Our favorite label released a sampler for your listening ears! Royal Oakie has blessed us all with a playlist called, “Greatest Hits of 2024″, a compilation that rounds up some of the best tracks they released last year. What more could you want?
This sampler covers artists ranging in sound from indie-pop to psychedelic-pop and everything in between! As someone who thrives off of genres like shoegaze, indie, and electro-pop, this is right up my alley and I couldn’t wait to snatch this up.
After a rough day at work or even a GOOD weekend day, this first track, Radio King by Curling is your new best friend. It’s full of chill vibes and vocals, and expert-level guitar riffs, and the melody is catchy as HELL. This gives me the same feeling I got when I first listened to The Beatles as a kid, but Curling has a way more fresh and unique sound, and makes you feel like you’re basking in sunshine.
For a more laid-back and melancholic afternoon, Shake It Loose by Natural Bridges would be my go-to. When I use the word melancholic, I don’t mean sad or gloomy, but it’s definitely a more introspective sound; one that is much needed to rebalance yourself. There’s a bunch of fun instrumentation and sounds that paint their own atmosphere, and I can’t help but look up at the big blue sky when I listen to this one.
Room For You by Iain Mann ft. Sandy’s is next up on the playlist, and goes VERY well with the previous track. They could be brothers! I heard the unique sounds during the first listen and I audibly said “Oh NICE!” out loud to my empty room. This one has a little edge in it and it gives you the subconscious urge to make the stink face (in a good way) and bob your head with the rhythm.
The next track is Sea Dramas by Moon Breaks, a super shiny and truly soothing listen. I think every song on this playlist has some of the most fun and happy-go-lucky guitar riffs I’ve ever heard. This one in particular made me think of the recent album release from Strange Pilgrim, psychedelic-esque and hypnotic. The more I listen to songs in this genre, the more I fall in love with it.
If you’re looking for a song to play when you’d rather be at the beach surrounded by glistening-blue water, Well Well Well by Sunset Cliffs has got exactly what you’re searching for. As soon as I hit play, I was transported to my favorite beach with a drink in my hand and an umbrella shading me from the sun’s rays. Luckily, I live only a few minutes from the actual beach here in Florida, but if I’m looking to avoid the traffic, I’m turning on this bad boy and kickin’ back.
The next track might be my favorite from this sampler. During Retrograde by Jeff Moller is packed full of velvet vocal harmonies, relatable lyrics, and super cool instrument riffs. I love the chorus so much and the key that they wrote this in. It’s all just magical for my ears. The outro sounds like The Beach Boys have entered the chat and I ADORE it.
We have a bit of a lyrical break when we come across this next one. This is an instrumental mix of Ascending Ghosts by Go By Ocean ft. Michael Nau and it conjures up mental images of a jam-packed summer day as a kid, when there was no school, job, or major responsibilities to attend to. It brings back feelings of nostalgia, uninterrupted fun, and simpler times.
Glass Bottom Boat by Donald Beaman is the next song on the sampler. When I listen to this, I picture someone singing this to a group of people around a campfire late at night, like a folk-style performance for your closest friends and family. It gives me that feeling of connecting to Mother Earth and using the song almost like a ritual to give back to her. The vocals are smooth and paired with the simpler instrumentation, it’s like they’re calling out to your spirit.
The final track on this sampler is Lore Green and Blue by Holy Matter. Starting out slow and serene, the vocals are angelic and like other tracks on this playlist, this song brings me somewhere completely new through its unique melodies. I’m excited to hear more from all of these music artists.
This sampler is full of psychedelic folk and some of THE MOST chill music you’ve ever heard. It’s chill but also keeps your attention, which can be a hard mixture to achieve. All of these artists are masters when it comes to atmosphere-creation and I thoroughly enjoyed this playlist. It brought me back down from my headspace of work craziness and I can’t thank Royal Oakie enough for curating this sampler!
Written by Newt Fangs
