You’re over your Spotify mixes, your YouTube playlists are becoming repetitive, and wading through your muso friend’s ever-pretentious song suggestions is less appealing than listening to Nickelback’s “Photograph” on repeat for the rest of time. We get it. To relieve your decision fatigue, we’ve asked the hottest rising artists to compile their favorite tracks of the minute.
Here, Alexina shares the songs to get you through your summertime sadness.
1. Sky Ferreira, “Voices Carry (Cover)”
I only found this cover a few months ago and it’s the best night time drive-time record—a beautiful version of ‘Til Tuesday’s original. It’s so sad. When she screams, “He said shut up,” it’s like, ARGH. She’s badass.
2. The 1975, “I Like America & America Likes Me”
This song has a proper groove. “We’re scared of dying”—I love the dense auto-tune wall of sound, it’s like, Let’s get really drunk and scream this song. It’s a sad, real anthem that makes me want to dance. I think if you’re dancing, you’ve got to be at least 50% happy.
3. Old Crow Medicine Show, “Wagon Wheel”
I find it hard to explain why this song makes me so happy—it’s just so good. My favorite thing to do is put this on at a house party at about 2 a.m. Most people are like, NO GET THIS OFF, but always seem to like it by the end.
4. Jimi Hendrix, “All Along the WatchTower”
Once we put on a play at school when I was 14—it was a ’60s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and I played a fairy. We were dressed in army camouflage boiler suits and had big punk hair! It was one of the best times of my life, and this song was my cue to get on stage. Then a stomach bug broke out through the school so the play got cancelled after the first night. It was so sad.
5. Pink Floyd, “Great Gig in the Sky (Summer Wouldn’t Complete)”
My Dad would put this record in the car when we were really young, usually a bit drunk on the way back from somewhere at night and wind down the windows and put his hands in the air. It is the most nostalgic, magical song. He would often drive off the road and do a circle round a field—it was quite mad. This song does things to me. This song and the “Dark Side of the Moon” record is still played in our house a LOT.
6. LAYNE, “Leave it Now”
I found this song about two weeks ago, but it’s summer now—she reminds me of Pale Waves, and this song is so driving. Basically, it makes you feel so happy.
7. EMPARA Mi, “Shine on You”
My friend Empara Mi made this masterpiece and it’s so beautiful. It’s like the end of a film or a sunrise—it’s a sad-core, huge song that makes me feel so big bold. I feel like I’m in like my own music video when I listen to it. You can’t be sad after listening to it.
8. Radiohead, “House of Cards”
I think this song is about two people in loveless relationships, and Thom Yorke is like come on, let’s leave our relationships and get together. It’s so hopeful and encouraging, and I love the guitar sound so much. It’s so warm. I’ve loved this song for a long time.
9. Kira, “Wanna go Back”
My friends Kira made this heavenly tune filled with nostalgia and ’80s synths, and Katie’s glorious voice makes you want to be young and at school again. It’s happy and sad at the same—it indulges sadness in a really beautiful way.
10. Jungle, “House in LA”
It’s really hard to describe how this song makes me feel. It’s such a mixture of emotions for me. The driving sub and that piano is so evocative of the sun and summer—I visualize a house party in slow motion or something. I think the video is half-time, so maybe that’s why I think that.
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