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Grey Oakes has created a sun-drenched, vibrant snapshot of his hometown with his latest single, “Summer Winds Back, Again” — and it feels like it’s pulled directly from the loving wispiness of a memory. The track is a warm musical immersion that allows you to take a peak inside Oakes’ personal world, while leaving you a little more connected with your own. There’s an easy charm to Oakes’ approach, pairing layered, R&B-esque vocals with an infectious beat that makes you want to roll down your car windows just to feel a little freer. 

Emerging from North Carolina, Grey Oakes is an artist whose music draws on a wide-ranging musical upbringing, mixing together expressive musicianship and adventurous alternative production. A multi-instrumentalist who handles every aspect of his recordings, from writing and performance to production, Oakes has developed a sound that feels intimately expansive. After gaining momentum with his 2025 breakout single “Carolina Blue,” he now introduces “Summer Winds Back, Again,” the latest preview of his forthcoming debut album, Whatcha doin for the rest of your life?, due in early 2027. Accompanying the release is a lo-fi, close-knit visual filmed throughout Raleigh on a vintage Sony Hi8 camcorder, capturing familiar North Carolina scenes in atmospheric nighttime footage. The project reflects Oakes’ deep connection to his home state and the community of creatives helping bring his artistic vision to life.

“Summer Winds Back, Again” is a little less than two minutes, yet completely envelopes you in the dazzle of nostalgia. Built around an early-2000s retro electro-indie-pop soundscape that feels as though it belongs in a coming-of-age movie, there’s a certain glitchy glow that coats the track, drawing you into the feeling it’s rooted in.

The chittering drive of the drum machine, wistful electric guitar, and electronic fuzz keep us hooked on the beat, while Oakes’ layered vocals take on a hazy, echoey quality, adding to the memory that drapes over the song. “We were more than immortalized / We were written in every stone / I was cold in the winter time angel / But that summer was coming on,” he sings, capturing the feeling of a time you can’t help but be pulled back toward. There’s almost a sweetness to the longing, a love for that time while still holding the awareness that the feeling is out of reach. It’s that one summer that you can’t help but compare all future summers to. 

The track eventually fades out to cicadas recorded outside the farm Oakes grew up on in Greensboro, leaving us with the lingering, dreamy sounds of a summer that feels so tangible yet so weightless. It’s also one of those songs that retains its intentional emotion across different arrangements, as Oakes proves with his intimate acoustic version on Instagram. Both versions encompass the reminiscent atmosphere in touching ways, simply executed in different forms, which can be a rare thing to be able to do, but Oakes does with ease.

This ease is sure to shine on Oakes’ upcoming debut album, Whatcha doin for the rest of your life? The intention and care behind both his songwriting and production are a true testament to his growth as a musician, one who is already so in tune with his art and his story. There's also a fun-filled appreciation that comes with listening to his music, leaving you constantly hitting replay just to experience that feeling again, especially after a song like “Summer Winds Back, Again.”

Listen to "Summer Winds Back, Again" below: