The best long weekend road trip playlist, according to London's music scenesters

With the last long weekend of summer underway and the fall colours coming, some Londoners may find themselves on a road trip. Wherever your wheels take you, London music aficionados agree that a long drive is not complete without a road trip playlist. 

"There needs to be an arc," said Sarah MacDougall, a London-based producer and musician. 

"You need some upbeat songs that you can sing along to that are inspiring and make you excited for an adventure," MacDougall said. "And then you need some more melancholic, slower songs on the way back."

The city's music scenesters agrees that a good road trip playlist involves variety. 

"It's got to have something for everybody," said Marty Novak, director of operations at Palasad Socialbowl.

"Sometimes depending on the mood of how the weather is when we're driving, it changes," Novak said. "If it's foggy or misty, we switch to indie folk and mellower stuff [but] if it's bright and sunny, we go classic like Queen and Neil Young."

As Londoners say goodbye to summer, here are some of the music scene's picks for a great road trip playlist. 

"The Promised Land" by Bruce Springsteen

MacDougall said she starts every road trip listening to Bruce Springsteen's "The Promised Land."

"It kind of gets my heart pumping and gets me excited for what's to come," said MacDougall. "Like the promised land, I'm going somewhere." 

MacDougall, whose version of road tripping is going on tour as a musician, said the song's lyrics are about driving, which makes it an even more fitting road trip song. 

"Weighty Ghost" by Wintersleep

Novak and his family road tripped from London to Algonquin Provincial Park last week. His favourite song from that trip was "Weighty Ghost," by Halifax rock band, Wintersleep.

"For us, it gets us head-bopping while we're driving straight down the highway," Novak said. 

He said he tends to gravitate toward indie-rock music when on the road. 

"The Apartment Song" by Tom Petty

Tom Petty's "The Apartment Song" is a must-have on Londoners' road trip playlists, says Ned Currie, a sales associate at music equipment store Music City.

"You have got to hear it, ideally in the car with the windows down," said Currie. "The tempo is in the right spot, it's really fun to sing along with, the words are easy to pick up and it's got a terrific bridge."

Currie said his ideal road trip is with his wife and kids on a sunny, traffic-free day. 

"Long Way" by Exib

Hunter Stull has a pulse on London's local music scene as a co-writer and graphic designer for music zine, the Forest City Satyr. 

Stull, who is also a music student at Western, said her favourite road trip song is "Long Way" by London four-piece band, Exib. 

"It's so dancey, super weird and techno," Stull said. "Everybody can dance to it, even if they don't know it."

"Poets" by the Tragically Hip

Music producer, Kyle Ashbourne, says his road trip playlist changes depending on the roads he is travelling. Driving on the highway requires "frantic" music, while cruising on the back roads should be accompanied by laid-back songs, Ashbourne said. 

"Poets" by the Tragically Hip is his favourite track for the quieter streets. 

"This one just has such an awesome groove and everything is so uplifting and fun-sounding," said Ashbourne. 

"Maverick" by Talisk

The co-director of London's Sunfest music festival says a good road trip involves discovering new music.

"I think that it's really important to have something come on and you're not necessarily sure what it is but you listen to it for the first time," said Mercedes Caxaj.

Her suggestion for Londoners' road trip playlist is "Maverick" by Scottish folk band, Talisk. She describes the song's sound as a "thick blend of tradition and modernity."

"Vampire Empire" by Adrianne Lenker

Richard Gracious, who works at the London Music Office, says that road trip playlists require songs where listeners can "zone out in the window and do some deep thinking."

He is a fan of Adrianne Lanker's melodic song, "Vampire Empire."

"It's just got a really nice driving rhythm, but it's not too intense," said Gracious. "It's very chill and they lyrics get you thinking a lot."

"Eaton's Spring & Summer 1975" by Ellen Froese

Saskatchewan-based artist, Ellen Froese, is the voice behind the song at the top of Danny Kidd's road trip playlist. 

Kidd, who works at Grooves Records on Dundas Street, said he has been playing Froese's song "Eaton's Spring & Summer 1975" all season. 

"It's an excellent summer track, which I think is beautiful with the sunshine," said Kidd.

"Von Dutch" by Charli XCX

When concert photographer Natali Bravo is not taking pictures and listening to her favourite local musicians like Hunter Gatherer and the Thunder Queens, she is having a "Brat summer."

The entirety of Charli XCX's latest album, Brat, is on Bravo's road trip playlist, with the song "Von Dutch" taking the top spot.

"I hate to even pick a song because the full album, just from top to bottom, is so perfect," Bravo said.