Top 15 Songs of the Summer
What were the best tracks of this tumultuous, chaotic, not-so-demure summer? Still Listening count down the 15 tracks that take the Still Listening crown this summer.
Summer – did it even happen? Is it still here? Is Brat’s fluorescent green really burnt into the back of our retinas forever, or will it fade with the last of the blue sky? The world witnessed an attempted presidential assassination, an impressive display of sportsmanship at the Paris 2024 Olympics and now the Paralympics; there was the political party in the UK had a drastic switch-over, the Eras tour seemed to span its own era with an impressive, and somewhat insane 150 shows and, oh, and, to tie it all in a neat bow, Oasis announced their return.
What were the best tracks of this tumultuous, chaotic, not-so-demure summer? Join me as I count down from 15 the tracks that take the Still Listening crown this summer.
15: Billie Eilish – Lunch
This single is nothing short of a cultural reset for Billie Eilish. Sexy and sapphic, the single first snaked its way onto social media through secret clips of Billie playing it in clubs. What better way to invite the hedonism of a sweaty summer in with a song enamoured by oral sex? First Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles, now this: I know which I prefer.
14: Gretel – Far Out
In this single Gretel shrugs off her usual goth and folk indie outfit to embrace tri-hop influence. The wall of sound is impressively complex, with a stunning arpeggiated guitar in the verses, and the image from the video is striking, carving out a personal brand for the London-raised singer-songwriter. Aloof and sarcastic, it’s giving the same brattish, carefree rebellion the countenance of this summer wore.
13: illuminati hotties - Sleeping In
Time and time again we’ve seen huge musicians rise to fame from the charm of simple music, some happy-go-lucky piano chords, effortless acoustic guitar, and candid, honest lyrics often capturing a simple love tale. It’s how Taylor Swift’s early work prospered, and how most of us fell into Ed Sheeran’s trap early last decade. With Sleeping In, self-proclaimed tender-punk pioneer illuminati hotties uses this familiar formula and adds twinkles of her own character to express a joyous tale of queer romance and happy sacrifice: Love is co-existence, you forget that you’re just living side by side. Even during a brat summer, this description of selfless love and belonging certainly makes one of the most feel-good songs of 2024.
12: Clairo - Sexy to Someone
Clairo released her critically acclaimed album Juno this summer, for which Sexy to Someone was an early single. The song offers a jazzy, whimsical take that is as preppy and endearing as it is anxiously honest: sexy to someone is all I really want, Clairo sings sweetly. The care-free piano chords and light bass make this perfect for a summer’s day in the park and the message, I’d say, is fairly universal. I feel you, Clairo.
11: Nilüfer Yanya - Like I Say (I runaway)
The dark, moody pop of Yanya’s unusual soundscape met the sloshing of over-excited Estrella's as it was picked as an official song of Primavera festival this year, ushering out ecstatic crowds as bands tumbled off the stage dripping in delighted sweat. The chorus is dangerously addictive and is birthed, as always, from the sophisticated interiority indicative of her sound. This single is placed here as a nod, also, to Nilüfer’s other work that has been slowly trickling out over the last few months. Her 2022 album PAINLESS was nothing short of incredible; late last year she featured one of the highlight tracks of Bombay Bicycle Club’s 2023 album ‘My Big Day’. You heard it here first; Nilüfer is about to grab the music industry with both hands, and none of us are ready. This summer has done nothing but prove I’m right.
10: Kabin Crew & Lisdoonvarna - The Spark
How could this honest tune not feature on our list? Lisdoonvarna are a group of children from refugee accommodation Ireland, who picked up the glow sticks and got to work pouring their hearts into this inspirational DnB-influenced track. Only those with coal for a heart could resist a smile when they hear the youthful timbre of the rapping voices, or feel the necessary uplifting in the heartening lyrics: I searched for my spark and I found it (found it) / Everybody in the crowd, start bouncing! If this isn’t what music is about, I’m not sure what is.
9: Opus Kink – I Wanna Live With You
Opus Kink are celebrities in the South London music scene, for their shamanic live shows and their dark, brooding lyricism interspersed with ejaculations of brass that make for explosive, surprising listening. Their only release of 2024 so far is as sardonic and genre-expansive as ever; in less than three minutes we have formidable horns, clap-snaps, ghoulish post-punk and lamentations of – that’s right – connecting to the Wi-Fi with your lover before, um, sucking their blood. It’s a furious no-wave delight laced with the sleazy underground taboo we all secretly yearn for after four or five pints.
8: Chappell Roan – HOT TO GO!
