I asked six of our contributors to join me in picking out some favourite Summer anthems to provide the soundtrack for the season ahead across 23 songs.
My personal offerings are a best attempt at weighing up my often confusing (even to myself) listening habits from buzzing synth-pop to mystically brooding instrumentals.
Step by Step by Braxe + Falcon
Opening our list with drowsy vocals drenched in vocoders and a rich synth wave influence, Step by Step feels straight out of a 90s movie opening scene.
He Said She Said by CHVRCHES
Getting the tempo up with the booming synth of Glasgow’s very own electric trio, He Said has the power to kick you into the outer reaches of ecstatic synth-pop before hurtling us back down to earth with Lauren Mayberry’s cruelly unexpected dark lyricism.
Party by Planet 1999
This reverb-heavy drum machine and electric keys blend of hyper pop-influenced pop feels as fresh and new as it does oddly cinematic.
Train To Kyoto by Vega Trails
We close my picks with this instrumentally dense wonder. Kyoto is fanciful and dreamy; a brooding set of mellow bass strings and a low-key saxophone solo perfect for the wind down come night time.
Naomi provides us with a sunshine-infused list of classics ripe for any warm weathered occasion.
Suzanne by Leonard Cohen
Cohen’s classic somber, deceptively uplifting guitar ballad Suzanne could act as the score for any summer-long montage.
Waterfall by The Stone Roses
Waterfall is late 90s perfection; reviving elements of 1960’s soft rock in combination with an of-it’s-time four-on-the-floor drum line.
Indian Summer by The Doors
From the 1970 album Morrison Hotel we find the softly haunting vocals of Jim Morrison laced between beautifully scattered guitar improv and comfortingly warm bass.
If Not For You by George Harrison
An undisputedly joyful love affair. Covering the Bob Dylan classic, Harrison’s version is filled with church-ready organ, harmonica and Dobro guitar.
Bringing us a double hit of much-needed new-age pop anthems, our Opinion editor Maisie shares her recent go-to sing-along hits.
Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo
Back with the lead single from the upcoming Sophomore album Guts, Rodrigo returns with a calm and collected outpouring of heartache and brooding anger.
Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift
Somehow the only entry from Swift on our list, Cruel Summer, is a booming outpouring of unrequited love with its killer bridge you’ll want to remember every word to.
Our resident Sport editor Katie Coble takes us for a dive into her summer beach-side ready mix, an audible journey that goes coast to coast where contemporary hip-hop meets 2000s indie rock.
Waves by Electric Guest
Just calling to be played around a beach campfire, Waves is all you could need to kickstart any endless Summer night.
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa by Vampire Weekend
From their self-titled debut, Vampire Weekend’s 2008’s Cape Cod will take you right back to Summers past and set the mood for the season ahead.
i by Kendrick Lamar
Once again, a tune that’s just asking to be played on speaker; that lead guitar riff, a teasingly good baseline layered between the occasional car horns and an everchanging drum line.
Our Film and TV editor Isy leads the way right in time back for some more seventies classics.
Second Hand News by Fleetwood Mac
I’d like to think the title of this gem doesn’t reflect the way our publication is perceived. Jokes aside, this Rumours standout is an energetically danceable favourite of mine.
Jennifer Juniper by Donovan
This innocently loving ode will get you feeling warm even on the coldest days of an Edinburgh Summer.
Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
Mitchell’s greatest hit; written after a trip to Hawaii upon seeing the effects of the commercial-led exploitation of natural beauty obvious in the gloriously upbeat, deceptively cruel opening line: “they paved paradise, put up a parking lot”.
Poppa Joe by Sweet
Folk-like lyricism sandwiched between steel drums and rhythm guitar, Sweet’s entry is irritatingly danceable.
Winding us back down with 2010’s indie rock bangers, Callum takes us to four corners of Summer listening.
Ophelia by The Lumineers
With brooding raspy vocal lines and melodic piano runs, The Lumineers’ big, reverberating production of Ophelia is as woeful as it is uplifting.
Superstylin‘ by Groove Amanda
Classic early naughties drum machine sampling, brass and wobbling bass take us in a brand new direction, ready to get any party off the ground.
Up The Junction by Squeeze
This absolute classic makes for an awkwardly great sing-along hit as Squeeze delivers what was once described as “a psychodrama in three minutes and seven verses — a cautionary tale of doomed romance” in Financial Times.
Coming Home by Kaiser Chiefs
Likely able to get you out of any run-down mood, this Kaiser Chiefs Summer-ready hit is complete with anthemic guitar riffs and perfectly uplifting lyricism.
Closing with a double hit from the works of pioneering Japanese jazz fusion guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, Rosie takes us for a spin back to the 1970s for what could easily score a Wii Sports Resort sequel.
Oh! Tengo Suerte by Masayoshi Takanaka
&
Tropic Birds by Masayoshi Takanaka
We end with the opening and closing tracks to Takanaka’s 1976 album SEYCHELLES. This nearly 9-minute saxophone and poppy strings blend, guitar lines and electric keys feel timelessly classic.
Graphics and Commentary by Tommy Manning with contributions from Naomi Wallace, Maisie McGuffie, Katie Coble, Callum Devereux and Rosie Hodgson Smith.