“A seven-layer salad of influences… expect sea shanties, grand theatricality, and squishy sounds.”

“Newts! is the most interesting musical podcast since the invention of musical podcasts.”

“If you think you don’t like fiction, this podcast is so undeniably inventive I think it could change your mind.”

A sea captain drags a barrel of water into the office of a shipping merchant. He’s here on business, with a humble proposition. He opens the lid and reveals… a newt.

Inspired by the work of Czech science fiction pioneer Karel Čapek, Newts! chronicles an alternate history of the 20th Century in which the western world discovers, exploits, educates, arms, and is ultimately overthrown by a species of highly intelligent amphibians. This globe-spanning tale of cause and effect is recounted in a mash-up of scenes, songs, film reels, and news clippings, all shared by a narrator trying to pinpoint the exact moment humanity's fate was sealed.

Nominated for Best Fiction Podcast by the Podcast Academy and named one of the “10 Podcasts We Can’t Wait to Listen to This Summer” by New York Magazine, Newts! is a farcical yet deadly serious story about self-interest and human nature -- a surf rock audio drama for a moment where today’s reality feels more and more like yesterday’s science fiction.