Blog1 min read
Music for the journey home
Different from the trip out, different from the last day. The journey itself is just transit, and the music can be patient about it.
The journey home from anywhere — a long weekend, a work trip, a holiday — has its own listening shape. Different from music for the trip out (which is anticipation) and different from music for the last day of a holiday (which is dwelling). The journey itself is just transit, and the music can be patient about it.
The first hour is usually focus or lo-fi, because there's energy left in the body and a bit of work to do — emails, a book, the airport. The middle of the journey wants something that handles dead time without rewarding it. The last hour, on a long enough trip, often becomes the sleep room — a kind of pre-arrival decompression.
What I keep off is the music I associate with the place I'm leaving. That belongs to the place. Playing it on the way home turns the journey into a slow form of regret. Better to play something neutral, something I'd play on any journey, and let the place I'm leaving keep its own soundtrack.
By the time the front door opens, the music has done a particular kind of work, which is keeping the journey at the same temperature for hours. Anything that swings hard during transit costs energy. The right music gets you home tired but not undone, which is the journey's best possible outcome.