This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Jeanny Sánchez Gómez. Find them on Instagram at @jeanny_sanchez. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Whether you listen to podcasts daily or tune in for attention-grabbing episodes, this guide will help you find cool podcasts on Spotify. No matter your interest, there is a show for you, and that’s the beauty of podcasts. So, let’s dive into the list!
National Park After Dark
One of my favorite podcasts, National Park After Dark, brings the National Parks to listeners’ ears. Co-hosted by friends Danielle and Cassie, NPAD shares horror tales of encounters and survival while also sharing inspiring stories of protecting these beautiful places. A combination of fantastic storytelling and fascinating stories makes the show a weekly must listen!
So, if you are a fan of true crime, ghost stories, and history, there will be an episode for you. The Lava Lake Murders is a good episode to get hooked on if you want to check out the show!
Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio
What starts as an anthology show, The Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio, is a fictional horror-comedy about one of the country’s last remaining Dead Letter Offices. Narrated by the office workers, each episode brings a new horror, whether supernatural or something that could happen in real life, making it hard to stop listening. Before the show, I didn’t even know these offices were real places where undeliverable mail was being processed. The podcast’s concept is simple, but, as you will hear, it is full of endless possibilities as to what those letters hold. As the show progresses, we hear another story unfolding in the background involving the narrators. The narration, combined with the use of background noise or music that pertains to the story, makes it feel all that more real. It’s eerie, funny, and hard not to binge.
If you want to invest in a show, start with the first episode.
Whatever happened to pizza at McDonald’s
Following Brian Thompson’s journey to figure out Whatever happened to Pizza at McDonald’s, this one is a hit or miss. Short episodes asking the same questions about different McDonald’s locations can get boring and repetitive. Still, the narration style and the almost conspiracy-like mindset that Thompson has when questioning workers adds some unexpected humor that keeps you engaged, especially when (spoiler alert) someone finally says yes. If you are a fan of analog horror, his monotone voice and the repetitiveness can sometimes make you feel like something ominous is on the horizon. Whether there is or isn’t, either way, the journey is ridiculous enough to keep me engaged.
While I haven’t finished the whole show, it’s short, goofy, and good for when I need a quick laugh. It’s hard to stop listening. I am now also invested in knowing what happened to the pizza at McDonald’s.
McGillicuddy and Murder’s Pawn Shop
A one-woman show, McGillicuddy and Murder’s Pawn Shop is a magical world set in 1921 where the main character, Maude, begins writing in her diary only to realize that the problem with this is that her life is boring. She works all day, comes home to write, and repeats the same day over and over again. Yet, she visits McGillicuddy and Murder’s Pawn Shop, hoping to find something there, and eventually does when she finds a piece of broken china with a blue eye on it, and things just get weird from there. Narrated in 10-minute episodes, it feels like getting sucked into reading an excellent book.
With five seasons out, the podcast is worth listening to every minute.
Everything is Alive
Everything is Alive is an unscripted, interview-style show where the subjects being interviewed are inanimate objects. I found it slightly existential at times to bring random inanimate objects, from a generic can of soda to life to a paper towel dispenser, and listen to the perspectives of these items. The more I listened, the more I realized that this concept was something that I needed in my life. It’s another good show, and you can’t go wrong with whatever episode you click on, so have fun getting to know an object on a personal level!
Midnight Burger
Set in a diner that travels through space and time, Midnight Burger is brought to life by its mismatched workers, sentient radio, and their regular. While the concept sometimes feels like a lot to digest, especially with some of the wacky settings and adventures that can happen in each episode, it is full of imagination, and each new world feels so real, but only because of how grounded the main characters are. While no one knows why this diner exists, it pops up where needed. While you could listen to random episodes and be thoroughly entertained, Midnight Burger does better as a story. Listening to the character’s growth as the show goes on makes it feel like you are working alongside them as they go on their journeys.
The Amelia Project
The Amelia Project is a secret agency that is the best at helping people fake their deaths and disappear off the face of the Earth. Episodes are set as recorded interviews of the clients who wanted to disappear until slowly ( like most long-form narrative podcasts do) it turns into something more. While you can tune in for individual episodes, they recommend starting from season one and I do too. What makes the show so intriguing is just how crazy these fake deaths can be. The plotting and scheming to find the most realistic, ridiculous death is what gets you hooked from the start.
While most of the shows I listed above can be a bit out there at times, they deserve all the praise. But if you’re not the biggest fan of long, narrative-style shows, here are a few lifestyle/interview-style shows that I think are underrated
Long Winded with Gabby Windey
Diving deep with her guests Gabby Windey, the most recent winner of The Traitors, the show is just funny and full of personality if you like listening to anything from pop-culture trends to discussions of sexuality and health.
Exes and O’s With Shannon Beveridge
Hosted by a queer icon (if you know, you know), Shannon invites guests into her bedroom, where they discuss anything to do with relationships.
The RE-CAP Show
If you are a sports fan, The RE-CAP Show talks about everything and anything related to global sports and women’s sports. Hosted by two-time World Cup champions and Olympians Tobin Heath and Christen Press, the show gives great insight into the world of sports.
What are some of your favorite cool podcasts on Spotify? Leave a comment below with more recommendations!
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