2025 Edition: Recommended Western songs for winter drives — the latest tracks and timeless hits

WANTCHUNEW!keshi

keshi – WANTCHU (Official Visualizer)

The song released in August 2025, born from a newly built home studio, is a work that truly condenses KESHI’s musicality, as he produced it while personally playing multiple instruments such as bass, guitar, piano, and viola.

It’s fascinating that what began casually as a practice in recording techniques evolved into a highly polished track with the support of collaborators including Porter Robinson.

The vocals, which emphasize intimacy and detail, delicately express a heartfelt longing for the other person, and the introspective sound—blending elements of indie pop, alternative, and R&B—is brimming with a charm that makes you want to listen closely while driving down a quiet winter night road.

It’s the perfect song for a slightly sentimental drive, as if reexamining a relationship with a lover.

HelixNEW!Night Tapes

Night Tapes – Helix (Official Video)

Are you familiar with Night Tapes, a London-based dream-pop trio? The group centers around Estonian-born vocalist Iiris Vesik, alongside producer/drummer Max Doohan and guitarist/producer Sam Richards, and they’ve been recording late-night sessions in a shared house since around 2019.

Released in June 2025, this track is a lead single from their debut album “portals // polarities,” which followed in September of the same year.

It explores the uncertainty at the start of a romance—unsure whether the person is a soulmate or a source of turmoil.

Its ethereal blend of airy synths and distorted guitars creates a dreamy soundscape that perfectly suits a nighttime winter drive on the highway, as if confronting the tremors of the heart.

It’s a song for those holding a mix of hope and anxiety—the feeling that the wrong person might just lead you to the right place.

back to friendsNEW!sombr

sombr – back to friends (official video)

This track, released in December 2024 by Somber, a New York–born singer-songwriter who is currently one of the most talked-about artists, delicately portrays emotions shifting from friendship to romance.

Even while knowing there’s no going back to being just friends, the protagonist’s wavering feelings—nostalgic for the easy distance they once had—resonate poignantly over a sound that blends indie rock and alternative pop, beginning with a piano intro.

The song reached No.

10 on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart, marking Somber’s first entry into a major chart.

The music video, featuring model Charlotte D’Alessio, has also been garnering attention.

If you can relate to the bittersweet resolve of looking back on a past relationship while trying to move forward, this is a song you’ll want to play when running alone on a winter night.

Come Back DownNEW!Men I Trust

Come Back Down

Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Men I Trust—renowned worldwide for their delicate, dreamlike soundscapes—deliver a track from their May 2025 album Equus Caballus that envelops listeners in a soothing blend of dream pop and indie pop.

The bittersweet longing for someone who has gone away to come back is rendered with subtlety through Emmanuelle Proulx’s languid vocals and airy synthesizers.

The psychological portrayal, where the loneliness of parting intersects with a faint hope for reunion, perfectly mirrors the pensive mood of a winter drive.

It’s a song to play when you want to lose yourself in memories of someone dear as you travel through the cold air.

choke enoughNEW!Oklou

Oklou – choke enough (Official Visualizer)

While receiving a classical music education in a rural French town, Okuhru stepped into the world of electronic pop.

In February 2025, she released her long-awaited debut album, “choke enough,” which has been drawing attention for its delicate, weightless sound.

The title track is captivating for its blend of trance-like synths and ambient resonances, creating a dreamlike sonic space.

The album, crafted over roughly two and a half years, poetically explores themes such as motherhood and choice, and its cycles and repetitions in the sound design bring a soothing feel that’s perfect for winter drives.

It’s a track I’d recommend when you’re driving alone on an icy night and want to feel warmth within digital textures.

SorryNEW!Parcels

Parcels – Sorry (Lyric Video)

Parcels are an electropop band formed in Byron Bay, Australia, now based in Berlin.

With a warm sound that uniquely distills disco, funk, and soul, they’ve gained a large following around the world.

Featured on their third album, LOVED, released in September 2025, this track was recorded across multiple studios in Berlin and Sydney.

It blends the gentle timbre of nylon-string guitar with elements of Latin music, resulting in a song that’s both melancholic and dynamic.

Its ambiguous lyrics—mixing sincere apology with a sense of distance—resonate even more deeply when heard in the clear winter air.

With a beautiful contrast between stillness and motion, this piece lingers in the heart like a quiet companion, perfect for those solitary drives as you gaze out at snowy scenery.

Love Me NotNEW!Ravyn Lenae

Ravyn Lenae – Love Me Not (Official Music Video)

For those who want to add a stylish touch to a winter drive, let me introduce a track by Chicago-born, multitalented R&B singer-songwriter Ravyn Lenae.

Released as the lead single from her second album, “Bird’s Eye,” in May 2024, this song beautifully fuses a retro vibe reminiscent of ’60s girl groups with contemporary R&B.

The lyrics explore complex feelings toward a lover—capturing the delicate emotions of wavering between independence and dependence, of not needing someone yet still longing for them—making it a perfect song to listen to alone while gazing at the winter scenery.

Sparked by a viral moment on TikTok, the song drew global attention and even reached No.

81 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2025.

Why not let it warm your heart on your next winter drive?