My preferred method of travel is cross-country driving; I absolutely adore road trips. But they are nothing without the right supplementary music. If you are taking a trip anytime soon (spring break happens to be right around the corner), then I have provided an ideal road trip playlist. I also know my taste is subjective to myself, so I asked some friends as well!
I took an alternative approach, aiming for music with chill vibes, in no particular order:
Malibu 1992 // COIN.
Hollow Life // Coast Modern
Brazil // Declan McKenna So young // Portugal. The Man
Simple season // Hippo Campus
Telescope // Cage the Elephant
She’s American // The 1975 You // Manwolves
All We Ever Knew // The Head and The Heart
Psychotic Girl // The Black Keys
I chose these songs because while they are not all upbeat, they allow your brain to wander. I think reflection is such an important part of mental processes, and the cathartic experience can make us better people. Music like this can calm me down and boost my mood (let’s be real, I can be pretty moody) and road trips are the perfect to reflect and meditate. Plus, it’s all by artists that I absolutely adore.
(photo by TimOve / Flickr Images)
My friend Sean Coogan, sophomore at Loyola, made a throwback playlist:
Take Me Home Country Roads // John Denver
Take It Easy // The Eagles
Magical Mystery Tour // The Beatles
California Dreamin // The Mommas and Poppas
Here Comes the Sun // The Beatles
American Pie // Don McLean
Bohemian Rhapsody // Queen
Come Sail Away // Styx
Gethsemane // Jesus Christ Superstar
“I remember many road trips with my mom to places like the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri or all the way to upstate New York where we would listen to the entire original Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack. The biggest track in my opinion is Gethsemane and that was always my favorite to sing because of the rock screams. I’ve gone to see the show live multiple times throughout my life with my mom and it’s just one of our things,” Sean said.
(Photo by Nameless_1 / Flickr Images)
Our very own Jacky James made her playlist as well. Less chill, more vibes.
California // Delta Spirit
Buttercup // Hippocampus
Champion // Kanye
See you Again // Tyler the Creator
Ways to Go // Grouplove
Helena Beat // Foster the People
The Sound // 1975
S.O.S in Bel Air // Phoenix
L$D // A$AP Rocky
Rollin // Calvin Harris, Future, Khalid
Ride Wit Me // Nelly
“One of my favorite road-trip anthems has always been ‘Helena Bea’” by Foster the People, because the music video starts with the lead singer, Mark Foster, driving on an empty desert highway, and I feel like the sound filters the producers put over the instrumentals gives it a laid-back 90s summer movie vibe. It always makes me feel like I’m in a teen road-trip blockbuster when cruising down the highway on a summer day with my friends,” Jacky said.
*Thumbnail picture by Khangee Ree / Flickr Images.