5 Reality-Bending Podcasts That Challenge Perception 🌀

Tune in for podcast recommendations that'll have you questioning what you think you know🎧

The first time I listened to Limetown, I absolutely got got.

Now, with that warning, when you hit play on this week’s playlist, you may not suffer from the same fate I did. But these podcasts will still be mind and reality-bending. This week, Curator Mike Adamick brings us five podcast episodes that’ll get us thinking about truth, fiction, and the spaces between.

Let me know what you think of Mike’s recommendations, readers! And please also comment on this new section of the newsletter in which I introduce our curator and theme a bit differently. I’ll use this space in the future to share quick notes in addition to these intros.

Now, let’s hear from Mike about why he selected this theme⬇️

Happy listening! - Arielle Nissenblatt

Each podcast takes a kernel of truth, whether in true crime or history or urban legend – and shapes a new reality around the epicenter, creating immersive, long-form audio dramas that pull you in and make you question everything. In an era of information overload, when content is king and numbers define too much, these podcasts offer a respite for the ears, AND the brain.

Mike Adamick, EarBuds curator July 2025

Podcast Picks

Crime Adjacent podcast cover art

Crime Adjacent

This first episode of Crime Adjacent sets the tone and begins the world-building for this immersive, never-ending podcast riddled with serial killers and danger.

It looks like a true crime podcast. It sounds just like one. It apparently has seven seasons and millions of fans, and yet, it begins to blur the edges of reality itself and makes the true crime genre itself a character on its own. Innovative and addictive.

The Polybius Conspiracy podcast cover art

The Polybius Conspiracy

There’s an urban legend about a mysterious arcade machine in the 1980s. One day it suddenly appears. The next, it’s suddenly removed by a gaggle of men in black suits.

Is it a new game? A CIA mind-control experiment? So begins The Polybius Conspiracy.

Sorry About the Murder podcast cover art

Sorry About the Murder

What a perfect set-up for this lovely, addictive show. The sound design. The laconic, Canadian drawl. The jolly politeness.

You’d never expect there’s a new murder each day in this idyllic town.

Who the F**K Killed My Sister? podcast cover art

Who the F**K Killed My Sister?

This show pulls you in immediately.

There’s humor, which is difficult to pull off well in the true crime genre. And there’s the main thread of a murder that draws you deeper and deeper into a mystery with a narrator you come to consider a friend.

Limetown podcast cover art

Limetown

It’s impossible to create this list without mentioning Limetown, one of the first podcasts to twist fiction around reality.

It sounds exactly like an NPR Serial podcast episode and goes deep with interviews and conspiracy. It’s often impossible to remember it’s fiction.

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High Notes: The Art & Business of Voice podcast cover art

High Notes, hosted by voice actor and BRAVA CEO, Melissa Thom, is back for season two. The podcast features conversations around the art and business of voice, featuring the voice actors, directors, and creatives who make it all happen.

From Mongolian throat singing to vocal health, accents, gaming, and more, High Notes uncovers the craft behind the business.

Community

⚖️Winning in court often depends on mastering public opinion. How do lawyers and PR experts shape public opinion to sway high-stakes legal battles? On The Intersection, Mike Sitrick and Sallie Hofmeister uncover how media narratives can define a case.

📕Season six of Trapped History is here. It tells the stories of the forgotten — of people who have been ignored by the history we’ve been taught in school.

🎥In All The Right Movies, John, Luke, Westy, and Matt dive into cinema's greatest productions, telling the tale of each: how it was done, why it works, and why it matters.

💖In Podcast The Newsletter, Lauren Passell recommends Get Queer. She writes, “Mel is a fun host and this show isn’t only interested in how all the clashes queer people face on TV reflects our entires lives and culture, it’s a good reminder just how bad things were in the 90s.”

🚀Get your show or news featured in our Community section. Fill out this form.

Podcast news from Podnews

  • The total number of new podcast episodes published in June was 4.7% fewer than in May on a normalised basis, says Livewire. Spotify for Creators saw a small decrease, but still retained its leading market share of 26.6% of new episodes. Spreaker (at 15%) and Buzzsprout (at 8.7%) saw increases in share, as did Podbean and Libsyn. Amazon Cloudfront still serves the majority of podcast episodes (now 60.79% of them).

  • A comedy podcast festival is to expand into the U.S. — and to return to London and Melbourne. Cheerful Earful plans 15 days of live podcast shows across the globe, including a new event in New York City. Presented in partnership with headline sponsor Adelicious, the festival continues its mission to be “global but grassroots,” with comedy at the heart.

Spotlight

6 Degrees of Cats podcast cover art

Why were cats gods in ancient Egypt but Satan’s familiar by Europe’s Middle Ages? Why do serial killers and despots hate cats? When did cats get into jazz? And how the heck does all of this random cat stuff connect to us in the here and now? Listen to 6 Degrees of Cats, the world’s #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, history, and science podcast to join cat worshipper Amanda B. as she investigates these and other hard hitting questions with a diversity of guest experts from across the globe.

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