If there’s one form of travel that combines the constant surroundings of a picturesque landscape, unique pit stops, and a sense of adventure, it’s a thrilling road trip. But before you hop into your home on wheels, you need the right soundtrack to pair with your epic experiences on the open road.
Everyone already knows the American road trip classics like Life is a Highway and Sweet Home Alabama, so we opted to compile something a bit different. Listed below are a mix of songs perfect to jam, sing, or relax to on your next North America road trip. Enjoy the unique mix of indie and electronic vibes, with a song for every stage of your road trip adventure.
You’re cruising alongside the West coast (some may say the “Best Coast”…ahem) and are in desperate need to match the sound of the crashing waves to a mellow track. Pull out Craft Spell’s You Should Close the Door to get that retro surfer feel you’re craving.
You’re in the middle of a long travel day and there is nothing in sight but the everlasting prairies. Instead of freaking out about how small you really are in this big world, turn on Chet Faker’s track 1998 and let his soothing (and might I add extremely sexy) voice serenade you.
Yeah, we know you’ve heard of MGMT’s Electric Feel, but we bet you haven’t heard of Henry Green’s romantic and smooth sounding cover remixed by Gespleu Downcast. Turn this up when the sun is about to set and you will realise how peaceful the open road truly is.
You and your friends are getting close to one of your first destinations. You feel the pit of your stomach flip with excitement, and you need a track that makes you want to put the top down and scream out to the world. Go for it with St. Lucia’s We Got It Wrong, but be careful while you’re flipping your hair — we don’t want you to swerve on the road as you jam out.
There is rain drizzling outside, and the sound of each drop bouncing off your windshield meshes perfectly with Alt-J’s Taro. The soothing vocals and mandolin riff will keep you calm and appreciative of the incredible adventure you’re on.
You just met a new group of travellers and got invited out to a local hot spot with them. Turn up Trippy Turtle’s outrageous remix of Justin Timberlake’s Senorita to get you in a wild party mood.
You just finished visiting one of the major stops on your road trip and need to celebrate. Enjoy the drawn out intro and heavy drop of Flume’s remix of You & Me by Disclosure.
Time is flying by and you just want to hold on to the remarkable trip you have experienced over the past few weeks. Turn up Ducktails’ Killin the Vibe to be instantly put in a cheery mood.
As you’re on the last leg of your trip, you should listen to Bonobo’s Transits featuring Szjerdene. The stunning vocals and tranquil synths will be the perfect background music as you reminisce over all the wonderful people you met and places you visited.
Without you? Let’s think more about how your life would have been without your trip! Remember that even though one adventure has ended, there is a lot more to come! Celebrate all you have seen on your North American road trip with ODESZA’s Without You remixed by Vindata.
Love what you’ve heard? Run through the whole list with our 10 Road Trip Songs You’ve Never Heard playlist on YouTube.
