By: Petra Chase, Features Editor
This time of year can be mentally and emotionally difficult. As the days get shorter, darker, and gloomier, the winter blues, or in more severe cases, seasonal affective disorder, are common. One thing that helps me, on top of my vitamin D supplements and forcing myself to get up a little earlier, is my tropical songs playlist. If you’re also looking for a safe place for your imagination to drift, let these selected tracks take you to a warmer, brighter, beachier place.
“Song of the Sleeping Forest” by Susumu Yokota
Susumu Yokota was a singular Japanese electronic artist. This song is picked from his 2005 record, Symbol, an extravagant soundscape of classical music samples perfect for fantastical daydreaming. The bouncy tropical melodies mixed with a celestial opera sample make me feel like a mermaid traversing the bottom of the ocean, adorned with pearls as my hair flows through the water. I could be on the Expo Line but mentally, I am surrounded by friendly sea creatures.
“White Sandy Beach of Hawaiʻi” by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
You’ve probably heard the late Kamakawiwoʻole’s renditions of ukulele classics like “Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World.” His soft voice and gentle strumming feels like a lullaby, transporting you to a peaceful sunrise in your mind’s eye. “White Sandy Beach of Hawaiʻi” is an ode to the native Hawaiian’s land. The lyric “The sound of the ocean soothes my restless soul” is meditative for stressful days.
“Coconut Water” by Milk & Bone
The sprinkles of coconut-like castanets in this smooth rhythm always make me feel like I’m on a beach. This Montreal-based pop duo sings about “fruity lipstick,” “Treasure Island in your heart,” and “coconut water.” No matter the season, this song will make you want to be cool, relax, and replenish your electrolytes.
“Cool on your Island” by Y Kant Tori Read
I must also share this ‘80s glam rock hidden gem from singer Tori Amos’ stint as Y Kant Tori Read. While this album’s commercial and critical “failure” pushed her to try again and find her authentic sound, there is something camp about “Cool on your Island.” The song uses the metaphor of an island for an emotionally unavailable lover. The synth and tropical percussion are a lush atmosphere to grapple with longing, for fans of Kate Bush and ‘80s rock.
“Feeling Like a Plant” by Dominique Fils-Aimé
Taking yet another shift in genre on this playlist, envision yourself undergoing photosynthesis in this neo-soul gem off the Montreal-based artist’s 2023 album Our Roots Run Deep. This song is only an entrancing drum and layered vocal rhythms as Fils-Aimé sings lines like “Let me climb all the way to the sun.” Even when the sun is hiding behind the clouds, that doesn’t mean you can’t access its energy within yourself.