That’s it. We’re calling summer early at Lovers... pluck a sun-or-moon-beam from this weird sonic heat bathe and let it sooth your soul. Taster above, play in Spotify for full technicolour. Liner notes:
Outside by George Michael
It’s a funky summer banger and just seems particularly apt at a time when we’re all holed up in our homes for weeks on end. The music video in particular is like a hilarious anathema to social distancing. I know it feels like we may never dance in public toilets again, but we’ve got to have faith, damn it!
— Luke G
Take me to the Bridge by Vera
Heavenly 80's synth pop. There's nothing quite like it.
— Dan C
Alright by Supergrass
Last gig I went to before all this madness, up at Ally Pally. Premonitions of a different summer :) Always a banger to start your day to!
— Alex O
What you Did by Mahalia ft. Ella Mai
My chilled summer song!
— Amy F
Love my Way by The Psychedelic Furs
I'm addicted to it!
— Ellie
Dragonball Durag by Thundercat
Lounging in the garden listening to this new Thundercat album makes me forget our current situation (the music video is also amazing).
— Paul P
Obaa Sima by Ata Kak
No clue what is being said, but I challenge you not to nod along to it.
— Dan C
Ladyfingers by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
The perfect balm for lockdown blues.
— Xenobe
In My Room by The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys were celebrating self-isolation back in '63. I hope their words offer some comfort to the Lovers.
— Ollie
Out of the One by STL
Woozy, sun-bleached, tranquil, downtempo. A relatively recent release from an underground hero. Best three letters since LFO.
— Kia
Here’s to Now by Ugly Casanova
This song is from the documentary ‘180 Degrees South’, and I think it encapsulates the notion of taking a pause and appreciating all that is around you at any given time. A thought that many are sharing at a time when we’re being forced to slow down somewhat.
— Harriet L
Everybody Dance by CHIC
It reminds me of my first trip to Glasto, the weather was perfect, Chic were playing in the afternoon sun on the West Holt stage and the vibes were strong.
— Alex S
Ecstacy is on Maple Mountain by Nathan Micay
I haven’t stopped listening to this since it came out (nearly a year ago) if that’s any kind of a testament to how solid a track this is! In fact, this whole album is just tune after tune.
— Connor C
Concrete Schoolyard by Jurassic 5
It was the soundtrack to summer 2005 when we were in our last year at school. We’d finished our exams and all we needed to do was hang out and mess around.
— Zoe
PIENSO EN TU MIRÁ - Cap.3: Celos by Rosalía
I can't understand the language so it's probably nowhere near what the lyrics are saying, but in the sound alone I hear excitement, breathless energy and sensorial anticipation. And I think her voice speaks of joy and pain in equal measure.
— Clementine
Something (On My Mind) by Jack J
A song to float away with.
— Alistair
Hate It Or Love It by The Game ft. 50 Cent
Transports me back to summers spent cruising around Essex in my brothers pimped out Ford Fiesta. I don't know who we thought we were impressing.
— Sam
Who Am I by Beenie Man
Growing up in Ladbroke Grove, carnival was always the highlight of the summer. One of the all-time carnival bangers, this tune gets all the octogenarians in my sleepy Somerset village up on their zim zimmers!
— Martin
Key to Love (Is Understanding) by BADBADNOTGOOD
Reminds me of early evening car rides through dusky Tuscany landscapes.
— Lisa
Hey Moon by John Maus
Very dreamy song... imagine summer nights outside with one person you're in love with. HEY MOON it's just you and me tonight. Nights are shorter during the summertime, that's why they are so special. We want to dream this summer. A dream of happiness. HEY MOON come back soon.
— Kristina
Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
It’s a bit of a power pop tune. Has a really motivational sound to it. Perfect for getting yourself up and ready to go or blasting in your headphones on a jog. And it has the apt lyrics “the city’s cold and empty, no ones around to judge me” in case you feel like busting out some moves.
— Sadie
Use it Up and Wear it Out by Odyssey
My friends and I lost our minds to this song about 5 years ago on our way home from a music festival. We played it on repeat in the car, singing and whistling along for hours while stuck in a boiling hot traffic jam. It became our road trip anthem, and reminds me of all the hilariously fun journeys we've had together.
— Hattie
Yemanesh Ayinama by Hailu Mergia, Dahlak Band
I originally added this track to a playlist made to lull my son into some semblance of calm (it didn’t work), but the playlist did end up on rotation in the studio and seems fitting for the slower pace of life I've been trying to enjoy during these tough times.
— Patrick
La Mer by Charles Trenet
This is one of my favourite seaside songs, and in these times of isolation it takes me to a coastal dreamland of sea breeze, feet in water and freedom taken for granted.
— Geoffrey
TV Party by Black Flag
Feels pretty apt for summer indoors!
— Dan P
Equinox by Antwerp
It has something very effortless and summery, and reminds me of the summer I met someone special :)
— Olga
Peg by Steely Dan
It reminds me of good times and old faces.
— Sarah T
River Lea by Adele
I’ve always associated this song with my relationship to New York City. I was born here and this is where my family is from but I was actually raised in San Francisco. Living in NYC was never in the plan, but circumstances changed when my dad passed away and the need to live here grew much stronger. Sometimes I will take the Metro north to my mom’s house and find myself listening River Lea while looking at the Hudson on my left and the singing the lyrics “But it’s in my roots, it’s in my veins, it’s in my blood and I stain every heart that I used to heal the pain,” in my head.
