Finn Ewing’s Best of 2025 (S5 | E268)
Finn sits in this week on Lester the Nightflly Radio.
“Sun In Her Eyes” is a hazy, late‑summer drift of a playlist built for Lester the Nightfly Radio, leaning into dreamy indie pop, bedroom R&B, and mellow electronic grooves. Across tracks by Augustine, SZA, Tokyo Tea Room, and a run of newer names like citygodok, Beach Vacation, and Veni Sun, the mood stays intimate but quietly propulsive—soft drums, warm synths, and vocals that feel close‑mic’d and confessional. It’s the kind of set that plays like a long drive at sunset or a beach town after dark: no big bangers, just a continuous glow of hooks and atmosphere that lets the night stretch out.
“Sun In Her Eyes” feels like a carefully sequenced hour of after‑hours glow for Lester the Nightfly Radio. It opens in a soft, golden haze with Augustine and citygodok, where indie‑leaning melodies and relaxed beats set a warm, nostalgic tone rather than chasing chart pop fireworks
As the set unfolds, the playlist leans into intimate R&B and bedroom‑pop textures—SZA, Molly Santana, Malcolm Todd—where close‑mic’d vocals, subtle drum programming, and late‑night lyrics make it feel like the singer is in the room with you. Even when it brushes up against more electronic or dream‑pop territory (Tokyo Tea Room, Darksoft), the sound design stays gentle and spacious, built around muted grooves and reverb‑washed guitars rather than heavy drops.
There’s a strong sense of place: titles like “locals summer” and “Dreamy Beachfront Getaway” reinforce the coastal, off‑season mood, like a beach town once the tourists have gone home. The overall arc is unhurried and cinematic—less a collection of singles than a continuous drift—making it ideal for late‑night radio where the goal is to keep listeners in a shared, glowing headspace rather than jolting them out of it.
