Truckin' Vol. 2
nighttime edition
For Exhausted Drives: White Pony by Deftones (2000, alt metal)
Some albums are nocturnal. They lie dormant during the working day, powers untapped and allure unactivated. They only come alive at night, stepping into their fullest potency.
There’s always an element of tiredness, when it comes to driving at night. There shouldn’t be too much (please stay safe!), but there’s always a little. Whether you’re riding the day’s last wave of caffeine, chasing the high of an exciting night’s plans, or just deluding yourself into thinking that “wired” equals “energized”, there’s still that pressing undercurrent. You’re looking forward to parking, stretching your legs, and settling somewhere — be it a bed, a dance floor, or a best friend’s couch.
So when it comes to later drives, the magic word is “energy”. And I’m not a late night coffee person, so that has to come from music. During the day, I can entertain a folk song, a ballad, a sleepy little ambient electronic track…Not now. Give me hip hop. Metal. Hardcore. Bombastic pop music. …All of the above?
It’s not too much of a stretch to say that Deftones captures all these sounds and more on White Pony, a product of its time and a harbinger of sonic vibes to come. There are hooks straight out of alt rock here, huge shoegaze-y walls of sound, rap verses, and blissful levels of distortion. It’s sexy and it’s scary and it’s superb for a singalong. It reels in your exhaustion and spits out raging, fiery vitality in its place.
For a Chill Evening Drive: Soul Lady by Yukika (2020, k-pop)
So we need a bite of energy, but what if we just wanna…chill? Enter Soul Lady, one of the sleekest, brightest, and most uplifting pop albums released this decade.
Yukika cites the Japanese city pop movement as a major influence for this project, a sound that fuses bright, synth touches with the understated warmth instilled by folk and jazz instruments. The music pulses and bustles like a moonlit metropolis, and while I’m no expert on the genre, the flavors of it found here leave me excited to one day plumb its depths.
There’s something at once alive and at peace about this album; it’s soft but never sleepy, and it always seems to be pushing towards something exciting. It takes me back to being 19, sitting in the backseat of a car full of friends, en route to a party. Will my crush be there? Will one of us make a move? I’m tired from the workday, and I’m relieved to finally be free for the weekend, among friends. But my excitement lifts me from my seat like a tether: pulling me, anxious, forward. Quiet but alive.
For Excited Drives Home: Alias [ep] by Shygirl (2020, uk hip hop)
Artists often begin their careers with a series of singles and EP’s — This is practical. It makes sense. But it usually doesn’t amount to someone’s best work, as they begin to build a fanbase and assemble the elements of their identity.
And then there’s Shygirl. Stepping right out the gate with a clear aesthetic and a signature sound, by the time she dropped her second EP, Alias, she was already a tour de force. This music is sultry. Alien. Frenzied. Dark. Drenched in the kind of confidence that turns quietly menacing. A night out in a blender.
When you’re already feeling stoked, what’s there to do but rage? This is the kind of hip hop that’s perfect to scream along to, feeling immaculately cool as you find yourself anew in each unyielding beat. Just remember to keep your eye on the speedometer: this one operates at a sprinter’s pace.
For Designated Drivers: Nightride by Tinashe (2016, alt r&b)
The title’s a little on the nose, but I’m not complaining. Sometimes I need to be gently spoon-fed instructions on how to do something. Night? Check. Ride? Buckle in.
Designated drivers deserve cheap thrills too: to feel fully immersed in the dark glamor of a late, excited night. And Tinashe’s music has a way of enveloping the listener, whether they’re tipsy in a club bathroom or sober at the wheel. “Company”. “Party Favors”. “Touch Pass”... There’s something psychedelic to the way these songs are sequenced, pulling you to blissed-out heights with each trap hook and mesmerizing instrumental. These songs strike hard, like radio hits, never holding back a punch. But this album is also spacey. It’s electronic. It’s experimental and it’s coiled like a serpent — unwilling to let you go until you’ve heard the full story.
And that story is huge and emotional! Tracks like “Ghetto Boy” are sentimental foils to the casual flings found elsewhere, fleshing out a rich document of passion in all its forms. If you’re looking for a reason to be out, to keep driving, to keep chasing desire, you’ll find it here, in these well-loved pages. Oh? And it’ll placate the drunk friends in the back seat too.
When the Night Was Perfect: Pang by Caroline Polachek (2019, art pop)
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about Caroline here, and it certainly won’t be the last. Her brand of pop feels both familiar and groundbreaking, to those of us brought up on the bulletproof electropop of The Fame Monster and Body Talk. Creeping pulses and sharp, synthetic vocal production, only highlighting the sound of the adept singer beneath. Pop music in the 2010’s became less about stripped-back authenticity and more about augmented scope: singers like metal-clad demigods, spokesmen for the mortals who worshiped at their shrines. Pang is the logical conclusion to that era: Caroline sounds like a robot angel, wielding songs that are painstakingly human.
When the night has been perfect, we want the drive home to be perfect too — whether we’re sitting at the wheel or staring out the window, finding new light in familiar skylines. Pang has become my reliable go-to for achieving this: it’s stunningly atmospheric, yet delightful to participate in, jam-packed with catchy lines and jungle gym melodies. I don’t sound anywhere near as good as Caroline when I sing these songs. It’s unlikely that any of us will. But isn’t that a kind of liberating thing to accept? Perfect nights make us feel invincible, and ready for any challenge — A humbling voice crack won’t do us in.
Thanks for tuning in! I had a pretty rough week this week. It seems like everyone did, somehow? I’m not a good enough astrologer to tell you all why.
Until next time: Roll down the windows and welcome something new.
Clare