First things first: road trips are awesome. Taking to the open road, abandoning the regularity and restrictions of everyday life and getting spiritual – there’s nothing better. And just because we’re hitting winter doesn’t mean road trips are off the agenda. Roll up those windows, throw on some massive tunes and take to the highway – welcome to a road trip playlist bursting at the seams with unadulterated goodness.
Track 1: Beastie Boys – Sabotage
There’s no sense in starting with any other than a bang. Sabotage hits like a freight train and is relentless in its three minute assault, fit to burst with gloriously heavy riffs, staggering hip hop charm and a coolness which is practically tangible. Road trippers in search of liberation, look no further. With the Beasties as your guide, you’ll be feeling invincible from point A to wherever.
Track 2: Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.
Good vibes are rarely supplied in these volumes. The track as good as instructs you to feel good, and the song’s contents fully support this argument. Feel Good Inc.’s chorus is surely one of the most liberating in musical history – and those verses are more than ample preparation for some road tripping mischief.
Track 3: Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made for Walkin’
How about a throwback? This exceptionally cheeky tune is ideal for empowerment and even better for leaving your cares on the side of the road. Nancy knows how to get down to the bare essentials – in this case, exceptionally mischievous country pop and a metric ton of attitude.
Track 4: Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks
If you can forgive the admittedly dark content of the track, Pumped Up Kicks has the potential to bring your mellow to previously unregistered levels. This is a fantastic cool-down track, perfect for switching your brain off and just driving. If you’re road tripping as a group, anticipate a moment of silent consensus, breathing in those smooth, smooth vibes.
Track 5: Chase and Status – Blind Faith
Ready for a shot of adrenaline? Blind Faith offers exactly that. Chase and Status are acclaimed for their massive sound, and this is the ideal track if you want to go big. There’ll be moments of chill and a few of wistfulness – but when that rapture of a chorus hits, it’s all rise. The sensation is a sweet one indeed.
Track 6: The Mamas and the Papas – California Dreamin’
No road trip soundtrack would be complete without a healthy dose of 60s bohemia. California Dreamin’ is the road tripper’s theme song – it absolutely reeks of wayfaring goodness and is, by all accounts, the ultimate exit theme. Whether it’s escape you’re after, or just a brief interlude, this monster of a track serves as a welcome reminder that absolutely everything is awesome, in spite of what are some distinctly melancholy undertones. An absolute beaut.
Track 7: Steppenwolf – Born to be Wild
The classics are classics for a reason. Those with mischief in mind will find all the motivation they could possibly need here. Born to be Wild is one of those tracks so utterly untamed in its brilliance that its effect is pretty much universal. Turn this one up, forget your inhibitions and your troubles and get in touch with your primal self.
Track 8: Vampire Weekend – Walcott
One of the more obscure choices on this list, Walcott makes far too much sense on a road mix. The vibe is one of pure, unadulterated wanderlust and the sound is glorious in its liberating positivity. Wherever you’re going from and wherever you’re headed, Vampire Weekend know how to write the track that gets you there. Keep your eyes on that horizon and soak up that massive ‘let’s get out of here’ goodness.
Track 9: The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations
With good vibrations being the theme at hand, it should come as no surprise that these self-professed good vibrations make the cut. The Beach Boys are unrivalled masters of optimism, with every one of their hits being ideal for free-roaming shenanigans. But this track in particular offers something special – a song about nothing more or less than just feeling good. A winner.
Track 10: Phantom Planet – California
Just as playlists rise, so too must they fall. If you’re all partied out from Beasties, Chase and Status and Steppenwolf, consider this your spectacular cool-down. Phantom Planet’s California shines with West Coast charm and is sublime in its mysteriously melancholy sound. If escapism is on your agenda, this track is guaranteed to provide. Getting from A to B has never been so cathartic or so damn cool.
