From Slowdive to Bill Withers: 10 perfect albums to listen to in the bath
The simple bath is not only a great way to save water but also one of the most relaxing outlets known to man. A favourite pastime since the days when we were hairy specimens recently evolved from our butch predecessors; it serves to cleanse the physical form and soul.
Sure, there might be those of us who opt for the horizontal shower, claiming that the bath does very little in terms of a tangible cleanse, but let me tell those naysayers, there is nothing on par with laying in the hollowed-out acrylic when it is full of warm water. It helps to forget the hell or repetition of the working day, the commute, politics and general business affairs, and sticking on a body of work in the background makes it much more fulfilling by helping to alleviate the pain further.
Tastes vary between those who decided to fill up the tub, just like the ornamentations with which they might choose – candles, bubbles, incense and even a couple of pulls on a spliff – but there is no doubt that some albums are fit to be listened to when soaking in the bath, and others that are certainly not. While there is no doubt that some of the more intense denizens we share a country with will have listened to Slayer, Slipknot and System of a Down when taking the plunge, they are outliers. If you want to splash around in a manic frenzy, plenty of much more expansive swimming pools are dotted around.
So, what makes the perfect bath album? The qualifiers are varied, but they must convey a sense of relaxation, enough to reduce the heart rate and think about something particularly comforting to have for dinner. Accordingly, we’ve compiled ten ideal records for listening to in the bath, plucked from prominent names and impactful tastemakers from off the beaten track.
Find ten perfect albums to listen to in the bath below.
10 albums to listen to in the bath:
10. Bill Fay – The Time of the Last Persecution (1971)
Folk music and slipping deep into the sudsy world of a hot bath is a match made in heaven. But if the idea of twirling around a commune campfire feels too sweet to be savoured, then collect your nearest edition of Bill Fay’s Time of the Last Persecution. Built out of the blood, sweat and tears of Fay’s unique musical stylings, the record delivers all the gentle perfume folk guitars can add to a bath but comes with a clean and hefty punch to boot.
Blessed by Biblical references throughout, it’s hard not to be swept up in the mechanics of Fay’s work. Able to deliver heaving sonic blows with one hand while nursing them back to get through the softened airwaves with the other, Fay’s record will undoubtedly lead to one of the most restorative baths of your life. Welcome to your musical baptism.
9. Bill Withers – Bill Withers Live at Carnegie Hall (1973)
The late Bill Withers was one of the most compelling forces in the world of soul. Possessing one of the warmest and most original voices of his era, the power of his delivery and often candid lyrics, combined with the range of grooves he conceived, made him stand out.
While his 1971 debut, Just as I Am, might be classed as his masterpiece, in reality, there’s something extra magical about the 1973 Live at Carnegie Hall. Combining his first album and its fantastic successor, Still Bill, it’s a captivating performance perfect for solo dunks or more romantic ones shared with partners. Whether it be the funky keyboards, Withers’ emphatic vocals or even the hypnotic reverb-soaked claps from the audience in the auditorium, it’s an aural experience heightened by water’s comforting heat and silky essence, mirroring the singer’s style.
8. Kurt Vile – Wakin on a Pretty Daze (2013)
Pennsylvania native Kurt Vile has conjured some of the most nostalgia-laced palettes of recent times. While the majority of his albums are exceptional, there’s something particularly resonant about Wakin on a Pretty Daze. Fittingly named and ideal for a promising summer morning where everything in the world seems just right, it’s also befitting of a long old soak, the type where immense personal reflection is undertaken.
Thinking about loved ones, lost ones, and whatever the future might hold, these types of soaks are augmented by the candid spirit of the 2013 record. From the opener, ‘Wakin on a Pretty Day’, which slowly moves to a heady climax after hitting all the right notes on the guitar, to the unrivalled closer, ‘Gold Tone’, the album is taken to new climes when bathing soli. The phone will continue to ring off the shelf; we’re occupied.
7. John Ondolo – Hypnotic Guitar of John Ondolo (2022)
Open-tune guitar music is usually reserved for existential and melancholic blues music, but it can just as easily be used to create idyllic and endlessly optimistic tunes – as shown by John Ondolo. The Tanzania-born guitarist was something of a rarity within East African guitar music, favouring folk tendencies and a quiet life over Balearic funk and vibrant nightlife.
Compiled by Mississippi Records, this album collects Ondolo’s early work from the late 1950s and early 1960s, to create a truly great and endearingly tranquil album. Awash with the influence of his countryside upbringing, as well as an unwavering love for nature, this album provides a perfect soundtrack for a relaxing dip in the bath.
