This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You

A legendary record-producer-turned-brain-scientist explains why you love the music you do in an antidote to the Spotify algorithm doldrums

‘Extraordinary insights about music, emotion and the brain…An instant classic’ Daniel Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain on Music

This Is What It Sounds Like is a journey into the science and soul of music. It’s also the story of a musical trailblazer who began as a humble audio tech in L.A. to become Prince’s chief engineer for Purple Rain and one of the most successful female record producers of all time.

Now an award-winning professor of cognitive neuroscience, Dr Susan Rogers takes readers behind the scenes of record-making and leads us to musical self-awareness. She explains that everyone possesses a unique ‘listener profile’, shows how being musical can mean actively listening, and encourages us to think about the records that define us. Lively and illuminating, this book will refresh your playlists, deepen your connection to artists, and change the way you listen to music.

‘Superb… this book can show you how to be a better listener’ Times Literary Supplement

‘A provocative blend of studio stories and fascinating neuroscience’ Alan Light, author of Let’s Go Crazy- Prince and the Making of Purple Rain

‘Fizzing with energy and insight…a crucial addition to the canon of music must-reads’ Kate Hutchinson

Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Imprint: Vintage UK
Publication date: 19/10/2023