer Klowns from Outer Space, if John Linnell was collaborating on the soundtrack. H3adband is also responsible for the most shameless use of the “six seven” meme I’ve heard, but this song is better.
14. Marou, Massin, Kempi: Dans
Netherlands
Bouyon seems to be spreading internationally as fast as any regional rhythmic music I’ve tracked in the past few years—here it is showing up among Dutch artists whose other work is more nondescript hip-hop from what I can tell.
15. Loukeman: Elktorn
Canada
A catchy, if atmospheric, electronic bauble that I’d file under “upbeat IDM” if people used that genre descriptor anymore.
16. Roselle f. Junes: Eau Salée (Phil Murray remix)
Canada
The original and remix both have a subdued Eurodance feel, but the more sophistipop rework matches the melody better, I think.
17. Shabaka: Step Lightly
UK
Sons of Kemet leader processes a wind section within an inch of its acoustic referent even before the drum machine thump comes in, though maybe that’s a heavily processed acoustic drum, too? Whatever it is, I think it sounds neat.
18. Miike Snow, Yttling Jazz: Ingrid the Sailor
Sweden
A Scandijazz take on the sea shanty craze from a few years back, maybe? A kid chorus sings some nonsense about the high seas over impeccable vibes (literal only—the figurative vibes are a little off).
19. Parker Graye: Gas Station Flowers
Canada
Sometimes I just happen to share the Don’t Rock the Inbox house taste rather than getting songs directly from them, but I do appreciate being able to outsource a blurb!
NW: There’s enough lyrical heft here to pull it out of echoey ballad mediocrity — as ever, some pedal steel doesn't hurt either.
20. Saranggola Society: Sana’y Di atapos Ang Gabi
Philippines
Throwback twang ballad—I would have guessed this mythical early ‘60s dance band time-warped to the present from Indonesia, which tends to specialize in uncanny retro rock. But it’s a combo from the Philippines who I hope get lots of work soundtracking dances.
21. Marco Benevento, Marianne Mirage: Turandot
US/Italy
Winding down with some exit music to a film, a little 6/8 mystery/melancholy from a US composer/producer and Italian vocalist who go alternately smoky and baroque.
22. Gregory Uhlmann: Back Scratch
US
Some fun with phased piano to close things out, just manages to skirt tinkle and hit twinkle.
That’s it! Until next time, don’t tinkle if you mean to twinkle.
—Dave Moore (the other one)
Title translated from BigDaddy f. Dangrangto: RẤT LÀ NHIỀU TỎI (“trong đầu tao đã nhiều sỏi”)
In 2025, US songs tied for first place at the end of the year with 15%; in 2024 the US was in first place with 20% of songs
African and Latin American tracks both continue to be somewhat artificially depressed in my totals because music scenes I follow more intently (amapiano, Brazilian funk, and various non-funk strands of Latin American pop) still get their own separate playlists so as not to overwhelm mixes every week.
Now how can I read that Ann Powers newsletter?