‘Mother Country Radicals,’ a murder investigation, ‘It’s OK to Say Gay,’ and more: 9 new podcasts to stream this summer

We’ve selected 9 podcasts across many genres to add to your listening queue this summer. There’s a true crime podcast investigating trans teen Nikki Kuhnhausen’s murder in 2019. Some shows on our list aren’t necessarily new, but are back and better than ever with brand new seasons, like the Netflix companion listen, “The Geeked Podcast.”

If you’d like to learn more about the next generation of the Internet, tune into “web3 with a16z.” Sports fans might enjoy “Unwritten: Behind Baseball’s Secret Rules,” hosted by 2 former players. We recommend “R&B Money” for music fans. Check out these podcasts and more on our streaming guide for summer.

It’s OK to Say Gay

Audacy presents “It’s OK to Say Gay,” a series deep-diving into issues affecting the queer community. This series features LGBTQIA+ voices, interviews, inclusive storytelling, and more with episode titles like “Pride is back! Will it be a party or a protest?” This series is a must-listen for Pride Month and a timely listen as America is faced with the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and anti-trans laws.

R&B Money

From iHeartPodcasts comes “R&B Money,” co-hosted by Grammy Award-winning R&B singer/songwriter/producer TANK and executive J. Valentine. This series is for music fans, as they’ll cover Keith Sweat, Pink Sweat$, and more. Their first guest was Jamie Foxx, and he remembered golden moments when he worked with TANK and J. Valentine and had plenty of insight from the R&B world.

Malevolent

“Malevolent” is a fiction podcast by Harlan Guthrie for fans of Lovecraftian horror. The series follows Arkham Private Investigator Arthur Lester who wakes up scared, without memories, and can no longer see. A creepy voice starts talking to him in the darkness, and he must determine if this entity is safe to obey. Start the 20+ episodes from episode 1.

Kuper Island

CBC True Crime’s “Kuper Island” is an 8-part series about a residential, Canadian boarding school, its students, and its grisly history. Hosted by Duncan McCue, this series shares 4 former students’ stories: 3 survived, 1 did not. These 4 experiences are just some of the various unsolved deaths, reports of abuse, and lies that continue to affect the survivors and community today.

web3 with a16z

From a16z crypto Sonal Chokshi and Chris Dixon comes “web3 with a16z,” all about what’s next for the internet. Hear about builders and users – everyone from coders to artists, creators, companies, and more – can “read” (web1), “write” (web2), and “own” (web3) pieces of the internet. This sets the stage for new forms of entrepreneurship and creativity. The podcast is a great resource to learn about crypto and web3.

Unwritten: Behind Baseball’s Secret Rules

“Unwritten: Behind Baseball’s Secret Rules” is an Audacy and MLB original hosted by former players Jimmy Rollins and Ron Darling. Episodes dive into baseball’s unofficial rules, history, and culture. From locker room activity to bat flipping, sign stealing, “keeping score,” and jinxing, Ron and Jimmy have plenty to chat about in weekly episodes.

Mother Country Radicals

From Crooked Media and Audacy comes “Mother Country Radicals.” The podcast tells Zayd Dohrn’s story, born underground to radical, counter-culture parents who were outlaws fleeing from the FBI. Zayd is bringing listeners to the 1970s when the group his parents were a part of, the Weather Underground Organization, declared war on America’s government. The group brawled with riot cops in Chicago, bombed the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol, got cohorts out of prison, and led Black militant groups set on robbing banks, fighting racism, and creating a revolution.

The Geeked Podcast

Okay, so Netflix’s “The Geeked Podcast” has been around since 2019, but a new season is in full swing. The latest episodes are about Stranger Things Season 4: Volume 1. And it’s a safe bet there will be episodes on The Umbrella Academy‘s upcoming season and new Netflix shows this summer. A definite companion listen for your favorite Netflix releases.

Should Be Alive

VAULT Studios’ “Should Be Alive” investigates Nikki Kuhnhausen’s 2019 murder in Vancouver, Washington. Nikki was a transgender teen girl. In this series, host Ashley Korslien examines a number of issues transgender people face and brings awareness to countless acts of violence against the trans community. Start this weekly true crime series from episode 1.