It’s always great to see pop music getting the critical attention it deserves, and the AV Club’s monthly column, ‘This Was Pop’, in which two of its writers debate the worth of the songs riding high in the current billboard chart, is an excellent example of such attention. This month, Genevieve Koski and Steven Hyden are at loggerheads over Katy Perry,  2 Chainz, and more:

I like that Perry is injecting a little maturity into her cartoon persona, rote though it may be. Pretty much the only thing I liked about Perry’s recent concert documentary was the brief look it gave at the conflict between Perry’s hyper-superficial professional façade and the real-life ordeal of her divorce, and songs like this and “Part Of Me” at least try to resolve that conflict in an appropriately Perry-esque manner. It isn’t deep or especially personal in any way—it wouldn’t be Katy Perry if it were—but it expresses universal feelings in a relatable, well-produced way.