The rise of surrealist pop: KATSEYE and ADÉLA

The music of global girl group KATSEYE might be confusing on first listen. A less-generous read might consider their songs to be rudimentary: the lyrics are mostly nonsense, the instrumentals evoke lesser 2010s pop songs, and the aesthetic can’t decide whether it’s targeted to children or adults. However, maybe the nonsensical nature of KATSEYE is also… the point? And maybe that point is tethered to early surrealist movements of the early twentieth century?

On this episode of Switched on Pop, producer Reanna makes the case to Nate that KATSEYE and ADÉLA are indicative of a larger shift in pop music, one that tethers itself to Marcel Duchamp and the dada movement.

CREDITS 

Reanna Cruz: Producer 

Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator 

Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer 

Dion Lee: Art Director 

Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer 

Nick Ripps: Video Editor 

Nate Sloan: Host 

Lissa Soep: Editor 

Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers