JULY ISN’T SO HOT @ 80 MPH.
It’s 10 A.M., and your air conditioner has been out since 3 o’clock in the afternoon last Friday. Opening the windows only works if it’s cool outside in the evenings, and as you woke up this morning you realized that cool mornings were probably a pipe-dream after Father’s Day. You are sweating to death, and you need to find some relief. You get in your car, not knowing your destination, but knowing that as soon as those windows come down, you will be free of not only the heat but everything else that weighs on you as heavily as 80 percent humidity.
This playlist is for that car ride. Songs that you feel obligated to play with the windows down because it feels wrong not to. These types of songs can come from many different genres and are all “windows down” songs for a variety of reasons.
Take the first song, She Put That Man Over Me by New York City rock outfit Cab Ellis. The Gordon Raphael production compliments the sort of bass line that almost implores you to bob your head. The guitar plays wonderfully bright upstrokes throughout, complimented by little textured licks to round it out. But the real treat is the end, an explosion of sound that leaves you in a state of pure joy.
In a similar vein, the track that follows is LYF by the criminally underrated WULYF. The organ creates a spacious atmosphere, and the guitar work manages to lift the song even higher with a series of buoyant lines that have this sense of adventure that is hard to come by. Couple that with the raw vocals, and this track will have you screaming at the top of your lungs to…whatever these guys are saying.
As we move further into this playlist we start to turn into the type of music where the bass and beat demand that those windows stay down. Tea Time by MostlyEverything is a poppy, bass- driven track with excellent production, closely followed by SOUTHSIDE by St. Louis rapper Sean Gerty. The surf-inspired guitar and catchy chorus will have you singing this song long after the engine is off.
The back third of this playlist is about energy. Jeff Rosenstock’s We Begged to Explode signals this change with its piano intro building into a cathartic wall of noise, with an earnest chorus that is as angst-filled as it is wistful. Another highlight comes in the form of Seeing Double and their song Don’t Wait. The guitar work, both in the foreground with its driving tempo and as a textural element compliment insistent drums that will have you checking your speedometer to avoid a ticket.
Closing tracks are hard, but Bon Iver’s For Emma is as close to perfection as you can come. The pedal-steel sound coupled with the western-inspired drumming creates a soundscape that is open and emotional. Vernon’s lyrics are devastating yet beautiful. The horn section brings a thematic element to the song, perfect for that last few blocks home. Just put your hand out the window and drive.
SONGS TO LOOK OUT FOR: FAAFO - Smugly Ugly, If Not For You - Shakey Graves, Oceans - NanaBcool, Otherside - Spyres