In the fictional story Nagasaki it doesn’t take long for the bomb to drop. When it happens and protagonist Franka loses her family and home in one fell swoop, the podcast shifts into high gear. Franka starts a search in the rubble for her friend Cleo, while trying to capture the devastation and loss in language. Her ghostly monologue is accompanied by noise, pops, beats and the hichiriki – a Japanese wind instrument with a high, ghostly sound. As a whole, the ‘audio film’, which lasts more than an hour, can be an almost exhausting listening experience, but at the best moments, sound design, story and poetic descriptions come together to form an enchanting whole.
Nagasakisix episodes of 7-10 minutes, NOX.
A version of this article also appeared in the January 28, 2023 newspaper