It’s been a year, huh. Usually as we look back on the year of listening pleasure, recommending podcasts to those hitting the road along our pohutakawa-lined highways in search of the great Kiwi summer, we’re thinking light, fun, summer froth.
This year, however, a lot of recommendations are… on the heavy side. Reflective of the year we’ve had, many of these podcasts are about processing trauma, making sense of the political landscape we find ourselves in globally and educating ourselves where to go from here. All extremely helpful at a time when knowledge truly is power – so for those wishing to spend their summer armouring and educating themselves you’ve come to the right place.
But don't worry: we also have some listening recommendations for those who have reached the end of 2024 without two brain cells to rub together (hi, it’s us!). May your road trips and long solo walks be blessed with the best podcasts of 2024; our gift to you.
The Bechdel Cast; Sixteenth Minute (of Fame); Power User with Taylor Lorenz; 2 Fat 2 Furious
Chosen by Tanya Barlow, comedian, podcaster and Ensemble contributor
In classic Libra fashion, I can’t choose just one! My favourite podcasts for the year include (almost always) at least one project from Jamie Loftus. The Bechdel Cast has been a long time favourite of mine: a film recap podcast through an intersectional feminist lens and always very funny.
This year she also launched Sixteenth Minute (of Fame), where she interviews several of the internet’s most notorious “characters of the day” about what it was like to go viral, how it’s affected them and where they are now. Ranging from THE dress (black/blue or white/gold), William Hung, Moo Deng, Left Shark, I love my curvy wife guy and more. Recommended for the terminally online!
In the same vein, I’m a fan of Power User with Taylor Lorenz, who explores how technology and the internet are upending our lives, and covers stories ranging from online fame, emerging platforms, viral phenomena and the creator economy. Super interesting! And finally a shameless plug for my own podcast, 2 Fat 2 Furious, co-hosted with my bestie Richard Symons, where we yap about our frustrations with plus size fashion, deep dive into eras like emo, indie sleaze and twee, stan culture, some campy film/TV recaps, and a lot of personal lore. Cosy vibes.
Sigh Swoon with Gabi Abrão
Chosen by Jenny Gao, photographer, filmmaker and writer
I’ve been an avid listener of Gabi Abrão of @sighswoon’s Patreon podcasts for ages – nobody theorizes like Gabi. Her thesis is developing a language with the invisible: no-bullshit spirituality, drawing upon her Brazilian dad’s spiritualist roots and applying it as a very online city girl. She has a few free episodes but if you’re not into polished, ultra-produced work that is the norm nowadays, you’ll find a rare, genuine, bold voice behind that paywall. Gabi isn’t afraid to be personal, raw and unconventional, drawing from her real life experiences, and lands with clarity. I think she’s a truly special artist of our time and I love her!
Normal Gossip
Chosen by Georgie Wright, Ensemble writer
Not all gossip is created equal. There’s harmless gossip (then their dog peed on me), positive gossip (obsessed with their new girlfriend!), celebrity gossip (needs no explainer), safety gossip (watch out for that man) and malicious gossip (anytime you’re talking negatively about me, ok guys!). Then there’s Normal Gossip. This kind of gossip is researched and told by the host of said podcast, Kelsey McKinney.
Each episode, Kelsey tells a top tier gossip story about a total stranger, a complete normie, whose names and identifying details have been changed. As such, the gossip is totally harmless – but the thrill of mainlining a juicy little story is the same. She tells this story to you, the listener, and a different guest each episode – and at the start, she always asks the guest what their relationship to gossip is. This is always interesting in and of itself – you really get the sense that how we feel about gossip is impacted by so many different things: cultural or religious upbringings, work (a lot of journalism is basically professional gossip tbh), gender (see: safety gossip), etc.
Also, Kelsey and her friend for the ep always have great back-and-forth, so it feels like you’re having a good ol’ gossipy natter with your friends. Which, this year, has been a saviour for me. 2024 has been a hellscape on many levels – from national and international disasters, to closer-to-home shitstorms. And while I would personally like to opt out of any life situations messy enough to stir up a gossip storm, I will happily throw myself into a total stranger’s drama that has no bearing on me whatsoever.
The Rest is Politics US; The Rest is Politics UK
Chosen by Brodie Kane, broadcaster and podcaster
Why? Because in this chaotic and tumultuous world that right now seems to be hurtling towards more mayhem and madness (grim, I know), sometimes I need to hear really smart, measured, well-educated people make everything make sense. Both the UK and US versions are fantastic at doing that - Rory and Alastair and Katty and Anthony are seasoned pros and are not driven by ego (because lord knows the world is well over its quota of ego-driven podcasts haha), so I always come away feeling like I've got a better handle on things, which calms me down a bit and also makes me smarter!
