Omi – Cheerleader
Why it could be the Song of the Summer: One of the worst of the bunch, this song has been blowing up Spotify internationally to the tune of 180 million-plus plays, but has yet to make a significant impact on the U.S. charts. It’s coming, though. I hope you like trumpets.
Best time to listen during the summer: When you’re trying to kick your one-night stand out of the house. This song will make them move at double-time.
Post Malone – “White Iverson”
Why it could be the Song of the Summer: A slow R&B burner that has yet to peak, “White Iverson” has been creeping up on everyone for months. During the week of SXSW, Post Malone’s Twitter followers jumped from 400 to over 10,000 and the word “saucin’” broke into the mainstream lexicon. He could be the white knight/rapper we have been waiting for that can break the curse that Macklemore and Iggy have cast over the last two summers. (He also performs in OKC this weekend.)
Best time to listen during the summer: At the after-after-party. Not before 3:30 a.m.
Anything from the upcoming Giorgio Moroder album
Why it could be the song of the summer: 74-year-old electronic music legend Giorgio Moroder made a comeback in 2013 with multiple appearances on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, but the comeback will be complete when his first new album in 30 years drops on June 12. He’s already released the first five songs, which feature Sia, Kylie Minogue, Charli XCX, and even had Britney Spears doing a really solid cover of “Tom’s Diner” (for some reason). All of these songs have breakout potential. My personal favorite song of 2015 so far is the title track, “Deja Vu,” in which Moroder returns Sia to her singing-over-an-eletronic-track-that-somebody-else-produced/Zero 7 roots. There are still seven more jams that we have yet to hear from this record, and any one of them could end up being the Song of the Summer.
Best time to listen during the summer: Daytime driving with the windows down.
Britney Spears ft. Iggy Azalea – “Pretty Girls”
Why it could be the Song of the Summer: Where to begin with this? The matrimony between two of the most polarizing pop stars of the last 20 years should be enough to justify this listing, but go ahead and take a listen to the song (I am only asking you to listen to it so you can suffer the same musical indecencies as I did when I wrote this). It sounds like Britney Spears, at only 33 years old, is already beginning her midlife crisis stage. She has autotuned herself into a lyrical coma yet still manages to outshine Iggy’s lazy talk-rapping. The song clocks in at 2:44 and about 2:15 of that is the same chorus repeated over and over again, which means this was tailor-made with the intention of being a Summer Jam. It’s just short and annoying enough that it will be begrudgingly stuck in your head for weeks at a time.
Best time to listen during the summer: You will hear this song hundreds of times this summer no matter what you do. It’s the audio version of the It Follows monster.
Mumford & Sons – “Ditmas”
Why it could be the Song of the Summer: The longest shot to make it, I couldn’t bring myself to write this list without any sort of “rock” representation. Mumford has changed its sound up to include a drumset and some actual structure, and “Ditmas” is the only song from Wilder Mind that I could see actually getting some major play. It’s as upbeat and upsetting as any of the previous Mumford songs that somehow launched them into superstardom, only there are electric guitar breakdowns and the sad chorus is yelled into the microphone instead of sung. I actually really like this song despite not totally understanding what Mumford is doing, but at least they’re out there attempting to hold it down for rock bands.
Best time to listen during the summer: Late August, when you are trying to figure out where the last three months have gone.
Alesso – “If It Wasn’t for You”
Why it could be the Song of the Summer: In 2012, David Guetta became the Jackie Robinson of dance music as he broke down genre barriers and made “Titanium” into one of the biggest hits of the summer. Ever since then, EDM has had a stranglehold on the mainstream summer scene. Trying to differentiate between Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Calvin Harris, Avicii, Zedd, etc., is next to impossible to the casual listener (myself included), but we can all be certain that there will be at least two monster EDM anthems that ring though frat houses across the country by the time school starts up again. There’s no reason to think that this Alesso song is better than any of the others that will come out, but it is easy to sing along with and is much more accessible than his other new song, which sounds like a dial-up modem getting tossed into a blender. You’re not going to be able to tell the difference between this and any other EDM song you hear this summer anyway.
Best time to listen during the summer: Any time you are on drugs.
Boogie – “Oh My”
Why it could be the Song of the Summer: I was introduced to this song when I had the guys of Pairadime Music on my radio show last month, and they said straight-up that it’s going to be one of the biggest songs of the summer, without a spoiler alert. Complex agrees with them, too. So who am I to say otherwise? It’s fun, it’s catchy, and it’s just weird enough to stand out.
Best time to listen during the summer: This is your new go-to party song.
Panic! at the Disco – “Hallelujah”
Why it could be the Song of the Summer: Panic! is not a rock band. It was an emo band, then it was just a band, and now it’s a pop group — a glorified boy band, Fall Out Junior. That’s not to say they aren’t still kind of good, though. It’s crazy to think that Fall Out Boy and Panic! are still getting paid to make music, but they keep (d)evolving into whatever it is that they need to be to make hits. Despite sounding exactly alike, Panic! will always be looked at as the lesser version of FoB, but this song is just catchy enough and just not-a-rap-or-EDM-song enough to thrive over the next few months. And by the time they get to Tulsa in late July, they could have a Summer Jam on their hands.
Best time to listen during the summer: When you have run out of other stuff to listen to.
Grace ft. G-Eazy – “You Don’t Own Me”
Why it could be the Song of the Summer: Grace is a newcomer to the music scene but is coming out swinging with a hybrid, Meghan Trainor-esque cover of a 52-year-old (!) song by Lesley Gore. Also featuring one of the worst rappers that I actually like dropping in sound effects where he couldn’t think of a rhyme, it’s been slowly creeping up the charts and currently has over 4 million Spotify plays. She’s just one TV appearance or commercial from turning this into a true Summer Jam.
Best time to listen during the summer: At every slow-dance event.
T.I. ft. Rihanna – “Live Your Life”
Why it could be the Song of the Summer: I don’t care that this song is six years old. It is and always will be the Ultimate Summer Jam.
Best time to listen during the summer: Always.
