Stephen Thompson

Silver Spring

Music Writer at NPR

NPR Music writer, yakker; Pop Culture Happy Hour co-host + All Songs Considered panelist; long-ago A.V. Club editor and Onion copy editor; snack-eater; dad.

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Articles

Even as debuts crash the charts, Morgan Wallen still reigns

2 days ago | wusf.org | Stephen Thompson

For the fifth consecutive week, Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem tops the Billboard 200 albums chart. But there's plenty of volatility beneath him on the chart, as last week's debuts vanish from the top 10 to make room for new albums by the K-pop group ATEEZ, rapper Lil Tecca and Christian rock star Brandon Lake.
Top 5 Pixar movies, ranked by listeners

3 days ago | tpr.org | Stephen Thompson |Aisha Harris |Liz Metzger |Hafsa Fathima

Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk.
The best new albums out June 20

1 week ago | kyuk.org | Stephen Thompson |Raina Douris

S.G. Goodman 06:24 Hotline TNT 04:25 EHAIM 03:22 Yaya Bey, Father Philis 03:26 Kelsey Waldon 03:08 Seven Davis Jr. 06:10 U.S. Girls 03:20 Matthew Shipp 03:59 ETropical Fuck Storm 04:06 Georgie Sweet 04:14 Neggy Gemmy 03:46 SOPHIE 03:00 Surusinghe, Cameo Blush, Kassie Krut 04:05 EBAMBII, Jessy Lanza, Yaeji 02:48 Makaya McCraven 02:42 Joshua Redman, Paul Cornish, Philip Norris, Nazir Ebo 05:07 Biosphere 08:09 Little Mazarn 03:03 The Feelies 02:46 James McMurtry 04:39 William Beckmann 02:59...
The best new albums out June 20

1 week ago | kvcrnews.org | Stephen Thompson |Raina Douris

It's Friday, which means its time to stave off your existential dread with a bumper crop of excellent new releases, including (if you ask us) some of the very best albums to come out this year.
The best new albums out June 20

1 week ago | ctpublic.org | Stephen Thompson |Raina Douris

It's Friday, which means its time to stave off your existential dread with a bumper crop of excellent new releases, including (if you ask us) some of the very best albums to come out this year.
Sabrina Carpenter joins the 'song of the summer' race, just in time

1 week ago | wunc.org | Stephen Thompson

"Manchild," the first single from Sabrina Carpenter's forthcoming album Man's Best Friend, enters this week's Hot 100 singles chart at No. 1, making a late-breaking (and extremely welcome) bid for "song of the summer" status in the process. On the Billboard 200 albums chart, Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem rules for a fourth consecutive week. To do so, he had to fend off a whopping four top 10 debuts and a chart re-entry by a band that hadn't cracked the top 10 in more than a decade.
'How to Train Your Dragon' plays the hits

2 weeks ago | tpr.org | Stephen Thompson |Jordan Morris |Regina Barber |Hafsa Fathima

Disney has been remaking its animated classics for years to great financial success – Lilo & Stitch has been dominating the box office for weeks now. So it's no surprise that DreamWorks is now getting in on the action with a remake of How to Train Your Dragon. It's full of epic battles, majestic countrysides and, of course, dragons galore. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture Copyright 2025 NPR
The best new albums out June 13

2 weeks ago | radiomilwaukee.org | Stephen Thompson |Nate Chinen

It's Friday, and we're happy to report that a handful of truly great albums were released at midnight. Los Angeles singer-songwriter Annahstasia — who you may have seen as Kendrick Lamar's love interest in the video for his No.1 hit "luther" — blew us away with her blend of gravity and grace. Celebrated jazz guitarist Mary Halvorson, who won a MacArthur "genius" grant in 2019, has a new album produced by Deerhoof's John Dieterich.
The best new albums out June 13

2 weeks ago | lpm.org | Stephen Thompson |Nate Chinen

Embedded Player Brandee Younger. The Cure. Annahstasia. WRTI's Nate Chinen joins Stephen Thompson to discuss our favorite albums of the week. Featured albums:• Annahstasia, 'Tether' (Stream)• Mary Halvorson, 'About Ghosts' (Stream)• Brandee Younger, 'Gadabout Season' (Stream)• Joe Armon-Jones, 'All The Quiet (Part II)' (Stream)• The Cure, 'Mixes for a Lost World' (Stream)See our long list of albums out June 13 and sample more than 50 of them via our New Music Friday playlist on npr.org.
The best new albums out June 13

2 weeks ago | wusf.org | Stephen Thompson |Nate Chinen

It's Friday, and we're happy to report that a handful of truly great albums were released at midnight. Los Angeles singer-songwriter Annahstasia — who you may have seen as Kendrick Lamar's love interest in the video for his No.1 hit "luther" — blew us away with her blend of gravity and grace. Celebrated jazz guitarist Mary Halvorson — who won a MacArthur "genius" grant in 2019 — has a new album produced by Deerhoof's John Dieterich.