Going Mainstream

Steph Starodub and Rachel Young host Going Mainstream, a podcast born from a shared confession: they are self-professed music snobs with a deep love for the alternative scene. The show documents their deliberate, sometimes awkward, attempt to expand their horizons beyond their well-worn playlists. Each episode feels like a conversation between friends, one where album reviews are less about clinical critique and more about personal discovery and the occasional strong opinion. They balance these musical explorations with candid stories from the trenches of live music, including those hilariously embarrassing concert moments everyone accumulates. While the core of the podcast is their journey "mainstream," they frequently circle back to champion and dissect the work of their favourite alternative artists, providing a home base for their musical identities. The result is a warm, relatable, and often funny chronicle of what happens when you decide your taste might be too curated for its own good, making for a genuinely engaging listen.