Here are five relaxing cafe music picks to put on when you want to unwind after work or on a day off.
We chose two public YouTube videos and three Apple Music albums.
The videos are free to play, but you generally need a paid subscription to hear the full albums on Apple Music.
By relaxing cafe music, we mean the kind of jazz, bossa nova and piano you might hear in a cafe, made for time spent unwinding.
For this list, we picked only works whose titles or descriptions are about relaxing or taking it easy.
Start with the five picks.
We explain how we chose them further down.
5 cafe music picks for winding down
1. Cafe Music BGM channel
A pick for evenings when you want something running from the moment you get home until bedtime, without choosing new tracks.
The official “Relaxing Jazz Music” video runs about 3 hours 33 minutes, and its title presents it as jazz for relaxing.
The description says all the music on the channel is original music by BGMC, played by the team themselves.
Starting it after dinner and stopping it when you head for the bath is plenty.
We chose a long video so you don’t have to hunt for the next track, not so you’ll listen to the very end.
2. Relax Cafe Music
A pick to leave on all day when you brew coffee at home and take a lazy day off.
The official “Exquisite Mood Smooth Jazz” video runs 10 hours, and its title describes relaxing jazz for a coffee break.
According to the description, the music is by Richard Freeman.
You obviously don’t need to stay home for all 10 hours.
Our suggestion: start it in the morning and stop it when you head out.
3. Lofi Jazz Terrace
A pick for evenings when you’ve finished work and want just one album to help you switch off.
“Lo-Fi Jazz for a Relaxing Evening.” is an instrumental album with 30 tracks and about 85 minutes, according to Apple Music.
Its title is about a relaxing evening, and track titles such as “Late Reading Relax Vintage” bring nighttime and reading to mind.
You can also decide that the day is done when the album ends.
If you tend to stay up late, try treating the moment it stops as your cue to get ready for bed.
4. Recommended BGM for stylish cafes
A pick for people who want to spend an unplanned afternoon at home with a cafe feel.
“Enjoy Jazz Background Music On a Relaxing Afternoon At Home.” is an instrumental album with 20 tracks and about 54 minutes, according to Apple Music.
As the title says, it’s a jazz album themed around a relaxing afternoon at home.
Making tea and clearing up afterward takes roughly one album, which makes it an easy fit.
Track titles such as “Cafe Music – Calm Sounds for a Relaxing Moment” also point to time spent unwinding.
5. Creamy Panda
A pick for days when you’re in more of a bossa nova mood than a jazz one and want a shorter album for a break.
“Relax At Home With Bossa Nova Background Music ~A Soothing Holiday café Time~” is an instrumental album with 15 tracks and about 43 minutes, according to Apple Music.
Its track titles name drinks, as in “Cafe Latte for Relaxation BGM” and “Cafe Mocha and Awakening BGM”.
Make yourself a drink you like and let this play until you finish it.
It’s the shortest of the five, so it also works when you want to set a time limit on your break.
Compare the five picks by moment
The suggested moments are our own suggestions.
Genres, themes and running times are based on the official information linked from each card.
| Artist | Official genre or theme | Suggested moment | Length | How to listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cafe Music BGM channel | Jazz for relaxing | From getting home until bedtime | About 3 hr 33 min | Free public YouTube video |
| Relax Cafe Music | Smooth jazz for a coffee break | A whole day off at home | 10 hours | Free public YouTube video |
| Lofi Jazz Terrace | Lo-fi jazz for a relaxing evening | Evenings after work | 30 tracks, about 85 min | Apple Music previews; full album generally paid |
| Recommended BGM for stylish cafes | Jazz for a relaxing afternoon at home | Afternoon tea on a day off | 20 tracks, about 54 min | Apple Music previews; full album generally paid |
| Creamy Panda | Bossa nova for a day off at home | A break the length of one drink | 15 tracks, about 43 min | Apple Music previews; full album generally paid |
How we chose these five picks
- The official information is about relaxing or unwinding
All five are themed around relaxing or taking it easy, in their titles or descriptions.
How music feels varies from person to person, so we went by the themes the creators publish.
None of them is guaranteed to relax you. - They split into evening and day-off moments
We split them into two for evenings after work and three for daytime on a day off.
The time-of-day suggestions are based on words in the titles such as “Evening”, “Afternoon” and “Holiday”, along with our own ideas for how to use them. - The difference between free videos and paid services is clear
We put the public YouTube videos first for people who want to try something right away, and the albums after them for Apple Music users.
YouTube may show ads; ad-free playback is described on the official YouTube Premium help page.
Check the official plan page for Apple Music free trials and terms.
Relaxing cafe music FAQ
Q. Does listening to music really help you relax?
A. There is research on music and mood, but it can’t tell you which track will work for whom, or by how much.
In this article, we chose picks based on how easy they are to put on while unwinding rather than on any effect.
Q. Can I listen to all five in full for free?
A. The two YouTube picks at the top are free public videos.
For the three Apple Music albums, previews and full playback are separate things.
Full playback generally requires a subscription, and free trials come with eligibility and time limits.
Q. Which one should I try first, for evenings or days off?
A. On a weekday evening, try the Lofi Jazz Terrace album; on a day off, start with Relax Cafe Music’s 10-hour video.
For a short break, Creamy Panda’s roughly 43-minute album is an easy length.
If it doesn’t feel calming, turn it down or stop it.
Pick one to match how you’re unwinding today
Try choosing one to match your day: a long video or the evening album for tonight, or a shorter album for a day-off afternoon.
About the author
Cafe BGM Playlister editorial team
We’re the editorial team behind Cafe BGM Playlister, a publication specializing in cafe background music and music for work.
We help produce and distribute music by cafe BGM artists through the label that runs this publication, and some of the artists featured in this article are also signed to our label.
We make our selections after checking track lists, running times and publicly available information.