The Dig; Threadings by Ismatu Gwendolyn
Chosen by Saraid de Silva, writer, author of Amma, podcast host and Ensemble contributor
The Dig is a podcast that’s helped me understand a lot of things this year. Especially this episode about Germany. I have found it so useful to understand more about Palestine, the resistance, the ways Zionism operates at different levels of government and society! Also Threadings by Ismatu Gwendolyn - particularly this episode which was much needed in November.
Kim Hill Wants to Know; Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud
Chosen by Charlotte Ryan, broadcaster.
Kim Hill is back! Love her interview style and wit. She's an inspiration. And it’s only just started but I’m very much enjoying Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud.
Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government; Going Rogue; Sexy Unique Podcast
Chosen by Rebecca Wadey, Ensemble co-founder
I honestly never thought I’d enjoy a historical political podcast, let alone inhale it as rabidly as I did this extremely excellent piece of work from The Spinoff. Toby Manhire et al somehow found a way to turn what you might think would be dry historical facts into something akin to a true crime podcast, appointment listening. As a child of the 80s, I considered myself reasonably au fait with the Labour Government’s nuclear-free stance (a prized possession of mine as a child was a letter from David Lange assuring me he was doing everything in his power to keep New Zealand safe) but there is so much more to this podcast. The episode featuring (and numerous references to) the Homosexual Law Reform bill are particularly eye opening, and you may recognise to this day the names of some of the key players who voted against it in 1986. I feel like my words can’t convey how compelling this podcast is, so just trust me and download it for a road trip this summer.
And if you are thinking I’m suddenly all intelligence and no whimsy, as a late-to-the-party Vanderpump Rules I am really obsessed with Rachel Goes Rogue (since rebranded as Going Rogue after Rachel/Raquel did, to quote my all-time fave podcast Who? Weekly, the most rogue thing of all by pulling the plug on her own pod) where Scandoval ‘villain’ Raquel pulls back the curtain on her time on the show offering lots of insider info. Being on reality TV can be alluring and addictive, she freely admits that, but she obviously ‘worked on herself’ and found the courage to leave the unhealthy relationship she was in with both the show and co-star Tom Sandoval. Some of the episodes do go down as not entirely educated new wave psycho babble so be prepared to listen with one finger on the fast forward button.
Another great VPR pod is Sexy Unique Podcast where the hosts, who are clearly out of work LA actors with far more talent than any of the wannabes on the show, do absolutely incredible impersonations of all the cast members. It has me in literal fits of giggles when driving. My children, listening to their terrible music in the backseat, have no idea what’s going on.
Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government; The Ezra Klein Show
Chosen by Duncan Greive, founder of The Spinoff
This is totally lame and literally self-involved, but I got to watch Toby Manhire and Te Aihe Butler (and a number of others, including my fellow EP Jane Yee and producer Sophie Dowson) sweat blood to make Juggernaut over the first half of this year. It was a passion project which we'd been contemplating for years, re-examining the electric two terms of the fourth Labour government. Toby brought a fresh perspective to a period about which many people have fixed opinions. He did this through enormously deep research, and getting many who were there to reflect anew, 40 years after that unforgettable snap election. It was downloaded more than 200,000 times, and even though I'm massively conflicted on it, I still could not think of another pod this year which meant more to me, and to many others, by examining the birth of modern New Zealand, for better and worse.
And for a little non-conflicted bonus, The Ezra Klein Show's pre-election coverage was incredibly thoughtful, but his post-election episodes were an even more impressive triumph of calm, intellectually curious engagement with the result – a model for all media in how to grapple with this new political environment we operate in.
Power User with Taylor Lorenz; Culture Study Podcast with Anne Helen Petersen
Chosen by Carolyn Wadey-Barron, Ensemble contributor
Podcasts from two of my favourite cultural commentators have helped me navigate the choppy waters of 2024: Taylor Lorenz's Power User and Anne Helen Peterson's Culture Study Podcast. Lorenz is a tech and culture journalist who I have loved since watching her attempt to interview the bizarre dullard behind the anti-LGBTQI+ Tik Tok account 'Libs of Tik Tok'. Peterson, who has a real life PhD in culture studies, does deep dives into popular culture. I particularly loved Peterson's recent episode about the gender panic in women's sports, which was a fantastic explainer on the subject (spoiler: calm down, transphobes). Both these hosts are gifted communicators and often drift into my favourite podcast genre, where smart people talk about dumb things.
