To me the best kind of music is the kind that seems to transcend generations. Everytime that I go home to visit my parents, what music to play in the car always plagues me: they don't like rap music, they hate what's on the radio, and my sad indie music usually isn’t palatable either so we mostly stick to the oldies. But lately, I’ve been playing Portugal. The Man and they really like them maybe even more than me. Having been a part of the music scene since 2004 after forming in Alaska, its surprising to me that a band as good as Portugal. The Man has remained mostly under the radar until their hit “Feel It Still” in 2017. This band has a special kind of sound that is both retro and modern making them enjoyable to both younger and older generations.

Portugal. The Man was formed in 2004 in Wasilla, Alaska by lead singer John Baldwin Gourley, Gourley's partner & back-up singer Zoe Manville, Zach Carothers, Kyle O'Quin, Jason Sechrist, and Eric Howk. Portugal. The Man originally started as a side project for Gourley and Carothers but it wasn’t long until the other members found their way to the band and they then relocated to Portland, Oregon. Portugal. The Man got its name from a that Gourley had planned to write about his father and his adventures and is also based on the larger than life fame that David Bowie had.

Throughout all eight of their released studio album there is a late 60’s rock vibe with a modern twist. Their newest album Woodstock is named after the iconic music festival and much like the content of that festival, their album tackles all of "the crazy shit happening in the streets here and around the world." The song “Noise Pollution” deals with social media and how it has affected the news, Carothers says that "The entire planet is now a bunch of news anchors, but none of it's news, it's all opinion." The standout on Woodstock is of course the retro “Feel It Still” which became Portugal. The Man’s biggest song yet and won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. “Feel It Still” was the hit of 2017 and even though we are almost halfway through 2018 you can still hear the track on the radio, in advertisements, and even in the trailer for on the the biggest movies to be released this summer: Ocean’s 8.

Because I grew up in a beach town, in order to be on my summer playlist I have to be able to see myself listening to that music while going by the beach, and Portugal. The Man encompasses everything that good summer music needs to be.