My Summer Soundtrack for Good Vibes All Season

While I’ve certainly been known to listen to some pretty solemn Phoebe Bridgers or Fiona Apple all year long, summer marks a particular era where my usual soundtrack takes a seasonal turn — one I take very seriously, if my 60,000 listening minutes on Spotify have anything to say about it. Gone is the trance house or classical that tops my recommendations every exam season throughout spring; the change in the weather tends to reintroduce records based in nostalgia and dance-pop. Whether it be for a barbecue, a vacation, or extended bank holiday day drinking, here are my favourite records that keep me smiling all season long (even in the sweltering heat). 

Solar Power, Lorde

After the smash hits of Lorde’s debut and sophomore albums (2013’s Pure Heroine and 2017’s Melodrama), Solar Power (2021) was more of a middling success. Despite the mixed critical response, this sun-drenched record has had the most longevity of Lorde’s discography in my own music library.

Beginning with the psychedelic reverb of ‘The Path’ and its opening lyrics ‘Born in the year of OxyContin/ Raised in the tall grass’, referencing the conception of the opioid epidemic of her birth year, and the landscape of her New Zealand hometown, Solar Power transports you to the uncertain, lust-drenched haze of youth. 

One of my personal favourites from the record, its title track, comes next and solidifies the album as a summer staple. Paired with the characteristic stripped-back production of Jack Antonoff, the track steps away from the drawn-out, electronic tones of her usual work, in place of an almost folk-inspired acoustic guitar, before gaining more texture with its initial hook, ‘Forget all of the tears that you’ve cried/ It’s over’. Avoiding traditional song structure, the track ends with a crescendo of its title, ‘That’s solar power’.

The album traverses the temporality of spring/ summer through its waning emotional turns. While its indie-pop inspiration offers it the guise of frolicking simplicity, Lorde’s haunting lyrics and voice give it a definitive melancholy that seems to converse with the rest of her discography.

To enjoy the record to its fullest, I recommend a full listen to its deluxe version, baking it in the sun on the grass of a front lawn on a day with zero responsibilities, or staring out of the window on the way back home from an extended vacation.

No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire, Dora Jar

I’m not entirely sure where I first encountered Dora Jar, but I can say with some certainty that she has remained a staple of my Spotify library ever since. Her debut (and only) album, No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire (2024), is a masterclass in songwriting and production.

With stripped-back tracks such as ‘This Is Why’ and ‘Holy Water’, paired with the powerhouse of its title track and the dance-inspired production of ‘Ragdoll’, No Way To Relax takes you on a true sonic journey that is a joy to listen to.

For the best summer listen, I’d recommend playing the record on a dying JBL speaker at a 4 am afterparty on a Sunday morning.

choke enough, Oklou

Another debut, choke enough (2025), comes from French artist Marylou Mayniel, after a series of EPs (that are also well worth the listen). The record clocks in at a healthy 35 minutes and offers a series of Y2K-inspired electro-pop recordings, fit with stripped-back electro-ballads and hyperpop-esque dance tracks.

I first discovered Oklou through the album's title track, and gave the full record a listen after seeing her incredible NTS Radio live show on an ice rink, accompanied by figure skaters. One of the album’s singles, ‘blade bird’ steals the show for me, offering up haunting vocals beginning with a soft melody, before descending into a fully fledged trance-dance track.

Choke enough is at its best when listened to with friends at a pre-drinks for a club event or festival that you’ll remember for years.

Who’s The Clown? Audrey Hobert

If you haven’t heard of Audrey Hobert, you’ve likely heard of something she has written. The co-writer of some of Gracie Abrahms biggest hits, including ‘That’s So True’ and ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’ (and sister to Malcom Todd, known for his breakout hit ‘Earrings’), Audrey Hobert released her debut album, Who’s The Clown? (2025) in August of last year.

Its leading single was the now smash TikTok hit ‘Sue Me’, whose confessional hook ‘Sue me I wanna be wanted!’ sets the tone for the full record. Hobert’s writing is candid and stream of consciousness, exactly what you might expect from the woman who opens her album with the line ‘I like to touch people’.

I’ve often called this record my true ‘white girl bop album’ in that it avoids the usual musical clichés of smooth production and metaphorical lyricism in place of an unsashamedly straightforward pop sound. The result is clearly intentional and catchy, lending itself to multiple easy repeat listens.

My favourite tracks are its second single, ‘Bowling Alley’ and yearning companion ‘Wet Hair’ alongside the booming synths of ‘Shooting Star’ and ‘Silver Jubilee’. The entire record is a snapshot of early twenties uncertainty, fit with drinking on a Thursday, career uncertainty, and disastrously pining for an ex.

For a peak first experience with Who’s the Clown?, I’d recommend a listen while walking to a 3 pm picnic (paired with a bottle of white wine or Aperol).

After EP, After

Since the American duo After is yet to release an album, my final summer record comes in the form of their self-titled extended play — though their entire discography is worth listening to. After EP offers a time capsule back to the early 2000s with a series of Alanis Morissette meets electro-pop-esque tracks. Their most popular — and arguably best — track, ‘300 dreams’, is what introduced me to the duo, where they put lyrics of heartbreak against their usual Y2K nostalgic soundscape.

After’s sound may be more of a time capsule than radically transformative or experimental, but the EP still serves as an excellent nostalgic soundtrack in the Summer months. My favourite way to listen is on a 20-minute walk (usually to a bus stop or train station) in a vintage midi skirt and a pair of ballet flats.

If you find yourself in the South-West of England this August, Lorde, Audrey Hobert, and Oklou are all performing at Bristol’s Forwards Festival.