Secretly Frequencies - Jensen McRae

You may have heard her on your TikTok feed, opening for MUNA, or on the silver screen; Jensen McRae is a polymath and a manifestor. She released her second album 'I Don't Know How But They Found Me!' on Dead Oceans this past spring, and it's already landed on several critics' best-of-2025-so-far lists. Self-described as "one house down from the girl next door," Jensen joins co-hosts Catalog Project Manager Coco Segaller and A&R Samantha Urbani for a game of name that tune. Jensen covers the power of moving on, meeting your heroes, and lyrically swinging between crying and laughing (or both at the same time).   Links:  Secretly Frequencies: Jensen McRae Playlist Secretly Society Podcast Episodes Secretly Society Podcast on Secretly Store Secretly Society General Information   Jensen McRae: Jensen McRae Website Link Jensen McRae on Instagram Jensen McRae on TikTok Jensen McRae on SubStack

Tune into Secretly Frequencies with Dana Margolin of Porridge Radio. Dana started Porridge Radio while still a university student, and met natural collaborators Georgia Stott (keyboards), Sam Yardley (drums), and Maddie Ryall, and later, Dan Hutchins (bass). The "sometimes twisted, often transcendent, always incendiary" band came to an end earlier this year, and today's chat with co-hosts Tom Davies and A&R Director Adam Nealon serves as a chance for Dana to look back over a decade spent making music under the Porridge Radio moniker. Dana reflects on visual and sonic art connections (including playing le Centre Pompidou in Paris), writing solo versus arranging with bandmates, and managing a meteoric rise while the world was largely shut down.   Links:  Secretly Frequencies: Porridge Radio Playlist Secretly Society Podcast Episodes Secretly Society Podcast on Secretly Store Secretly Society General Information   Porridge Radio: Porridge Radio Website Link Porridge Radio on Instagram Porridge Radio on X Porridge Radio on Facebook

Today's guest is Nigil Mack, head honcho of All Flowers Group label drink sum wtr. With roots in hip hop, R&B, and alternative, the emerging record label looks beyond trends to invest in a new cultural legacy, releasing music from Annahstasia, THEY., Gareth Donkin, Aja Monet, and more. Prior to co-founding drink sum wtr, Nigil served as an A&R at Motown and Republic Records,  where his signings include Kid Cudi and focused on artist development on numerous projects; an A&R consultant for Atlantic Records, and as a manger of artists such as DRAM. Now lending his ear to the independent spectrum, Nigil IDs songs for co-hosts Tom Davies and Alexandra Berenson, Senior Director of A&R, from drink sum wtr's already extensive catalog, weaving stories of his inspirations and influences along the way.   Links:   Secretly Frequencies: drink sum wtr Playlist Secretly Society Podcast Episodes Secretly Society Podcast on Secretly Store Secretly Society General Information   drink sum wtr: drink sum wtr Website Link drink sum wtr on Instagram drink sum wtr on X drink sum wtr Newsletter  

To kick off our newest season, R&B sensations Durand Jones & The Indications sit down with our Secretly Frequencies hosts, Tom Davies and the band's old pal, Colemine Records' Terry Cole. Formed in Bloomington, Indiana in 2012 with an original plan to play a single show, we encounter the Indications after countless worldwide tours and four albums, with their most recent, 'Flowers,' released in June via Dead Oceans. Through an interview-by-song, the core songwriting trio of singer Durand Jones, singer/drummer Aaron Frazer, and guitarist Blake Rhein wax on breaking the musical rules, their myriad fanbase, and the power of friendship. Links:  Secretly Frequencies: Durand Jones & The Indications Playlist Secretly Society Podcast Episodes Secretly Society Podcast on Secretly Store Secretly Society General Information   Durand Jones & The Indications: Durand Jones & The Indications Website Link Durand Jones & The Indications on Instagram Durand Jones & The Indications on X Durand Jones & The Indications on Facebook  

Hosts Tom Davies and Mike Holdsworth sit down with Sharon Van Etten to conduct an interview-by-song across her illustrious catalog. If you can believe it, we're commemorating ten years since the release of 'Are We There,' one of her most powerful and timeless collections, with a new limited-edition vinyl and a 7" including a live rendition of beloved tune "Every Time the Sun Comes Up." Sharon's polymathic nature is on full display in this episode, discussing producing, performing, writing, collaborating, and her sonic influences.   Links:  Secretly Frequencies: Sharon Van Etten Playlist Link Secretly Society Podcast Link Secretly Society Podcast Store Link Secretly Society General Information Link   Sharon Van Etten: Sharon Van Etten Website Link Sharon Van Etten on Instagram Sharon Van Etten on X Sharon Van Etten on Facebook  

