Summer Playlist: 30 Songs To Add To Your Summer Playlist

Blue skies, sweltering heat and torrential rain…ahhh must be British summertime. We’re right in the middle of Summer which means it’s about time that I shared my next seasonal playlist with you all. Last season, I shared 30 songs that I felt summed up the season of Spring. And this season, I’m doing exactly the same thing but for Summer. Want to know what 30 songs I think need to be on your Summer playlist this season? Keep reading to discover my picks!

30 Songs To Add To Your Summer Playlist

Similarly to my Spring playlist, I’ve gone and split this playlist up into a few different sections depending on their vibe. My Spring playlist had a very clear three-way split, but I feel as though this Summer playlist is slightly more…chaotic. I’ve ended up splitting the playlist into five sections. However, all of them have the overarching theme of ‘Summer’ so, despite the sections, they all have a similar vibe. Let’s give it a listen.

Summer Playlist Track Listing: Part One

1. It’s A Beautiful Day – Queen

2. Loaded – Primal Scream

3. All Together Now – The Farm

4. Sincerity Is Scary – The 1975

5. Real Love Baby – Father John Misty

6. The First Day – Villagers

7. It’s Real – Real Estate

8. Face to Face – Rex Orange County

9. Kingston – Faye Webster

Part One Favourites

Kicking off the playlist, I’ve gone for one of my favourite artists from my Legend Slot series: Queen. It’s A Beautiful Day felt like the perfect opener for this playlist and hopefully gives you an instant sense of Summer. I wanted it to set the scene before we got into the full playlist, and I think with the build-up of vocals it really does achieve that. From here, I’ve chosen an absolute ’90s classic, Loaded by Primal Scream. This song has always felt like such a summery tune for me so it was a no-brainer for me to add it to this. Honestly, I feel like the fact that I can sense exactly when the iconic “OH YEAH!!” comes in in the song is a genuine hidden talent of mine.

While we’re talking about Loaded, I’ve got a little side note for any Lorde fans who are reading. Maybe the song sounds familiar to you? Lorde actually listed Loaded as an influence for her recent single Solar Power. If you haven’t given Loaded a listen before, go away and listen to it as well as Solar Power and see if you can hear where she’s getting the influence from. For the rest of this section, I’ve gone for mostly fairly chilled out, slower tracks in with a few that have a bit more of a beat to them like Face to Face by Rex Orange County.

Summer Playlist Track Listing: Part Two

10. Lost in Translation – The Neighbourhood

11. Breathe Deeper – Tame Impala

12. Kyoto – Phoebe Bridgers

13. the last great american dynasty – Taylor Swift

14. Texas Sun – Khruangbin, Leon Bridges

15. Congratulations – MGMT

Part Two Favourites

Moving onto part two. I wanted this section to feel a bit more upbeat than the first, so I’ve chosen tracks that reflect that vibe. My favourite from the list? It’s going to have to be either Kyoto by Phoebe Bridgers or the last great american dynasty by Taylor Swift. Both tracks are absolutely incredible, but there’s something extra special about the way they blend into each other in this playlist.

Summer Playlist Track Listing: Part Three

16. Little Sunflower – Dorothy Ashby

17. No Woman – Whitney

18. Femme Fatale – The Velvet Underground, Nico

19. Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying – Labi Siffre

20. Losing You – Solange

21. People, I’ve been sad – Christine and the Queens

Part Three Favourites

Part three starts with an instrumental track from Dorothy Ashby, a jazz harpist who I’ve recently really been enjoying listening to. I wanted to incorporate a bit of jazz into this playlist somehow but found that all of my go-to favourite jazz tracks just weren’t working. When I discovered Little Sunflower a few months back, I knew it’d be perfect for this playlist.

Summer Playlist Track Listing: Part Four

22. If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know) – The 1975

23. Don’t Go Yet – Camila Cabello

24. On the Low – Burna Boy

25. Tamacun – Rodrigo y Gabriela

Part Four Favourites

Oi oi, a second The 1975 track! I just couldn’t help myself. I was finding it really hard to blend Christine and the Queens’ People I’ve been sad with Camila Cabello’s Don’t Go Yet but then If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know) ended up being the perfect fit. In my eyes anyway. You might notice that I’ve kept this section to a very minimal four tracks. I wanted to have a few really upbeat tracks in the playlist that remind me of holidays in Spain. Since travelling abroad is still a no go for so many of us, I wanted to bring the holiday vibes into this playlist in some way. For me, these four tracks sum up that holiday feeling. What do you think?

Summer Playlist Track Listing: Part Five

26. Didn’t I – Darondo

27. In My Life – The Beatles

28. Futile Devices (Doveman Remix) – Sufjan Stevens

29. Bags – Clairo

30. Replica – The xx

Part Five Favourites

To finish, I’ve chosen five tracks that collectively feel like a fade-out for the playlist. Once again, we’ve got a song from a Legend Slot artist featured: In My Life by The Beatles and another one from one of my favourite film soundtracks: Futile Devices by Sufjan Stevens (from the film Call Me By Your Name). The final track, however, comes from one of my favourite groups, The xx. To me, Replica feels like the perfect song to end your Summer evenings with. Hopefully, you’ll agree.

What tracks are on your Summer playlist this year? Are there any tracks or artists from my playlist that are new to you? Let me know in the comments!

Female Original

Read next: 30 Songs To Add To Your Spring Playlist.