Martin Packwood's new single, "Beach Street Boogie," is a shimmering, feel-good instrumental that captures the spirit of summer in just under four minutes. A real-life kaleidoscope of street art and culture in his hometown's Beach Street district inspired Packwood, and he distills the area's lively vibe into a tight, danceable groove.
It's surf rock with a dash of sunny-day funk, and it's easily one of my favorite instrumental releases this year. A driving electric rhythm guitar underpins the track while melodic leads skip across the top like sunlight on ocean waves. A warm bassline and crisp drums keep things grooving underneath while some string synth enters in just the proper doses now and then, providing the track's emotional lift, the breeze in your hair as you walk the boardwalk.
What's more impressive is that everything from the composition to the performance to the production is Packwood. It's an actual one-man band effort, yet there's nothing insular or overworked about it. It's a track that bursts with color and confidence, and it is a musically vivid mural like the literal artwork splashed across the containers of Beach Street. But even if you're new to the lane, this is an easily accessible entry point. Don't overthink it; it just wants you to feel good; gently tap your foot and imagine a place where music, murals, and margaritas intermingle.
Speaking of murals, the animated music video drops soon, and it looks like a vibrant, danceable painter's canvas: imagine a painted Caribbean guitarist under a palm tree coming alive in augmented reality. The art stretches beyond the frame as the music builds. It's the perfect visual metaphor for the track: expanding, inviting, alive. If Joe Satriani's more melodic phases make you smile, if the surfy textures of The Mermen and Gary Hoey's coastal cool are your thing, "Beach Street Boogie" will be an instant favorite. In a world that sometimes gets too heavy, you need a sunny groove and your imagination for fans of good vibes, bold colors, and guitar lines that grin.
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