Sharps and Flats: A sublime Spotify summer symphony

For students at the College of William and Mary, there’s nothing like summer after a tough semester. The smell of copper-toned sunscreen, clusters of tanned wrinkles, drive-in movies, post-beach dinners with tanned skin and salty hair, and of course the latest summer mixtape (coincidentally, one of THE DRIVER ERA’s great albums). Is the name). through your car stereo. There is nothing like that in my book.

I was born deep in Southwest Virginia’s infamous heatwave in mid-July in the brightest southern sunshine, and I was a summer girl from the start. Whether you wear them or have socially acceptable reasons to wear your shoes as infrequently as possible, the season is always something to look forward to. It has the potential to be a full-fledged kicker on the track. We’re talking about ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘perks of being a wallflower’ Tunnel scenes, iconic summer playlists at the “Teen Beach Movie” level.

With the weather getting warmer and the mornings getting brighter and brighter, it’s inevitable that we’ll be counting down the days until the end of the school year, yearning for summer freedom. It starts when you make a decision.

Especially now that I’m approaching the last day of my semester in college, my music architect is in full swing. I listen to every song little by little. I would like to recommend some of my grooviest and most beloved summer tracks to college students. my personal playlist). These songs are definitely going to get mileage on my Honda stereo this summer.

I want to start strong with a few classics that I can always rely on – many of which I shamelessly Playlist of Guardians of the Galaxy Volumes 1 and 2. ‘Southern Nights’ by Glen Campbell and ‘Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)’ by Looking Glass are such songs. Both songs have a mellow, somber vibe and tell a vivid and complex story within their lyrics. Whenever I listen to these songs, I imagine sitting on a screened-in porch at night, listening to crickets and cicadas, and watching the moon rise I’m talking about exactly this sort of thing).

I put the Eagles’ “Peaceful, Easy Feeling” in the same category. If you’re looking for more energetic classic summer songs like The Beach Boys, Fleetwood, He Mac, Steely Dan, “Good Vibrations,” “Think About Me,” and “Reelin’ In The Year,” respectively. In this same musical vein is the recently formed band Daisy Jones and the Six, born out of his Amazon Prime adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel. Featuring Riley Keough (Daisy Jones) and Sam Claflin (Billy Dunn) as lead singers, Daisy Jones and The Six put forth music reminiscent of the bands I’ve already mentioned. If you think you might like their music, I highly recommend his two of their most iconic and “summery” tracks, “Let Me Down Easy” and “Aurora.”

If you’re looking for something you could call a “memories of the past” from the current music scene, I’d start with at least a few songs from One Direction. Lately, I’ve found myself choosing “One Thing” and “Diana” over the well-known and beloved “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Live While We’re Young.” But in my opinion, if you’re looking for some early 2000s throwback, Wan can’t go wrong with any song on his direction. A lot of their music has such a pop effervescence that has the potential to absolutely scream “summer” to me and sing out loud in the car.

If you love One Direction but want something a little more recent, musically complex, with more mature themes and vocals, Niall Horan’s album Heartbreak Weather, especially the title track and song “Dear・I recommend listening to Patience. His music has a certain honeyed, melodic and upbeat quality that helps ease my fatigue with the corny, traditional pop sound you hear so often in artists like Harry Styles. . Needless to say, Horan releases his third album on June 9th, which I’m sure will be integrated into my summer soundtrack. I don’t see how prereleases like “Heaven” and “Meltdown” wouldn’t.

Moving on to other throwback tracks not related to 1D, I would forever recommend listening to Michael Franti and Spearhead. You may not know their name, but you certainly know their smash hit “Say Hey (I Love You).” Nostalgic He also invites students to listen to “The Sound of Sunshine,” a volleyball-esque tune by the bright and cheery Beach He that sounds like it’s playing in the background of a 2000s coming-of-age movie.

If you’re not looking for something good old, ditch some recommendations that are better suited to the current music scene. We’ll start with two of his artists, George Ezra and Vance Joy, who understandably haven’t received much attention. You may know their name for hits like Ezra’s “Budapest” and Joy’s “Riptide,” but the rest of their discography is often unfairly ignored. Ezra’s latest album, ‘Gold Rush Kid’, features beautiful and enchanting melodies with a vibe that can only be described as tropical. This is a theme found on his other albums ‘Wanted on Voyage’ and ‘Staying at Tamara’s’. His current favorite songs are ‘Green Green Grass’ and ‘Blame it On Me’, both of which are inspired by bright summer sun, palm trees and long days at the beach. And the Ezra’s smooth bass never disappoints.

Joy, on the other hand, has gone in the direction of a more folk-pop-like crossover with songs like “Catalonia” and “Clarity.” In both cases, your voice is very distinctive, singing upbeat, joyful melodies with upbeat lyrics. If you want something with a little less energy and a more realistic vibe, you should listen to Surfaces, especially the songs “24/7/365” and “Palm Trees.” I would also like to mention Declan McKenna’s “Brazil,” which is currently hugely popular for its unique vocals, melody, and summer anthem potential. Finally, if you’re looking for something to explode while driving on the interstate at night with your windows open, we recommend Lorde’s ‘Buzzcut Season’ and ‘Green Light’. Summer freedom and adventure.

And to round out our summer playlist, several members of the wider college community wanted to offer summer song recommendations as well.

Emma Allen ’26 loves the songs “The Sun Keeps Shining”, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” and The 1975’s “I’d Love it if We Made It” by almost Monday. Listening to two of her favorite artists, Harry Styles and her Lizzo, especially their respective songs “Watermelon Sugar” and “About Damn Time.” Georgi Butch ’26 She recommended Chastity Belt’s ‘Seattle Party’, The Shins’ ‘Australia’ and Peter, Bjorn and John’s ‘Young Folks’.

Overall, you can make summer really special by matching it with the right music. A Summer playlist is more than just a collection of songs with upbeat rhythms and upbeat melodies. It’s an ode to the emotions and memories we cherish each summer. So, when you’re wrapping up the finals and kicking things off for next summer, turn up your stereo and listen to “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry.