Skip to main content

Sounds of the city: Google's new location-based podcast will be music to your ears

Google Play Music: City Soundtracks Podcast | Official Trailer
Music is as much about the places people come from, as it is the artists themselves. Google wants to celebrate that and has launched a new podcast to do so. Called City Soundtracks, the new program, hosted by musician and composer Hrishikesh Hirway, will talk to musicians while touring their hometown, blending conversation about the city with music from it.

Aimed at the U.S. and Canadian market, the podcast is available through Google Play Music and all of the usual podcasting applications. The first few episodes are already online and kick off with Oakland, California, featuring impressively experienced — yet youthful — musician, Kehlani.

In her episode, she discusses how growing up in and around Oakland affected her taste in music and ultimately the kind of music she would go on to create throughout her career.

The second episode features Freddie Ross, otherwise knock as Big Freedia. As a musical ambassador of her native New Orleans, she’s helped the underground scene of Bounce music become a nationally recognized genre. Throughout the podcast, she takes a tour of her favorite town and highlights the parts of it that inspired her the most when writing music.

The third and final episode currently available features American rock band, Spoon. Hailing from Austin, Texas, founders Britt Daniel and Jim Eno take Hirway and listeners on a trip around the of the southern city, talking about venues and old shows, their home studio and some of the special hideaways for writing music. Hint: One of them is a motel.

City Soundtracks is the first original podcast series from Google, but it seems unlikely to be the last if this one proves successful. It will feature a mixture of guests and music going forward, so seems likely to have something for everyone before long.

Which artists would you like to see featured on upcoming City Soundtracks episodes?

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
The best music podcasts
Best Music Podcasts

Music makes our souls sing, but what happens when you've listened to everything in your library? Instead of starting up another album, think about checking out a music podcast. From podcasts that focus on the history behind your favorite artists and their work to deep dives into the formulas that make different genres shine, there is something for every music lover. We take a look at the best music podcasts that you can listen to using your favorite podcast apps.

Want to discover new and exciting podcasts, but aren't necessarily looking for something music-related? Be sure to check out our guide on the best podcasts to listen to right now.
Song Exploder

Read more
Podcasts may be coming to Amazon Music and Audible, as well as Echo speakers
Amazon music

Amazon is apparently the latest of the big streaming music services to get on the podcast bandwagon, according to a leaked email acquired by media blog The Desk.

The email, which was reportedly sent to select podcast show producers on August 10, details some of Amazon's podcast plans, including its intention to add podcasts as a feature to its Amazon Music and Audible services.

Read more
Google’s new smart textile tech lets you control music by pinching a cord
google home smart speaker deal walmart

Google has been actively exploring ways to expand virtual interactions beyond touchscreens and voice assistants. After pioneering touch-sensitive denim jackets and hands-free radar phone controls, Google’s research division is now experimenting with weaving technology into fabrics.

Called "E-Textiles," the concept takes advantage of textile braiding techniques to enable cords to sense gestures. This could potentially allow people to, for instance, control their music by pinching the wire of their headphones or skipping the track by twisting their hoodie’s strings. Google says the research, for now, exclusively focuses on "drawstrings in garments and as wired connections for data and power across consumer devices," since they’re commonly used.

Read more