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.
Photo via The Pie Shops
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CLAP INTRO, WASHED OUT
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#3, APHEX TWIN
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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON, LES BAXTER
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I’M WAITING HERE, DAVID LYNCH & LYKKE LI
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BIG BOY, BALAM ACAB
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PAGAN LOVE SONG, MARTIN DENNY
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MELANCHOLIA #2, WILLIAM BASINSKI
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BLUE MOON, ELVIS PRESLEY
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REQUIEM FOR FRANKFORT AVE, ELUVIUM
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GOOD LUCK, WASHED OUT
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SATURDAY NIGHT ON SATURN, LES BAXTER
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MISS YOU, TRENTEMOLLER
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A GLOWING LIGHT, A PROMISE, MAKEUP AND VANITY SET
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UNDER YOUR SPELL, DESIRE
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DEAD AND LOVELY, TOM WAITS
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HARLEM NOCTURNE, THE LOUNGE LIZARDS
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PB3, BIG BLACK DELTA
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UNDER THE STARS, BRIAN ENO
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ARTICULATE SILENCES PART 1, STARS OF THE LID
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CANCION MIXTECA, RY COODER
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SEE BIRDS (MOON), BALAM ACAB
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HOMECOMING, MAKEUP AND VANITY SET
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MR. ROBOT, LES BAXTER
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RABBIT AND FOX, RAINBOW CHAN
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WE MOVE LIGHTLY, DUSTIN O’HALLORAN
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AVIRL 14, APHEX TWIN
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FEEL FLOWS, THE BEACH BOYS
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SIX MILLION DOLLAR SANDWICH, THE DEAD TEXAN
