People may “not notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy” but for anyone who has stepped outside their homes today knows, the summer has just begun. The humid air clings like electric sugar to your skin and you long for a cool breeze and cold drink in your hand. But summer is also a state of mind, specific psyche that allows us to bypass some of the anxious, constant hustle and flow of the colder months—we’re more inclined to slow down and enjoy our more essential sensuous pleasures.
A dreamy haze covers the summer months and blankets us with a need for sonic accompaniment to our lives that’s both ethereal yet tethered to the emotions that haunt so strongly they mingle with the sweat on our skin. Of course, summer is riddled with new releases and festivals just about everywhere you look, but if you’re in the mood for something a little more mellow, something timeless that just feels good—I’ve got you covered.
From the songs that make you want to travel back in time with a Blue Hawaiian on an island far off in the Pacific, to songs for night driving at the end of the world, and those meant for spaced-out dreaming in the sun, here’s your essential summer playlist. Grab yourself something cold, throw on a Hawaiian shirt, and enjoy.
