Being forced to stay indoors can be mentally taxing for many, but Five North have curated a playlist that will musically transport you to happier places.
The new rock trio (comprised of The Last Summer actor Tyler Posey, Makeout’s Scott Eckel and bassist Kyle Murphy) put together a 16-song quarantine soundtrack for Billboard that features alt-rock, punk rock and classic rock. But there’s also a splash of beachy vibes on the playlist, courtesy of Goldfinger, Sheryl Crow, NOFX and Santana.
Five North have also included tunes that are simply meant to ease your mind, like WYS’ “Take Me Back,” and song titles that are fitting for these uncertain times, like Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help From My Friends.” And, of course, there are tracks from Five North and Makeout on the playlist, with Five North’s “This Mess” — from their debut EP, Scumbag, which arrived March 6 — serving up an all-too-serendipitous message: “How do I get out of this mess?”
Let your brain escape with Five North’s quarantine-approved playlist — and check out some quotes from the guys themselves — below. [Note: Posey didn’t pick a particular song from The Bottom Line, but instead shouted out their entire catalog. You can listen to them here.]
Fever 333, “Presence Is Strength”: “Despite the name, right now distance is strength, but the message stays the same. Long live the servants. There’s a motherf—in’ fever comin.’” — Scott
Nothing, Nowhere, “Destruction”: “Feeling useless, I don’t wanna do this.” How I feel about this current situation.” — Scott
The Amity Affliction, “Soak Me In Bleach”: “Yeah, just, do it please.” — Scott
Blue Öyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”: “I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription? You got it, baby.. more cowbell.” — Scott
WYS, “Take Me Back”: “Something soothing for when isolation gets too much, and you’re a little sad, just curl up and let this one heal you.” — Scott
Makeout, “Ride It Out”: “Shameless promotion. But hey let’s just ride this one out. Let’s go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over.” — Scott
Five North, “This Mess”: “Perfectly goes with the madness happening, as the hook lyric is ‘how do I get out of this mess?!’ Maybe we were predicting the future when we wrote it.” — Tyler
Sheryl Crow, “All I Wanna Do”: “She’s been an anthem for me for a couple years because damn she’s the s–t. But this song kind of helps meditate you out of the sadness that’s going on right now. Everything’s gonna be okay!” — Tyler
Joe Cocker, “With A Little Help From My Friends”: “This isn’t the original version of this song, but g—–n is it good. If you’re missing a little soul in your life right now, this will be sure to punch it back into it.” — Tyler
The Bottom Line’s entire discography: “We were fortunate enough to tour with this band in the UK a couple years ago and fell in love with them and their sound. The bottom line bleeds POP PUNK WILL NEVER DIE and they do it better than anyone. Anything by them will help put a smile on your face and a mosh in your step.” — Tyler
The Story So Far, “Proper Dose”: “The Proper Dose album has been a staple for us since it came out. Helping pass the 100+ hours in the tour van by with ease. This album and title track specifically is a beautifully structured work of art, and The Story So Far keeps pushing the boundaries of their shit and it’s super inspiring.” — Tyler
The Midnight, “Jason”: “If you want to feel like you’re in a f–king movie about to go fight space aliens, which might be necessary with the boredom going around, this band will help transport you to any sci-fi scene you’d like. Driving home from Vegas with the desert around you smoking cigarettes was also a really cool way to listen to them. That’s how I was introduced, haha.” — Kyle
Blink-182, “Dick Lips”: “A unanimous decision between us, blink 18-f—ing-2. They will always be in any of our playlists. Even if the playlist is called ‘Please don’t put any Blink 182 in this playlist.’ Tyler has the first note of Dick Lips tattooed on him, Scott is thinking about getting Tyler’s lips tattooed on his d…” — Kyle
Goldfinger, “Tijuana Sunrise”: “The beach seems to hold a special warm place in our hearts. This song takes the beach to you. Necessary for these times.” — Kyle
NOFX, “Eat The Meek”: “Another band that deserves to be on every playlist if we have any opinion. Also, more beach in your living room with this one.” — Kyle
Santana, “Oye Como Va”: “I think this song explains itself. In these times of isolation, it’s hard to feel sexy. Put this on and you are the vixen in the dark dive bar who knows how to salsa like nobody’s business. Shake what yo mama gave ya!” — Kyle