We all have those days where we just want to drift away on a cloud and not deal with the stress of the day. During this pandemic, I have realized just how important it is to step away from the hyper productive thoughts ricocheting around my mind and just take some time out of the day for myself. Many people I know have this special time for themselves, whether they know it or not, such as a skincare routine, writing in a journal, gardening, exercising or meditating. My favorite way to unwind after a long, stressful day is by lying down, closing my eyes, and listening to music through my headphones.
For my fellow peers with loud thoughts, here is a playlist of ethereal, dreamy tracks that have helped me relax:
Let me introduce you to some of the artists featured on this playlist:
Weyes Blood
I am absolutely OBSESSED with Weyes Blood. Natalie Mering, aka Weyes Blood (pronounced “Wise Blood”), has an extremely melodic, soothing voice that will make you feel as if you are curled up inside the womb of the universe. Everything she produces is ethereal. Her 2019 album cover for Titanic Rising is, in my opinion, a phenomenal piece of artwork. Photographed and staged by Brett Stanley, the cover was shot in an underwater set built in a swimming pool. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Mering stated that the album and the cover itself makes a statement on climate change and its impact on the Earth.
“I’d say the bedroom is almost like a subconscious realm of nostalgia and the water submerging it is like the emotional trauma of adulthood, climate change for real — actual rising sea levels. There’s a lot of different, layered meanings.” – Weyes Blood during an interview with Rolling Stone
Tame Impala
Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) is an Australian musician and producer. Aside from when he tours, Tame Impala is literally a one man show – he writes and records everything himself! To be honest, I had not listened to his music before his 2020 album, The Slow Rush, was released. Honestly, I was so close to putting that entire album on this playlist because of how mesmerizing it is.
Mort Garson
Mort Garson is an absolute nutcase in the best way possible. He was a Canadian pioneer of electronic music known for his work in the 1960s-70s. (He was apparently an occultist as well?) The album featured on this playlist, Mother Earth’s Plantasia, is probably his best known work and the story behind its creation is bizarre and deeply entwined in the hippie counterculture of the 70s.
Garson’s album was inspired by The Secret Life of Plants, an eyebrow raising science report written by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, claiming that plants are sentient beings and respond to certain types of music. Mother Earth’s Plantasia combines synthesizers in an unprecedented way to create a funky yet ethereal sound that your plants can jam out to.
Mild High Club
Mild High Club is, as you have probably guessed from the name, a psychedelic pop group. The group is led by American musician Alexander Brettin and the group’s music style has also been described as “cosmic jazz.” I also think it is worth mentioning that in 2017 Mild High Club collaborated with Australian group King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard on an album. (Check them out!)
Vashti Bunyan
Praise the Spotify algorithm for having Vashti show up unannounced on my listening feed. My roommate and I were lying on the roof of our little ramshackled west campus house at 3am when we heard the sweet, folksy melodic vocals of Vashti Bunyan drift out of my speaker. Born in England in 1945, Vashti Bunyan released her first album, Just Another Diamond Day, in 1970. The album flopped and she gave up on music, but thirty years later this diamond had been rediscovered and established a cult following. Vashti went on to release two more albums in 2005 and 2014.
Grimes
Grimes has been in the news a lot lately due to her and Elon Musk’s choice to name their baby after a Star Wars droid. In all seriousness, I think Grimes is a creative genius. Her work as an artist and musician dwells in the realm of fantasy, her earlier work featured on this playlist is ethereal and dreamy but her later work is more of a gritty cyberpunk. (Her song 4EAM was featured in the game Cyberpunk 2077)
Beach Fossils
You know those bands where the name pretty much describes the type of music you’re going to hear? This is one of them. Beach Fossils is KING for setting a chill, beachy vibe. The all-male indie rock group hails from Brooklyn, New York and was founded in 2009.
Crumb
Another indie rock group from Brooklyn! Although, honestly, that’s where the similarities between Crumb and Beach Fossils end. Crumb has been described to have more of an “eerie, disorienting and trippy” sound of a psych rock group. The group was formed in 2016 and is composed of four members who met while attending university.
Inner Wave
The members of Inner Wave wrote songs together at their Los Angeles high school before becoming an official group. The band produces psychedelic pop songs fueled by a lo-fi synth sound and a clear inspiration from groups like Arctic Monkeys. The American group has combined heritage from the Philippines, Columbia and Mexico, making them part of the fast growing community of Latinx indie rock groups.