Originally an outlet for Nick van der Kolk’s audio experiments, Love and Radio was one of the earliest episodic narrative podcasts. The show pushed the boundaries of what podcasts could be—and whose stories could be told. Each episode features a single voice telling a story that often rides the line between comfort and discomfort. The stories range from a sadist to a funeral director to a woman fixated on a couple who never shut their blinds; each one embraces our base emotions, exploring the nuances that make us all human. We rarely hear a narrator, but the show’s scoring and sound design build a sonic landscape that propels the storytelling forward. Every episode is unexpected and addictively gripping, laying the groundwork for podcasting’s acceptance of the niche, the weird, and the taboo.

You can find some of our favorite episodes below.