The classical rebel who infiltrated pop music

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

You've heard those shimmering disco strings in Miley Cyrus's "Flowers," the cinematic arrangements on Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher, and the orchestral flourishes across Taylor Swift's catalog, but you probably didn't know they're all the work of one person: Rob Moose. The violinist and multi-instrumentalist has contributed to nearly 1,000 albums, quietly becoming pop music's most prolific string architect. In this conversation, Moose reveals how he translates classical training into contemporary pop language, working with everyone from Sufjan Stevens to Bon Iver to create arrangements that feel both intimate and epic. We dive into his process, explore how he's reshaped what strings can do in popular music, and uncover the craft behind those arrangements you can't get out of your head. MORE Subscribe to our newsletter to receive your own bingo card! Songs Discussed Miley Cyrus “Flowers” Phoebe Bridgers “Punisher” Phoebe Bridgers Copycat Killer (EP, includes re-arranged versions of “Punisher,” “Kyoto,” “Savior Complex,” “Chinese Satellite”) Sufjan Stevens “Chicago” Bon Iver “Everything Is Peaceful Love” RINI “Miracle” Bon Iver “Short Story” Bon Iver “Speyside” Phoebe Bridgers “Chinese Satellite” Phoebe Bridgers “Savior Complex” Phoebe Bridgers “Kyoto” Lizzy McAlpine “Ceilings” Gracie Abrams “I Love You, I’m Sorry” Rob Moose “I Bend But Never Break” ft Brittany Howard Alabama Shakes “Sound & Color” Taylor Swift “Hoax” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for the show comes from MintMobile.
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0:42.3	Welcome to Switchdown Pop. I'm songwriter Charlie Harding. I was listening to Milius
0:50.0	Iris's flowers one day when something stopped me cold.
1:05.2	Those disco strings that seemed to shimmer with 1970s orchestral grandeur, ultramelo, and layered harmonies, made the track feel both retro and totally futuristic.
1:18.3	And it turns out that entire string section was just one person, Rob Moose.
1:21.5	That realization sent me down a rabbit hole.
1:24.7	Rob Moose's name started appearing everywhere I looked.
1:28.7	This violinist and multi-instrumentalist was behind some of my all-time favorite recordings. He's contributed to over a thousand albums for artists like Sufion
1:34.1	Stevens, Taylor Swift, John Legend, Lizzie McAlpine, Alabama Shakes, and Paul Simon. He was even on the
1:40.1	soundtrack to everything everywhere all at once and this year I particularly loved his
1:45.2	playing on Boni Vare's Sable Fable, one of my favorite albums of the year.
1:49.6	So yeah, if you're hearing a string section on a pop song, there's a very good chance you're hearing Rob Moose.
2:04.6	But what sets him apart isn't just his prolific output.
2:08.0	It's how he translates classical string techniques into the language of contemporary pop.
	...

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