Despite consistently releasing episodes for almost four years, The Polyester Podcast was recently thrust into the spotlight when a short clip of hosts Ione Gamble and Gina Jones’ biting critique of Saltburn began circulating on social media. The podcast, with its kitschy, pink aesthetic and plastic-fantastic name promises to ‘dissect the discourse on a weekly basis.’

Covering topics ranging from the merits of gossip to the ubiquity of Stanley Cups, each episode offers a well-researched, feminist examination of our media-saturated zeitgeist’s latest obsession. The issue, unfortunately, is that The Polyester Podcast is desperately trying to carve out a niche for itself in an overpopulated market.

Its appeal only extends to those deeply entrenched in the language of the internet. For those that are, The Polyester Podcast has an addictive quality not dissimilar to being locked in a TikTok doomscroll. To the technologically uninitiated, it feels like eavesdropping on two strangers speaking in a puzzling dialect. Gamble and Jones are perfectly serviceable, and the pair have an easy chemistry, but neither project a particularly charismatic presence for their listeners.

With a strict adherence to the weekly release schedule, a zippy episode length works in its favour, but its content predictably rehashes the latest online fad. As its name suggests, this is fast fashion in podcast form. Regardless, much like the social media it is so absorbed in, The Polyester Podcast is a comforting diversion. 

New episodes of The Polyester Podcast are available every Monday.