The gimlet-eyed amongst you might notice that this song came out in September 2023, but how can you deny Chappel Roan at least some claim to the throne of 2024? Baby don’t you like this beat? I made it so you’d sleep with me, Chappel sings cheekily on this track, before bursting into the addictive pre-chorus full of Miley-Cyrus-esque movement calls (Body snap – now touch your toes). And now we have it, the addictive chorus, demanding arms to flail in some cheerleader call and response. All the while a dizzying backing track propels hips side to side and harmonies add to the desperate glee of the tune. Chappel is the queer gift the pop industry has needed, her outrageous drag fits, electrifying NPR Tiny Desk Concert and her defiant stances to the parasocial toxicity of the music industry only a handful of many reasons why Still Listening is now and forever a Roan supporter.
7: Paramore – Burning Down The House
Sorry not sorry to snub Miss Swift who has just undertaken the highest-grossing tour in history, but let the records show that Nashville Grammy winners Paramore were right there alongside her. Central to their opening set was their cover of Burning down the House by Talking Heads, lifted straight from the tribute album released in May. Hayley’s vocals are electrocuting and the kick-start energy is infectious. Bonus points if you’ve playlisted David Byrnes’ version of Paramore favourite, Hard Times, for his warbled vocals spinning new meanings in the preppy pool of dreary lyrics.
6: ladylike - Horse’s Mouth
An introspective night, when the world hushes and the sunset is pale in comparison to the fire in your chest, pinks and oranges and the crisp smell of grass fading from memory. You sit on the porch step and watch the airplanes hum their fumes into another empty sky, yet you still search for answers up there. You see it, right? And what do you hear? The right answer is Horse’s Mouth by indie folk-rockers ladylike, who formed in Brighton in 2022. It’s only their second single, but it hits you right where it counts. It might be the only song on this list tinged with melancholy, but sometimes a summer storm is everything you needed.
5: Fontaines D.C. – Starburster
It was a crisp, blue day in April when Dublin jacket Fontaines D.C. released the first single from their fourth album, Romance – I remember, because how could I not? Most fans admit that still, since release of the whole record, this single reigns supreme. The lyrics are bitterly funny, like Kurt Vonnegut came to life and had a Aperol on Southbank: I wanna talk with the clown who has apologies down / Pay him 300 pound to take a class in it. Frontman Chatten asserts his swaggering importance, the moral tyranny separating them, the artist, and us, the listener, a sentiment they’d explore further on the album. This sort of beedy-eyed interrogation of popular culture is fit especially for times where we bypass the corridors of truth and head for the swamp of postmodern late-stage capitalism alongside, as the kids say, brain-rot. Summer might be all carefree and whimsy, but there’s a darker state to the world that needs unpacking. Fontaines D.C. let us have the dark and the light.
4: Geordie Greep – Holy, Holy
It was a late release, greeting our ears on the cusp of summer’s end, but Geordie Greep of the former Black Midi swung out of the wood-work with a six-minute offering that is outrageously quirky and chock full with genre pastiches infused with jazzy instrumentation brandishing off-notes and flamboyant flourishes. Summer requires a few adjustments to slip into – after all, those early nights and heated blankets are purposefully cosy, chasing away the brutishness of seasonal depression– much like Geordie’s theatrical vocals and character study takes a few wait, what? to really appreciate. And then. Holy, Holy… Shit. For more eloquent words, check out our review in the latest Still Listening Showdown.
3: Magdalena Bay - Image
The Los Angeles electro-pop duo's sophomore album Imaginal Disk just received a dazzilingly rare 100/100 for their Still Listening score. Released in July, single Image is futuristic, addictive and cherry-glazed, building out from mellow beginnings to a bass-filled banger fitting right in with their psychedelic, barmy image. Meet your brand new image, Mica Tenenbaum sings, tottering giddily to the tune of the identity upheaval only expected when the sun comes out and the day stretches out, illuminating new corners of the night to discover.
2: Amyl and the Sniffers - U Should Not Be Doing That
It was crickets chirping into an empty chasm for a while from Australian punk-rockers, Amyl and the Sniffers. After their 2021 album Comfort to Me, they went quiet. Until. All of a sudden, avid fans had a recalcitrant picture of frontwoman Amy Taylor pissing in a stunning white get-up and, even better, one of their best songs ever. U Should Not Be Doing That is a work of feminist resistance against toxicity, power and a testament to knowing your worth, fit with one of the most addictive guitar riffs of the year.
1: 360 – Charli XCX
We had to bump this one up to number one, of course. It was hard to choose a pinnacle song from the defining soundtrack of summer, but Charli’s ability to spin a cultural zeitgeist around a simple melodic refrain and include all of today’s it girls in the audacious music video must take the crown. The single calls forward to this very moment, situated at the top of the charts with the industry woven round a pinkie finger: I’m your favourite reference baby, Charli smirks. If you love it, if you hate it, I don’t fucking care what you think.