Surfing, Skateboarding, Music, Photography, Travel, Culture and general antics of the youth on the run.

Music for Wandering Around Europe A Playlist for your jaunt in the Old World

Music for wandering around Europe.

Without music, life would be a mistake. Nietzsche once said that, and I back him all the way. Europe is a vast wonderland of adventures, with perpetual stimulation, culture, rosé and the casual comfort of being able to smoke a cigarette any damn place you feel. But even after all the expansive history and art and seafood and baguettes and wine and debauchery that seems to ceaselessly blend from one day into the next, without music to soundtrack the experience, an adventure in Europe, or anywhere, can fall flat. So make sure headphones are on your list of essential packing items, check the European tour dates of your favorite bands, and don’t be afraid to wander into some karaoke bars or live music watering holes where you may not speak the language. Music is as close to a universal language as we have, and it’s way more fun to wander the cobblestone streets of Lisbon or Antibes or Paris drunk as fuck humming Brian Jonestown Massacre with some street-bought hashish rollie dangling from your lips.

Here are my top ten songs from my European adventure that were stuck in my head, on repeat. In no specific order.–Maya Eslami

1. Adult Books, “Casual Wrecks” from their new album Running From the Blows.

2. Kevin Morby, “Destroyer” from Singing Saw. Kevin Morby plays the Constellation Room at the Observatory in Santa Ana on 6/2 and the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles on 6/3. Check out dates for his full tour here:

3. The Pesos, “Cumdown” from Carpet Dope.

4. The Abigails, “Calm Before the Storm” from Tundra. I met up with my buddies The Abigails and saw them play in some black dungeon of a warehouse in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. The weather was sticky hot and rainy, and the sun set that night at 10:30pm. The crowd was beyond stoked, and Warren Thomas – the lead singer – indulged their antics as they swept him on their shoulders and carried him around the room as he shouted, “Fucking oui oui motherfuckers”.

5. Brian Jonestown Massacre, “Anemone” from Their Satanic Majesties’ Second Request.

6. The Parrots, “Let’s Do It Again”.

7. Tomorrows Tulips, “Casual Hopelessness” off their Tired EP. I saw the Tulips play in Lisbon in an art gallery with an outdoor beer garden of sorts. Alex was in a great mood; Ford had a new haircut. Dom had his projections on display. It felt like home.

8. The Cactus Blossoms, “Change Your Ways or Die” off You’re Dreaming.

9. Cherry Glazerr, “Haxel Princess” off their self-titled debut. This album came out in 2014 and I’m still relentlessly listening to it.

10. Cass McCombs, “Opposite House” off his upcoming album Mangy Love, out August 26th on ANTI.

IMG_7271 IMG_7036 IMG_7230 IMG_7107 IMG_7456

WHAT YOUTH DRINKS: Sazerac An Evening Delight

Here’s a drink to reach for, the official cocktail from New Orleans: the Sazerac. With its ample bitters and sepia spirit, the drink is earthy and deep yet subtly sweet. While it’s served in an ice-cold glass, the unusually warm quality of rye whiskey gives me those fireside holiday vibes. It was made with absinthe…

What Youth Drinks: White Russian A Recipe Done Properly

Some consider it a “guilty pleasure,” the Dude often refers to it as a “Caucasian,” but the simple luxury of a White Russian isn’t lost on anyone who knows what’s good for them. It’s the kind of drink that seems implicitly appropriate at any time of day because of the coffee liqueur and milk…at least…

Radical Class: Some Weekend Reading A book about Australia (it’s that time again!) from an author we can’t get enough of

“Australia is mostly empty and a long way away. Its population is small and its role in the world consequently peripheral. It doesn’t have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities, or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner. It is stable and peaceful and good. It doesn’t…

Five Songs For Your Next Surf Clip Here’s “Wonderwall” or something or other.

You ever sit down to enjoy the latest web clip and start off thinking, “Hey, the surfing here isn’t terrible.” But then, oh let’s say thirty-seconds into everything, you change your tone. Something’s not quite right. Tilting your head to the side, you raise your eyebrows a bit and say to yourself, “But the music…

What Youth Eats: Open Fire Soup When the thermometer drops, cook outside! Here’s how.

When you get close to Christmas and New Years it’s too easy to sink in to the hole of your living room, stuffed from eating and drinking heavily since Thanksgiving and let the anxieties of 12-hour family days and new year’s expectations to start creeping in. So if that is what actually ended up happening…

What Youth Drinks: Tropical Eggnog Happy Holidays, But First Drink this Punch     

To quote maybe every other person right now, “it’s been quite a year, right?” So much emotion! So much drama! Never the less we’re here, hopefully gathering around a table with a bunch of family to reconnect, catch up, etc.. But as beautiful as the idea of family togetherness is, 10-12 extended family members sitting…

what youth recommends top 5 books holiday break

Books we recommend for holiday break Spark up a fire and put some words through your mind for the holidays.

The next two weeks are an opportunity. A break. A moment to find clarity and inspiration. For most of us, in between the family gatherings and trips and travel and chaos there is a year wrapping up, and an opportunity to squeak in one or two more books to our count for the year. And believe…

what youth radical class cocktails with paul brewer

What Youth Drinks Building Blocks to a Great Cocktail

Did you know making cocktails is as easy as 1-2-3? Well, it can be with Booze-Acid-Sugar. In this brave new world of crazy ass cocktails, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all these circus dick concoctions. Artisanal aperitifs, flavored vodkas, and flair-full garnishes are all real fancy, but sometimes they cloud the basics. Because, when…

Radical Class: What Youth Reads Homage to Catalonia: a book seven decades young and still topical!

The Spaniards are good at many things, but not at making war. All foreigners are alike appalled by their inefficiency, above all their maddening unpunctuality. The one word that no foreigner can avoid learning is mañana.—George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia I bring books with me when I go on vacation for two reasons. One, I struggle…

Radical Class: “The Center Will Not Hold” Definitely watch the new Netflix documentary on writer Joan Didion

In a world full of chaos, absurdity, tragedy and Stranger Things, it’s always nice to find some larger perspective in a good old fashioned documentary. And the latest on writer Joan Didion is that. Few names have encouraged an entire generation of people and writers the way she has. And just a few minutes into the…

Radical Class, What Youth Drinks, Paul Brewer

WHAT YOUTH DRINKS: COCCI AMERICANO An Easy, Inexpensive way to Live that Riviera High Life

I snagged a bottle of this Cocci Americano stuff after seeing it on the shelf at a cocktail bar in Long Beach, CA. It was an impromptu buy — I didn’t know what it was or what to do with it, but thought I’d figure it out. Experiment! Cocktail jazz improvisation! While I’ll save the…

Radical Class, Berlin, Adam Warren

Radical Class: Hope from the Road Just when you thought it was all over: there is Berlin  

Turns out there is still hope out there. Out there, beyond your day-to-day, somewhere out on the road its not all politics, hurricanes, bad vibes and bad memes. In fact, the other day I found myself way outside the bad lands somewhere in Berlin. Just off the plane I walked around the Mitte District. I meandered…

Sign up for letters from What Youth


By enabling this page, you are acknowledging and accepting our privacy terms and conditions.