Al Jardine has just released a new single called “Islands In The Sun” just in time for summer. The digital single features the title track plus two new songs and is now available from Universal Music (UMe). In a friendly nod to “Kokomo,” “Islands In The Sun” is a Caribbean flavored fantasy in a Beach Boys meets Belafonte style that perfectly captures the mood and tropical lifestyle of the West Indies. The song features beautiful lead vocals from Al and his son Matt Jardine plus a guest vocal from Beach Boy Bruce Johnston along with a children’s choir from three local elementary schools. “‘Islands In The Sun’ captures that special magic we felt and sang about on Beach Boys songs like ‘Island Girl’ and ‘Kokomo’,” says Al, adding, “It was inspired by the enchanting calypso sounds of Harry Belafonte and Bob Marley’s laid-back reggae vibe. Now wouldn’t it be fun if we could bottle up the sun!”

The second track “My Plane Leaves Tomorrow (Au Revoir)” was recorded during the sessions for Al’s debut studio album A Postcard from California and features a heartfelt guest vocal from Neil Young, who shares Al’s sentiment about sending our troops off to foreign wars. The song includes a portion of the melancholy bugle call “Taps,” performed by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“Highway 101 (Rosarita Beach Café),” a joyful romp to the border, is Al’s Mexico-inspired version of the Leiber/Stoller classic “Smokey Joe’s Café.” The original, a classic by the Coasters from 1956, is one of Al’s favorite songs when he was growing up and almost 70 years later, Al got permission from Mike Stoller to rewrite the lyrics. “Highway 101” features long-standing Beach Boys touring band members Ed Carter on bass and Mike Kowalski on drums, Michael Lent (Barry Manilow’s guitarist for over 25 years) on lead guitar and Steve Douglas from the infamous Wrecking Crew on sax.

The single “Islands In The Sun” was produced by Al Jardine with Stevie Heger (co-producer of A Postcard from California) and longtime Beach Boys/Brian Wilson sound engineer Jeff Peters and mastered by David Glasser.