2025 Staff Playlist: Summer Edition
After The Storm – Kali Uchis
“After The Storm” is an uplifting, cheerful song. This song motivates listeners to “save yourself” and “hang on, baby” because “after the storm’s when the flowers bloom.” The end of the school year can be a stressful time for students because of standardized testing, AP exams, and finals. This song is a perfect reminder for students to motivate themselves and keep working hard. Once school is over, the sun will come out, and stress will hide away.
“MUTT” by Leon Thomas is the perfect summer song and album to listen to while going out for an evening drive. It is the perfect mix of classic R&B and jazz soul music. Thomas is more well known for playing Andre on the television show “Victorious,” but his musical artistry is one to acknowledge. He has a talent for singing and writing catchy songs like “Snooze,” “Vibes Don’t Lie,” and “MUTT.”
Enhypen – Orange Flower (You Complete Me)
“Orange Flower (You Complete Me)” is a light song that can be listened to in any mood. With the transition from gloomy winter to bright spring, this song is a perfect way to ease into the warmer, sunny months. The orange flower represents a light, like the sun, brightening a dark world. The lyric “color my world” is a message to brighten one’s world with light.
Off of their first EP, Spring, Wallows cultivates a sound that perfectly describes the feeling of finally feeling the warm air after the winter blues. With guitarist and singer Breaden Lemasters taking the lead on vocals, you can hear the springtime vibes written all over the song. Both the guitar and drums in this song can make a person want to go frolic in a field in the best way possible. The main hook of the song, being “…oh it’s love” with the words “…let the sun in” playing in the background, emphasizes the happy uplifting vibe that comes with springtime.
This song has such a vibe; it’s one to listen to when you need to just zone out from life for just a couple of minutes. The 1975, English pop-rock band, released “About You” in 2022 with the main singer, Matty Healy, as the vocalist. This song is really just one you have to listen to and relax. It truly feels like a main-character moment in the summer with the wind blowing through your hair.
There’s something off-putting about music that begs for approval and tries too hard to fit a vibe. But Malcolm Todd avoids all that with his no-skip discography. “4Me 4Me” is a blend of throwback funk and modern R&B. There are no theatrics, no big buildup, just a funky rhythm that feels more like a shrug than a statement. This song has quiet confidence–”I see you. You don’t have to be anything else.” It’s like a compliment said under someone’s breath. It’s the kind of song that doesn’t ask for a reaction, but you catch yourself replaying it anyway.
Murart is known for his upbeat musical style, and this song is no exception. Behind its amazing instrumental and beats, “Loira Morango” is your classic “romantic ballad,” with clever verses and beats that reminded many of the classic style of some Brazilian artists of the ‘70s and dictatorship resistance, such as Rita Lee. It is a song that you must let yourself enjoy without trying to find any deeper meanings, simply letting yourself sway to its “gingado” (or fluidity) and addictive vocal performance from Murart.
It is hard to find songs that work with tarot and its hidden meanings, which is something that the stories of “TAROT, REVERSED” and “TAROT, UPRIGHT” do excellently. It tells the story of a woman whose relationship has failed, and her way of processing this grief, travelling from a phase of obsession to one of larger understanding. Clear logic and intellectual thinking characterize the card of the king of swords, which is reflected in this element of the song itself. The musicality is characterized by slow beats and drawn-out vocals with reverb in some sections, representing the voices in the character’s head, ever reasoning. This is contrasted with quickening beats as we approach the ending of the song, “as the wager calls for sacrifice, I threw my heart in without thinking twice,” representing her conscious choice to not let herself be shaken by doubt, but instead enact her own chaos.
From Bjork’s debut album in 1993, this song just oozes with funky dance music and vibes. Bjork, an Icelandic artist, has always been known for her kooky music style and her exotic actions in life, and this song is no exception. If you want to be transported into a ’90s dance club, this song is perfect for an overall atmosphere.