Your Summer Sixteen anthems.
KAMAIYAH – “How Does It Feel” – as described by teddy morris-knower
The song’s central theme, of finally escaping the struggle and making it big, perfectly mimics the elements of a perfect summer banger: being so groovy and danceable that you completely forget the grind of the winter. Throw in funky synth vibes, 808s and the mention of popping champagne and this song is gonna repeat at every house party this summer. If you see me dancing on the train, you know what’s going on. Huge honorable mention to her “Out the Bottle.” Go give the whole album a listen.
PIGARETTE – “Casa De La Costa” – as described by sebastian le bras
Okay, hear me out. I know this isn’t going to be a summer banger. But, It should be a summer banger. This song is the full package: catchy, vibrant, creative, playful, and danceable. Perfect for a pool-side lounge, a beach banger, a backyard grill and the list goes on. Don’t let this one go to waste.
KAYTRANADA feat. SYD – “You’re the One” – as described by david schmitt
KAYTRA is a master of aptly placed percussion and synth, dropping no fewer than five layers behind SYD’s vocals. The combination of punch and suave vocal work make this perfect soundtrack for an aimless summer night drive, and one I’ll certainly continue to play on repeat.
THE STROKES – “Someday” – as described by chloe rickards
In the last week of June, my family will move from North Dakota to New Mexico. My brother and I will drive our mom’s old minivan. These are the rules:
1) The driver and the passenger will switch at every road stop.
2) The passenger is the DJ.
3) The driver gets 2 skips.
4) At some point, we will listen to Coldplay chronologically, Twenty One Pilots chronologically, and the entirety of Hamilton.
5) At the beginning and end of each leg, we will play the song “Someday” by The Strokes.
INGRID MICHAELSON – “Girls Chase Boys” – as described by benina stern
The recipe for a summer song: bright guitar putting the bounce into the music, a piano holding down the baselines, a twinkling synth line, Ingrid belting “GONNA BE ALRIIIIIIIIGHT.” Mix with sunshine. Best served while leaping and singing alone in your room.
JUSTIN BIEBER – “Company” – as described by ned hardy
Man, I really hope this is the song of the summer. It sounds like that blurry moment that happens every night, every summer, no matter what city you’re in, when the sun’s gone down but it’s not dark out yet and all your friends are kind of balancing on the edge of drunk and sober. You know… sweaty decisions and sweatier bottles of rosé. “Company” is like the cool, cigarette-smoking older brother of “Sorry” — throbbing low-end and sparkly synths, spilled drinks and long-dead iPhones. Why am I still wearing my sunglasses? Where are we going tonight? Anyone need another cocktail? One more drag, one more sip, nighttime approaching, everything sliding along to the heat still coming off of the pavement. Mmm. I love summer.
LEN – “Steal My Sunshine” – as described by phill giliver
This is one of those songs that everyone knows, but no one can name. To find it, I tried Googling “summer song with popping noise,” which did not yield any results. I then typed in “echoey cork noise pop song like sublime” and Len’s single contribution to society was on the third results page. This song reached #1 in Canada.
ARIANA GRANDE – “Into You” – as described by victor liu
Ariana Grande’s new album, Dangerous Woman, is hot out of the oven. She’s got the mini-Mariah voice, but, now, the question is, does she have the staying power that her perma-ponytail suggests? Regardless of whether we’ll see her in 30 years or even 3, the pint-sized, donut-licking, self-proclaimed Queen of Grindr has done it again, putting out an infectious, maximalist, club thumper if there ever was one. Have fun hearing it in every Forever 21 on the planet!
YUNA feat. USHER – “Crush” – as described by nikki tran
I’ve said this at least three times this past weekend: no, it’s not too late; spring quarter, week 10 is absolutely the best time to tell that certain cutie that you’ve been deep crushing on them. But, oh Nikki, you wallow, they’re staying on-campus, you’re going abroad, it’ll never work! Sweet pea, the timing could not have been better! Most days, I’m a cynic and maybe it’s the caffeine pumping through my veins, lack of sleep, or sunshine, but I’m gonna push for love. I know, Yuna knows summer is made for those sappy, sticky romances. She makes the heat hot with infatuation. So listen to Yuna, listen to your heart! Make a move! Tell ‘em that you love ‘em.
WHITNEY – “No Woman” – as described by anthony milki
A windy, wavy single. The guitar lick pulses like George Harrison’s, sedates you like his Indian phase. Time-travel brought Whitney to us, hopefully it doesn’t claim them back.
ARIANA GRANDE — “Be Alright” — as described by alejandra salazar
It is 2016, I am pop trash and I’ve never loved myself more. Take that, inevitable SoCal summer sunburn. ✨
ANTWON – “100K” – as described by katie nesser
As far as rap braggadocio goes, Antwon (whose performance at EBF last year I still think about all the time) claiming that he makes “100K a summer” is pretty modest, but hey, I’ll be working an unpaid internship in Houston all Summer 16, so Twon’s got me beat. I’m ready for his new-ish EP Double Ecstasy to keep me company on my commute.
Image from here.
(’18, Bioengineering) is from a lot of places (she’s an Air Force brat). She’s a Ravenclaw who likes climbing rocks, listening to new music, and collecting useless nerdy things to put in her room.
('16, American Studies) is from Los Angeles and probably has more nicknames than you. She enjoys theatre-y things, cats, and her ukulele.
(’17, Art History) thinks almost exclusively about dogs, micheladas, and Kanye. He’s from Connecticut by way of London and wishes it would rain more here.
('17, Mechanical Engineering) once went through a drivethrough on a bicycle and started to panic. He called his mom and she said 'I'm at work I can't deal with this right now.'
('18, Art History) hears the beat but claps on the two. Whatever art is, you can find their attempts at it at http://www.victorhliu.com.
('18, English) is a writer from Orange County, California.
('17, Human Biology/Creative Writing) is from Palo Alto and listens to a lot of Kanye.
(‘17, Communication, Music Editor) is a contributor from San Antonio, TX. She believes in making playlists for every occasion and chronically overthinks everything.
('18, Art History, Editor-in-Chief) is a cautionary tale from Texas. She loves true crime, sweet tea, and Candy Crush Saga.