State Of Grace

Co-hosts Eric Fulcher and Caitlin White have devoted the final double episode to Taylor Swift's latest pair of albums, Folklore and Evermore. Their differing perspectives on Taylor is once again a highlight of the conversation — Caitlin has been a fan for Swift's entire career, Eric has barely ever given her the time of day. And in a year with no concerts and very little else to do but wait out the pandemic, with not just one but two new albums, ignoring her was basically impossible. In an almost two-hour conversation that spans everything from her feud with Kanye to older albums, to the of shifts toward an "indie" approach on these records, the hosts put 2020, and this format, to bed for good.

On an extra-long, extra shit-talking episode of State Of Grace, co-hosts Caitlin White and Eric Fulcher debate the merits of Miley Cyrus' latest album, Plastic Hearts. A complete left turn for the pop star, who has historically dabbled in either hip-hop or country, this fully '70s-rock record reinvents her sound completely. Does it work? Tune in to find out.

On this eleventh episode, Caitlin and Eric try their hand at something relatively new for the show — tastemaking. After hearing WizKid's new album Made In Lagos, Caitlin was completely taken with the record and wanted to highlight it on the show. Both hosts eventually fell in love with the album, and  decided that doing a show on it was a great way to get the word out on this brilliant Nigerian pop star. Tracing his career from featuring with Drake on "One Dance," to the cultural moment that was "Brown Skin Girl" with Beyonce and Blue Ivy, they connect the songs on Made In Lagos to what else is going on in the pop world. With plenty of Grammys commentary thrown in for good measure, this episode is designed to give space to an album not enough people are talking about.

Ariana Grande's sixth album, Positions, left some fans missing her vocal acrobatics and more robust, upbeat tunes. For others, the casually understated, explicit horniness of the record is totally welcome as an extension of her Thank U, Next era. So where does this sixth album fall in her discography overall? Listen to this month's episode to hear where co-hosts Eric Fulcher and Caitlin White stand.

Well, quarantine messed up a lot of timelines, so the State Of Grace episode on Haim’s third album, Women In Music Pt. III is dropping on the first day of September even though the record came out in late June. This ninth episode is a doozy because one half of the pod, Eric Fulcher, has been a long-term Haim head, and the other half, Caitlin White, has frequently been a hater! But Women In Music Pt. III — despite having a very clunky name — is such an excellent album that it’s brought the two of us into agreement about the record. It’s definitely one of the best releases of 2020, and an album that functions really well during a quarantine because of the darkness and the sadness it explores. Is this a contender for album of the year? How does WIMP differentiate itself from their first two albums? Is this the perfect LA record? What did they do to finally stop Caitlin from being a hater? Listen to the episode below.

Co-hosts Caitlin White and Eric Fulcher's eighth episode of the first season of State Of Grace is a return to form after several months off due to the pandemic. Similarly, Lady Gaga’s Chromatica is a return to form. Celebrating the long-awaited release of Lady Gaga’s new album, Chromatica, which came out at the end of May, this episode explores her arc from the flop of Artpop in 2013, through to the next year’s jazz standards pivot, Cheek To Cheek, 2016’s Joanne, and of course, the inescapable soundtrack to A Star Is Born from 2018. So how does Chromatica fit in with these last four release? And does it restore her to pop queen status? We answer all this and more. Listen below or download the episode here.

Co-hosts Caitlin White and Eric Fulcher's seventh episode of the first season of State Of Grace is a doozy. Justin Bieber has a new album out called Changes, but the music is more than overshadowed by the advent of his new marriage to Hailey Baldwin. Is the new album any good? Why was "Yummy" a flop?Which songs on the album should’ve actually been the singles?And does it bode well for his marriage to release an album devoted to it just a few months after? We answer all this and more in the episode.

Co-hosts Caitlin White and Eric Fulcher kick of 2020 with the sixth episode of the first season of State Of Grace. Getting into one of the first important pop release of the year, Selena Gomez's Rare, the two trace her path from Wizards Of Waverly Place and Selena Gomez and The Scene, up through to a serious solo career as a pop star. Pivoting on her emotional 2014 single, "The Heart Wants What It Wants," and moving through to this album, the final word on her relationship with Bieber, Rare shows her pain, strength, and growth in a new light. But is it a great album?

Co-hosts Caitlin White and Eric Fulcher's fifth episode of State Of Grace is punctuated by a special guest — Harry Styles expert, Zan Romanoff. The final episode of 2019 centers around Harry Styles' second solo album Fine Line. Coming in at the tail end of the year, his new record functions both as the legacy album Harry needed, and another entry into his endless play with the tenets of sexuality. That conversation is almost more interesting than discussion of the pop influence on singles like "Watermelon Sugar," and "Adore You." Whether you loved his self-titled or hated it, there's something in this wide-ranging conversation for everyone.

Co-hosts Caitlin White and Eric Fulcher's fourth episode of State Of Grace centers around Lana Del Rey’s landmark release, Norman Fucking Rockwell, a record they consider to be the album of the year for 2019. Discussing Lana’s evolution as an artist, her rocky beginnings, and how she came to represent California more than any other pop star, this episode considers the impact she’s had on pop culture as both a live performer and recording artist.

Co-hosts Caitlin White and Eric Fulcher dive into episode three of their new pop music-focused podcast, State Of Grace, with a discussion of Mark Ronson and Ed Sheeran's fully collaborative albums. The discussion of both of these "super albums" and how each white male pop star is using is platform in a different way, along with favorite tracks and collaborations from both projects. 

Co-hosts Caitlin White and Eric Fulcher dive into episode two of their new pop music-focused podcast, State Of Grace, with a discussion of Billie Eilish's When We All Fall Asleep tour, a discussion of the differing forces within her music, and the cultural implications of who paved the way for her — and where she's going.

Co-hosts Caitlin White and Eric Fulcher introduce a new pop music-focused podcast, State Of Grace, with a discussion of Ariana Grande's Sweetener tour and analysis of her album of the same name, along with her blockbuster project "Thank U, Next."