6. Crumb – Jinx (2019)
Brooklyn-based Crumb are favourites of Ketamine-sniffing students and teenager stoners for a reason: they craft beautifully abstract psychedelic pop coloured by Lila Ramani’s vocals and a comprehensive musical scope. Appealing to the sort of confusing romance specific to early adulthood and wistful June evenings initiated by drinking cans in the park, there’s is a heady sonic character prompting vivid images in the mind’s eye.
This also makes it perfect for an extended bath. While all of their material is befitting of the experience, their debut album, Jinx, just pips the rest. For instance, the bright colours evoked by the rhythm and instrumentation of the opener ‘Cracking’ are convincing enough to let go of the towel and dive in. This form is continued throughout the record, with the spacey guitars and synths carting us away from the present. To really get the full experience, I’d turn the lights off and get some candles going.
5. Slowdive – Pygmalion (1995)
English shoegaze pioneers Slowdive are another outfit whose entire oeuvre is perfect for any kind of soak, any time of year. While some might opt for 1992’s Souvlaki and others their 2017 self-titled return, there is something remarkably soothing about their third effort, Pygmalion. Opening with the spacey ‘Rutti’, the album gradually washes over you, prompting a sense of bliss rarely achieved in music.
Utterly serene and appealing to many conflicting emotions, this is an offering that should be bathed to after a couple of pulls on a joint or accompanied by a warming glass of Australian Shiraz. Furthermore, a big dollop of bubble-inducing liquid should also be poured in before taking the plunge to augment its otherwordly feel. Please bathe responsibly, though, and make sure you’re adequately hydrated before consuming other tipples.
4. Seu Jorge – The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions Featuring Seu Jorge (2005)
The infallible songwriting talents of David Bowie are a perfect complement to any situation, baths included. However, sometimes the Brixton musician can be a bit full-on – it’s difficult to relax with the apocalyptic crisis of ‘Five Years’ in your ears. Thankfully, Brazilian pop samba master Seu Jorge has the answer in the form of an entire album of Portuguese-language Bowie covers.
Originally recorded for the Wes Anderson film The Life Aquatic, the covers are utterly beautiful, with Jorge’s hypnotically sombre voice complimenting Bowie’s songwriting perfectly. Bowie himself even noted that the album adds “a new layer of beauty” to his songs.
3. Sven Wunder – Eastern Flowers (2020)
No bath is truly complete without copious amounts of bubble bath. So, if you want some musical accompaniment to the scents of some soap-ified flowers you’ve never heard of, you might as well listen to an album inspired by some flowers you have never heard of.
Swedish composer Sven Wunder has spent years mastering the elusive art of the concept album, and his 2019 album Eastern Flowers is a perfect example. With each track inspired by Mediterranean flowers, the album will allow you to turn off your mind and relax with a head filled only with idealistic images of exotic foliage and Anatolian psychedelia.
2. Maya Ongaku – Approach to Anima (2023)
Approach to Anima, the debut by Japanese innovators Maya Ongaku, is a listening experience of the finest kind. Blending folk, jazz and psychedelia while drawing on the natural essence of their native island of Enoshima, this transcendental body of work is suited for bathing in every setting. It features ethereal vocals, chiming guitar, languid basslines, narcotic woodwinds, and percussion. Even while writing this, I can feel the empty tub’s pull.
From ‘Melting’ to the cannily titled ‘Water Dreams’, the album has a naturalistic core that takes us back to the era before technologically advanced civilisation, when the day’s highlight was a relaxing bath. Although it is the penultimate offering, the latter track mentioned opens with the soothing sound of running water and woodwind textures, confirming that when you bathe to it, it will be one that you remember for its profoundly relaxing nature. It’s a sonic massage.
1. Harold Budd – The Pavilion of Dreams (1978)
From one positively dream-like album to another. Arguably, no body of work is as transcendental as Harold Budd and Brian Eno’s infallible The Pavilion of Dreams. The second studio-length from the minimalist pioneer was produced by the former Roxy Music man and sounds like nothing else out there. It’s wholly serene, drawing on alto sax, glockenspiel, marimba and other instruments to bring it to life.
Over 47 minutes of pure bliss, if Approach to Anima makes the bath a holistic experience, then The Pavilion of Dreams adds a different dimension altogether, assisted by Eno’s mastery of the studio. It’s akin to floating on a cloud, watching life go by below, whereby all earthly sensations are forgotten in lieu of something much more profound and cerebral. While it might make you wish you had a bath the size of an entire room, within five minutes, you’ll be sinking deeper into the sensory otherworld, gradually letting go of the sides of the bath, fully immersed.