Saturday, April 19, 2025: Little River Band - Reminiscing

See, the thing is, it wasn't called Yacht Rock at the time.

Yacht Rock is a retrospective music genre label that emerged in the mid-2000s to describe a specific style of soft rock music popular between roughly 1975 and 1984. The term wasn't used during the original era but was coined later to categorize this distinctive sound.

What are the components that make up Yacht Rock?  Smooth, sophisticated production with jazz and R&B influences, polished arrangements and studio perfectionism, a focus on melody rather than heavy instrumentation, smooth vocal harmonies and saxophone solos, and often song are written around the themes of sailing, beaches, and relaxed California lifestyles. 

Despite its musical complexity and popularity, yacht rock often gets dismissed. Here's why:

Too Polished, Too Safe: Critics and rock purists tend to favor rawness and authenticity. Yacht rock's slick studio sound and smooth vibes can come off as overly sanitized or corporate.

Associated with 'Softness': It doesn’t rage, rebel, or challenge social norms. For decades, “soft” equaled “uncool,” especially compared to punk, metal, or grunge.

Association with commercialism: The music was seen as overly produced and market-driven rather than authentic artistic expression.

Mocked by the Name: The term “yacht rock” itself is a retroactive joke, popularized by a 2005 online video series of the same name. It plays up the absurdity and artificiality of the scene, which shaped public perception.

Seen as Background Music:     Its mellow, inoffensive vibe makes it the soundtrack for elevators, shopping malls, or dentists’ offices—which contributes to its image as bland or boring.

But Here’s the Twist...

In recent years, yacht rock has had a serious revival. People have come to appreciate its musicianship, production quality, meticulous, rich arrangements, the element of Nostalgia, it’s the sound of summer, retro luxury, or simpler times, and maybe it's most important quality, it's totally unapologetic vibe – It doesn’t try to be cool, and that’s kind of cool now.