New Wave was a genre built on transition — where punk’s raw energy collided with pop hooks, synths, fashion, and experimentation. This week’s guest curator, Patreon Mixtaper Ben Cheknis, host of the Two Vague Podcast, joins me to curate a playlist celebrating the essential New Wave classics of the late ’70s and ’80s.

This episode traces New Wave’s evolution from its jittery, stripped-down beginnings to its more polished, radio-friendly peak, spotlighting the artists and songs that helped push alternative music into the mainstream ...