One of the biggest criticisms I get as a podcast critic is that I don’t champion indie podcasts enough. Most of the negative feedback I receive to a review of the latest Tortoise Media show or Serial Productions series can be summarized as “big shows don’t need more publicity.”
My reviews and lists are intended to showcase the best of podcasting and to give overviews of various genres. My job, at its heart, is to share recommendations with listeners. Recommendations they will actually like.
My opinions are subjective. All critics are. And I’m not afraid to admit that “the best” often skews to podcasts with more resources. But here’s a hard truth: independent podcasts are hard to find. Even for a critic. They often thrive on platforms that are algorithmically driven, and seldom send press releases to podcast journalists. So I often find indies as an extension of my own interests.
Reddit forums are useful, but repetitive. Podcast apps do little to help. Is it a discovery problem? From what I’ve observed, many podcasts join a network as soon as they possibly can. The outliers, like Maintenance Phase and Binchtopia, build their revenue with an aggressive approach to platforms like Patreon.
The problem is manifold. Discovery options are poor, it’s true. But I think the best independent podcasts thrive because they know their audience and cater to their needs. If an indie producer believes that Call Her Daddy is popular because they have a big marketing team and a video podcast, then they aren’t giving listeners enough credit.
The intention of this new quarterly segment is to highlight great independent podcasts in one place. While this won’t solve the indie discovery problem, it should give listeners an insight into what’s out there.
The podcasts in this segment might be established or new, with small audiences or substantial ones. There’s no requisite beyond being a good independent podcast. While our Monthly Recommendations will continue to share the best new releases across the board, this quarterly Independents Review aims to be a treasure hunt for great indie podcasting.
In this first edition, I was drawn to shows that offered escapism from the near constant negativity in our news cycle. Niche topics, heartfelt stories, and exquisite audio are ample in these seven indie shows.
Despite being named the best podcast of 2022 by The New Yorker, this evocative show is still chronically under-appreciated in general discourse. Rumble Strip, which is comprised of short audio clips recorded in people’s homes in Vermont, is made by Erica Heilman. Erica has a knack for bringing out the love and fear in her neighbors hearts.
Rumble Strip is both a documentary and an art project; imagine if Diane Arbus went out with a tape recorder, rather than a camera, and sought the idiosyncrasies of the human condition, rather than the absurdities of our external forms.
Don’t be fooled by the escapist tone; Rumble Strip is still topical. It shouldn’t be surprising that politics and the economy are front of mind when someone presents a microphone. But these aren’t soundbites. These clips highlight real anxieties. To say that the show humanizes a community that many rarely encounter beyond stereotypes might be trite, but it’s also true. If you can balance these two feelings — the twee and the transcendent — then Rumble Strip is for you.
I came across Sarah Pan on YouTube years ago. Like her other 220k followers, I was intrigued by her life in New York, her new ceramics hobby, and the insight she provided into what it’s like to be a woman working for a big tech company. When she branched into podcasting, her podcast became a perfect example of how you could make audio “aesthetic” according to visual conventions, and attract a video-first audience in the process.
Every episode of Soju with Sarah features a new novelty drink, from iced lavender matcha to strawberry probiotic soda. While she sips her aspirational fizz out of a trendy ceramic mug that she made herself, Sarah shares her thoughts on dating, growing up, and planning for the future. How do you know you’ve found the right guy? Should you freeze your eggs? Sarah recently did so, and discussed the process on both her vlog channel and podcast. If you’re in search of big sister advice, or your friends refuse to tell you the truth about your situationship, I’d suggest tuning in to Sarah’s adorable pod.
The Underground Writing Podcast
I first wrote about The Underground Writing Podcast in 2020. While their episodes were poignant five years ago, they now feel vital. Based in northern Washington, Underground Writing is a project offers creative writing programs for incarcerated, migrant, and at-risk communities.
Some politicians and news outlets paint these communities with a broad and dark brush. But The Underground Writing Podcast offers a different perspective: writing as a communal act, a way to spark connection and hope. Created by Matt Malyon and Alvin Shim, the podcast amplifies voices often lost in the noise, proving that the power of storytelling isn’t confined to MFA programs or publishing deals.
“We use creative writing as a shovel. . . And the soil, prepared by the literature, is pliant.” That is how Malyon, executive director of Underground Writing, describes the organization’s mission. Writing belongs to everyone. Even to those who’ve been overlooked.
