"It’s where you want to be,” Winston Triolo says of his band’s song, “Palmilla.” “It’s exactly where you want to be when too much shit is going on.”

His eyes dreamy, his vocal delivery soft but assured, guitarist/vocalist Triolo explains the inspiration behind “Palmilla,” the first single to drop from Motel Radio’s debut EP, before his bandmates chime in. This lofty locale is actually a beach in Mexico, it turns out, an...