— Allie
Lilacs by Waxahatchee
This came out at the end of the first week of official lockdown. I had taken that Friday off as holiday, but obviously couldn't really do much apart from my one piece of outside exercise. It also happened to be one of the first days that really felt like winter had ended. So I headed out on my bike and listened to this album in full a few times. Despite everything going on, listening to this song in the sunshine made it feel like maybe things weren't all bad.
— Tommy
Baby Needs a Breeze by Charmpit
Even though we’re keeping our distance, this pop punk bop reminds me that we can still be there for each other. Video your pals! Call your mum! Wave at all the dogs! You could be the breeze that gives ‘em the lift they need. (You dancing, yet?)
— Whitney
Fisherman by The Congos
This is to me an "intermezzo" type of song. It makes the morning blending into the afternoon in slow, relaxing waves. I'm usually listening to reggae in the afternoon, to go deeper and to find meanings and feelings into things. With songs like this, or Mortimer or Jah9, I can carry on until evening and keep the focus on what I'm doing.
— Michela
I Can't Help But Wonder by Dianne Davidson
Fuct released a psych rock mix called Uppers Downers and In Between in 2013 and I listened to it all summer long. This was on there and for me just pairs so well with some incense, a good blanket, and the shade of a tree in the blazing sun.
— Joss
Barefoot In The Park by James Blake ft. ROSALÍA
The perfect laid-back tune that makes me think of long lazy days, lounging in the sun.
— Kerensa
Sunday Morning by Margo Guryan
This track came up serendipitously on a playlist I was listening to while we were enjoying the sun, in the garden, on a Sunday morning, and I just found it had this blissful ignorance of the times — pure escapism.
— Mike
Lobster - 12" Version by The Word
I heard this track a little while ago on a Soundcloud mix (can't remember what one...) and thought of how much I was looking forward to finding a stand-alone version of the track and ab-so-lutely rinsing it until I can't stand to listen to it anymore. I found it and I'm now mid rinse, passing the rinse on to you.
— Stuart
Content of Mind by Robin Saville
Bop!
— Nick
The Narcissist by Dean Blunt
For me summer songs aren’t bright days, it’s the hazy twilight hours that I’m drawn to, and this is just the song to take you into the evening.
— Jack
D’Evils by SiR
Love this song. Reminds me of time spent outside. The sky. The grass. The air. Maybe the beach on a good day.
— Alex H
Romanticist by Yves Tumour
The whole sound reeks of summer!
— Dave
I Picked a Winner by Inner Life
This chilled summer banger opens with a cheeky day-at-the beach bass line, before we're tickled by a lil warmth synth on the knees. Imagine you're in 1970's yellow tinged California, make up your own four-part dance sequence, and pretend the lyrics are about bogies. Nice.
— Alex P
Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
It's joyful and hopeful and calming, the perfect threesome to help us through the summer of corona.
— Imogen
Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Reminds me of summer as a young adult running around with the freedom to go as you please. Old enough to drive and be out and self sufficient, but young enough to not care too much about life.
— Sun Lee
Dance, Dance, Dance by Lykke Li
My sister-in-law is a director and recently made In My Skin. The mother character suffers from bipolar depression and she's in an institution. The last scene sees her daughter visiting and they dance to this track. It is so beautiful: a wonderful sense of optimism balanced with equal parts sadness.
— Karen
Hold On by Little Dragon
Makes me think about summer days outside, drinking all afternoon in the sun — I can't remember what that's like anymore!
— Ade
The Crying Game by Boy George
Introduced to me by the pivotal scene from ‘Pet Detective’ where Carey realises Lt. Lois Einhorn is in fact former Miami Dolphins kicker and later institutionalised: Ray Finkle. The moment culminates with our protagonist sobbing in the shower whilst George’s hauntingly beautiful vocal reverberates off the tiles. The film presented a world to my younger self in which it is perpetually summer, where Ace careers around Miami in his 1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in open shirt and vest without care. This twist parodies Neil Jordan’s 1992 thriller of the same name, a detail I missed at the time sadly.
— Alex M
Friday Night by The Busy Twist
I challenge anyone to sit still during this song! (It's impossible, you can't do it).
— Sarah W
In My Car by Cold Panda
This was my fav track from an album I smashed through during summer 2016 spent in London. Summer in London is always full of good times.
— Simon
Holding On by Tirzah
Love this song, it’s just got a great energy and makes me think of long summer days spent in the park.
— Imogen F
Only Love can Break your Heart — Andrew Weatherall Mix by Saint Etienne
This reminds me of summers at uni / post uni. I used to listen to it smoking jazz cigarettes watching the sun come up after heavy nights, knowing I had nothing to wake up for.
— Luke K
The Boys of Summer (Live at EartH London, 2019) by Bat for Lashes
I heart Natasha Khan and love her live version of The Boys of Summer.
— Rhett
Ca plane pour moi by Plastic Bertrand
OK, let's go! Mind your own, keep your nose out
Don't harm my planet
Today's not the day the sky will fall down around my ears
Or that I will have to go without a drink
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
It's all working out for me.
— Paul K
Spinning Away by Brian Eno & John Cale
This track evokes such an uplifting positive atmosphere. Eno and Cale are 2 of my absolute favourite artists and I've only just discovered this collaboration. It just lifts my heart in this dark time and makes me feel hopeful and joyous, it's been on repeat 4 times today already...
— Luke M-M