You can’t talk about independent podcasts without mentioning grassroots audio fiction. Many of the storytelling techniques and genre conventions that define modern audio fiction were developed by indie creators in the early days of the medium. I was recently recommended Fawx and Stallion by audio engineer Newton Schottelkotte. Their claim that it was “the best character writing in audio fiction” might be a bold claim, but this independent fiction podcast has won enough awards for me to take the statement at face value.
Here’s the premise: the podcast follows two across-the-street neighbors of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. They are determined to make names for themselves as detectives, but are constantly thwarted by their more famous counterparts. What follows is a comedy of errors, where every case is a new chance for them to prove themselves — or at least attempt to. The writing balances wit and absurdity, while also centering a diverse range of queer characters in a fashion that feels historically grounded and joyful. Fawx and Stallion presents queerness as integral, but not the source of constant struggle. Simply put, this show is a delight. Expect to pull a muscle laughing.
A Bit Fruity is a pop culture analysis podcast hosted by Matt Bernstein, a content creator with over 1.7 million Instagram followers who rose to prominence by combining makeup artistry with political commentary. The show stays closely aligned with current internet discourse and is just as enjoyable to listen to on a podcast app as it is to watch on YouTube.
Bernstein is regularly joined by fellow online commentators such as ContraPoints and Taylor Lorenz. Their presence keeps the episodes lively, though the guests rarely disagree with one another. I’d recommend the podcast as a more developed, nuanced version of the YouTube video essay—but A Bit Fruity still has some distance to cover before reaching the level of a Michael Hobbes podcast. For instance, the sources cited are often more sophisticated than the analysis Bernstein and his guests provide.
In an episode about Gwen Stefani, featuring Lorenz and journalist Kat Tenbarge, Tenbarge claims that Stefani’s 2004 album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. is the reason Harajuku has become overrun with tourists and diluted by American brands. While that album is borderline nauseating, I doubt it was the reason everyone in your friendship circle took a trip to Japan last year — or that it single-handedly led to the commercialization of Harajuku.
But A Bit Fruity is valuable precisely because it skewers the worst parts of pop culture while inadvertently highlighting emerging problems with pop culture criticism. Celebrities have transformed from idols of worship into effigies to burn. They are used as embodiments of social wrongs to excuse our own personal shortcomings. And worse, they divert attention from the algorithms and rampant commercialism that are driving real social dysfunction. While cultural analysis will always be relevant, and A Bit Fruity is some of the better stuff out there, I wonder if we haven’t hit peak internet commentary.
The typical course of podcast discovery involves taking a niche interest in something and seeking out podcasts that share your fascination. In some circumstances, the reverse occurs. To say I had little interest in tabletop role-playing games is an understatement. I was, in fact, completely ignorant of the scope of Dungeons & Dragons and other games. But after finding The Apocalypse Players on a list of someone’s favorite indie podcasts, I was instantly intrigued by the imaginative storytelling and ambitious audio production.
The Apocalypse Players is an award-winning “actual play podcast” that delights in horror tabletop roleplaying games, such as Call of Cthulhu. Think dice, magical characters, and a lot of visual imagination. What sets this podcast apart from others is its all-British cast of actors, including Dominic Allen, Joseph Chance, Danann McAleer, and Dan Wheeler.
While I can’t give you an analysis of whether the gaming on this show is any good, I know a decent podcast when I hear one. In the spirit of journalism, I played my boyfriend five minutes of a recent episode about Call of Cthulhu, and he liked it. Consider that an endorsement. This is a podcast for fans of Dimension 20 or Critical Role who seek something a bit darker.
NOTA BENE: This Week in the Art World
NOTA BENE is an art podcast that gives listeners an insight into the art scene. Think curators, gallery openings, and private collectors jetting in for a private sale. This is the lifestyle that comes along with existing in the art world’s ecosystem, and it’s fascinating. The show is hosted by art advisor Benjamin Godsill and Vanity Fair art columnist Nate Freeman, and likens itself to “the podcast version of a boozy lunch at Sant Ambroeus.” Godsill and Freeman discuss the latest art world gossip from locales like New York’s “Dimes Square” to London’s Mayfair.
If you think the art world is just about money, you’d only be partly right. Having spent a bit of time in these circles, it is a true microcosm of human desire and anxiety: nostalgia for past eras, a search for authenticity, a need for immortality and permanence. It’s a lot like the restaurant scene in that way. Indeed, there’s plenty of overlap. If you are interested in art the way your high school art teacher was interested, NOTA BENE may not be for you. But if you want insights into the art scene, particularly in America, tune in for this gossip-laden podcast.
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Alice Florence Orr is a staff writer and managing editor for Podcast Review. She is a writer and freelance media strategist.