I’m going to start this review with an insanely generic statement that almost every podcast fan has regurgitated at least once in their lives, but THE INFINITE NOW is vaguely similar to Welcome to Night Vale in the ways I especially like. 

It at least has a similarly styled format, the “man in chair” setup that I’ve usually complained about in recent articles, but can very easily be recreated with the right kind of pizazz and gusto behind the delivery-i.e. The Magnus Archives or the beginning of Wolf 359-and it would take quite some blind listening to assume the two were mere copies of one another.

Perhaps I’m playing both hypocrite and critic in this context but bear in mind that my off and on complaints about this style of storytelling is a subjective one and shows like 2015’s THE INFINITE NOW are the reason why I’m such an avid fan of the flexibility available within it. 

In my opinion, it’s not the tool, it’s how you use it and its Richard Penner’s pseudo-anthology of experimental Twitter ramblings that had me absolutely pining at such an interesting and surprisingly dense fiction podcast.

And perhaps this works in the favor of THE INFINITE NOW as it’s a far more simple, much shorter take on this concept that doesn’t overstay its welcome due to its modest single season and deliberately open-ended setting. Perhaps there were more lying in the wake some time in the future but for what I’ve come to hear, and heard again for the sake of this writeup, it nails the framing just right without promising too much to the audience.

To truly synopsize THE INFINITE NOW is a tricky one, and clearly an intentional struggle at that. From what I can gather, the “story” takes place in an alternative timeline that seems to be a mirror of our own but with a number of obvious differences. 

Either that or these are a collection of shortwave frequencies being sent to the “time agents” mentioned in the introduction, implying the existence of time travel. Or, and this is my last guest, the tituaral Timescanner who is reading off these announcements is some form of corporate representative providing “audio material based on transmissions from outside of time” as the official website is to assure me.

But all that doesn’t really matter as in the end, THE INFINITE NOW is a collection of short-form and barely connected trips into surrealism and science fiction that vary between bite sized ramblings and detailed instructions.

THE INFINITE NOW is an experience and though that statement is undeniably pretentious, its one I say with honest sincerity. 

A favorite trope of mine is certainly applying magic to the mundane, taking things we’re familiar with and flipping it on its head to make it more grandiose or terrifying. Perhaps this is what gave Night Vale its initial appeal to so many listeners, but while Night Vale dabbles into eldritch horror with a touch of existentialism, THE INFINITE NOW is that with the settings just a notch higher on the whole “tiny spec in the middle of an indifferent cosmic void” thing.

The way time is treated with the same standards as tax returns-merged with the encroaching excitement of the final seconds of New Year’s Eve, how comets are observed with the same intense analysis as an animal documentary, it’s all such an excellent turn on expectations that have rooted a place in my mind deeper than some of the biggest audio drama plot twists.

THE INFINITE NOW  is intense, bizarre, random, occasionally oozing with erotic energy, and somehow it all works so wonderfully. This has much to do with its choice of presentation with its crisp audio editing and excellent and varied selection of background music thanks to talents like Psychic Mold, Dr Quandary, and  Aliceffekt giving it quite the atmospheric soundtrack. 

THE INFINITE NOW is the kind of show that truly embodies aesthetic pleasantness. It makes me think of arcade cabinets and lucid dreaming, it’s one of few podcasts that makes me consider smoking a bong or painting my ceiling wall with stars or taking up my mother’s obsession with vinyl records.

And if anything, I wish it was just a little bit longer. It’s more meaty episodes like its debut and “THE COMET BREEDER” that really got me wrapped up in its universe and though the small snippets like “YOUR AUNT BETH” are immensely charming, I always find myself going back to “MARTIAN THIRST TRAP” or it’s incredibly in-character interview with Radio Drama Revival to remind me of just how great the series can be with a longer runtime.

But perhaps that’s the point, these side notes are just extra padding to a rather dense and impressive scope that makes me appreciate the world all the more when I get to see beyond its starry exterior while still knowing almost nothing at all. Perhaps more information would put some meat on its bones but it’s a sustainable and entertaining romp nonetheless that avoids being too thorough in a world it wants to keep mysterious.

The series is just so abundant with details about immortality, alien life, and a variety of ecosystems and colorful characters, it’s hard not to get at least a little wrapped up in its world and pining for what else it has to offer.

Perhaps it ended sooner than I would hope but at least it went out in a blaze of glory and not the heat death of the universe.

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