Longtime readers know that Pitchfork has always been about following your favorite writers, hoping their byline will show up when the reviews section updates a few minutes after midnight. This is because music criticism is all about taste and POV, inherently personal, subjective things. With our new slate of columns, we’re empowering three of the most vital music critics of this era, giving them free rein to write about what interests them and expanding the breadth of what we cover. As these columns grow and get weird, my hope is that they will start to feel like little worlds in the broader Pitchfork ecosystem.
I was made aware of the power of music criticism through reading Meaghan Garvey’s writing across the internet in the 2010s, so it’s an honor to feature her in such a prominent way and have her commenting on music and culture right now. Kieran Press-Reynolds and Alphonse Pierre have become must-read voices within their respective lanes of internet music and hip-hop in the last half-decade. If you care at all about where music and music journalism are heading, you need to tap in with all three.
Every Wednesday, we’ll publish Rabbit Holed, Kieran Press-Reynolds’ weekly deep dive into songs and scenes at the intersection of music and digital culture, separating shitpost genius from shitpassé lameness. “As someone who grew up ingesting all sorts of vile and wonderful memes, a column analyzing internet ephemera and music feels like I’m coming full circle,” Kieran says. “I’m excited to stop suffocating my Notes app and start crafting these nuggets of ideas into fully-fledged reports.”
Thursdays will be for Reality Blues, wherein Meaghan Garvey wades into the mysteries of our uncanny world, trying to catch a vibe. From Meaghan: “Doesn’t it feel lately like reality is melting all around us? Anyway, you should never let a good catastrophe go to waste. Time to find out what’s real or die trying.”
Finally, on Fridays, we’ll run Alphonse Pierre’s Off the Dome column, which covers songs, mixtapes, albums, scenes, snippets, movies, Meek Mill tweets, fashion trends—and anything else that catches his attention. “At least it’s not a podcast,” he says.
