SLOW LANE SOUNDTRACK
A WEST COAST ROAD TRIP PLAYLIST
There’s something that happens once I turn the key and the engine catches, time seems to loosen its grip a little. The to-do lists fade. The calendar doesn’t matter. It’s just me, the road, and a long stretch of sky. That’s when music hits different. Not as background noise, but as part of the whole experience.
I didn’t set out to make a playlist. It kind of just came together, from long drives to remote coastlines, ferry decks at sunrise, and moments pulled over for no reason except to breathe it all in. Some songs came from late-night campfire hangs, others from quiet, solo mornings with coffee steaming on the dash. All of them became a part of the drive, and now, a part of how I remember it.
Van Anthem Vibes
The songs that help me slow down and settle into the rhythm of the road.
Once I’ve been driving long enough, things start to shift. My thoughts quiet down, the pace of everything slows, and I finally feel like I’ve arrived, even if I’m still hours away from where I’m headed. These are the songs that help me get there.
They carry a kind of optimism — a lightness — but they don’t rush. They let the wind come in through the window, the sun settle on my arm, and they make space for the quiet joy of just being on the move.
A few of my go-to tracks:
“I Lived” – OneRepublic
“Runnin’ Down a Dream” – Tom Petty
“Just A Little While” – The 502s
“Follow My Feet” – The Unlikely Candidates
“KMAG YOYO” – Hayes Carll
“Sunroof” – Nicky Youre
“I'm Born To Run” – American Authors
This is the part of the playlist that makes me loosen my grip on the wheel, settle into the slow lane
Retro Groove
Songs that tap into the soul of the Vanagon — and the eras that came before it.
There’s a kind of timeless cool that lives in the bones of the Vanagon. You feel it when the sliding door clunks shut, or the way the whole rig hums at 80 km/h. For me, that cool isn’t just about the van, it’s about the vibe. A throwback to when road trips weren’t curated, and nobody cared about notifications.
These songs feel like a worn pair of jeans and a pair of sandals, a little bit of ‘50s swagger, some ‘60s flower power freedom, and a nod to the dusty cassette era of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Some of the tracks that take me there:
“Holiday Road” – Lindsey Buckingham ( At least 4 times per drive)
“So Long Baby Goodbye” – The Blasters
“Bohemian Like You” – The Dandy Warhols
“Help Me, Rhonda” – The Beach Boys
“You Make My Dreams (Come true)” – Daryl Hall & John Oates
“Only the Strong Survive” – Bryan Adams
“Chicks ‘N Cars (And The Third World War)” – Colin James
“I Love a Rainy Night” – Eddie Rabbitt
They’re the kind of tracks that make me want to take the long way.
WeSt Coast Lifestyle
Indie adventures, positive vibes, and the quiet joy of being where your feet — and wheels — are.
Once you’ve been out long enough, something shifts. The urgency melts away. Your sense of time gets blurry, in a good way, and the things that matter most get quieter but clearer. This section of the playlist is for those moments.
These songs capture the spontaneity of West Coast van life: the freedom to follow a forest road just to see where it goes, or take a dip in a lake you didn’t plan to stop at. They’re full of optimism, soul, and that subtle ache of being perfectly present.
Sample Tracks:
“It Only Gets Better” – WILD
“Everything Is Possible Now” – Clouds and Thorns
“Find Your People” – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
“The Vanagon Song” – Emica Strong
“Alive” – Graeme James
“Real Real Good” – Layup
“Beautiful Day (feat. Sheryl Crow)” – Joshua Radin
“Into the Wild” – Connell Cruise
“What Would I Change It To” – Avicii,Aluna
“Sweater Weather” – The Neighbourhood
These tracks don’t fight for your attention, they reward it.
Closing Thoughts
Music can make me feel the emotion of a moment, whether in a film, a live performance, or just parked by the ocean with a coffee in hand. It gives emotion to the moment. The power to convey that through song is deeply human, and for me, it has a way of grounding me in the now.
I love that feeling, the moment when I can effortlessly let go of the hustle we’ve all been tricked into calling normal. When I’m a few hours down a coastal highway, watching the sun dip below the horizon and feeling the hum of the tires beneath me, this is the music that brings it all into focus.