Our Secretly Frequencies hosts sit down with Paul Mahern from Zero Boys to conduct an interview-by-song with a blind playlist of tracks spanning the band's esteemed catalog. We're celebrating the fortieth anniversary of Zero Boy's 'History Of...' with a special reissue, including a previously-unheard 1980 live set at Indianapolis venue Crazy Al's. Paul has been a literal professor of punk rock history, in addition to his storied career as a musician, producer, and engineer, so pull up a chair and have a listen – you may learn something!   Links:  Secretly Frequencies: Zero Boys Playlist Link Secretly Society Podcast Link Secretly Society Podcast Store Link Secretly Society General Information Link   Zero Boys: Zero Boys on Instagram Zero Boys on Facebook  

We're back in label mode today with the revered Ghostly International and our guests, label owner/founder Sam Valenti and Molly Smith, Ghostly's Senior Art Director. Currently celebrating its 25th year, Ghostly established itself as one of the most well-loved artist-centric labels around, having put out records by the likes of Tycho, ADULT., Gold Panda, Matthew Dear, School of Seven Bells and Telefon Tel Aviv. In the last few years, the label's scope has been broadening with releases from Julie Byrne, Kate Bollinger, with many more exciting new acts to come. Sam and Molly share their memories of working with artists over multiple decades, collaborating on Ghostly's famous aesthetic sensibilities, and more. Links:  Secretly Frequencies: Ghostly International Playlist Link Secretly Society Podcast Link Secretly Society Podcast Store Link Secretly Society General Information Link   Ghostly International: Ghostly Website Link Ghostly on Instagram Ghostly on X Ghostly on TikTok Ghostly on Facebook

Today's guest is Ruban Nielson of the mighty Unknown Mortal Orchestra. The project was started in Auckland in the late noughties by Ruben, and grew over the following years, expanding to include friend Jake Portrait and brother Kody and a number of other incredible musicians along the way. UMO - as they are affectionately known - have released five albums, four with Jagjaguwar, of sprawling, psychedelic rock music. Now based in Portland, Oregon, Ruban chats with us about his early analog influences, songwriting processes, and more from UMO's storied history.   Links:  Secretly Frequencies: Unknown Mortal Orchestra Playlist Link Secretly Society Podcast Link Secretly Society Podcast Store Link Secretly Society General Information Link   Unknown Mortal Orchestra:  UMO Website Link UMO on Instagram UMO on X UMO on Facebook

Geographically, Bizhiki is almost wholly a made-in-Wisconsin project, a collaboration between Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings, Joe Rainey and the multi-instrumentalist Sean Carey (aka S. Carey), who for years has been a secret weapon within the Bon Iver family.  The collaboration between these three musicians first began at the Eaux Claires festival in 2015. The festival was being organized on Ojibwe's ancestral homelands, and the organizers didn't feel right without the inclusion of the native communities who lived nearby. The open-endedness of the initial invitation and the "let's just do something together" spirit continues to inform Bizhiki's process. Recording steadily over the course of years — and between several projects from Bizhiki's members, including two solo albums (Joe Rainey's Niineta and S. Carey's Break Me Open) – the trio chipped away at an expansive, ambitious and unique record that sounds like no other music being made today. On Unbound, the powwow style is entwined with synthesized voice modulation, and hand drumming is accented with electronic samples and beats. The harmonies and resonances on this album are equal parts cultural and musical.    Links:  Secretly Frequencies: Bizhiki Playlist Link Secretly Society Podcast Link Secretly Society Podcast Store Link Secretly Society General Information Link   Bizhiki:  Bizhiki Website Link Bizhiki on Instagram Bizhiki on X Bizhiki on Facebook

Secretly Society presents a three-episode mini-series about collaboration, friendship, and a community-driven project; originally formed by Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner in 2008, this is the magical and illusive tale of Big Red Machine. This series is narrated by music writer and broadcaster Laura Barton, including live interviews with Vernon, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Sharon Van Etten, Anais Mitchell, and more. The conclusion to the story, for now. Big Red Machine has been a rejection of the music industry's expectations weighing upon Dessner and Vernon, but also a place of solace for the pair amongst their sometimes painful struggles with mental health. The pair take turns grounding each other through their successes and supporting during their lows, while writing songs like "Brycie" and "Hutch" that pay tribute to close-knit family and friends. The pool of collaborators ripples out ever-further, and new methods of working to complement each others' contributions carry on the experimental spirit of Big Red Machine.   Links:  Big Red Machine Pt. 3 Playlist Link Secretly Society Podcast Link Secretly Society Podcast Store Link Secretly Society General Information Link   Big Red Machine:  Big Red Machine on Instagram Big Red Machine on Facebook