6 hot tracks missing from your Summer playlist

Under the radar songs for good times under the sun

Now that it’s finally Summer, there’s nothing better than rolling the windows down and taking an exhilarating drive to celebrate the nice weather. No matter what your plans are, everyone needs an upbeat, feel-good soundtrack for their summer. These are 6 underrated songs you don’t know your good-vibes Summer playlist is currently missing.

 

Fair use from Capitol Records

1) “Guillotine” by Jon Bellion (featuring Travis Mendes)

Backed by a funky bassline and unrelenting groove, Jon Bellion’s “Guillotine” is the smash-hit that never was. A culmination of various instruments and genres, this track is not only great on the surface, but has the sonic depth to be played on loop and sound increasingly better. Travis Mendes lends a boost of energy in the second half of the song, completely flipping the instrumentation and leading an irresistible call-and-response part.

 

 

Fair use from RCA

2) “Imaginary Parties” by Superfruit

Imaginary Parties” is fresh as lemonade – a light, synthy nugget of music with deceptively risque lyrics. Superfruit is a new band consisting of Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying, two members from the popular acapella group, Pentatonix. While “Imaginary Parties” is not an acapella song, it highlights the vocal talents of Grassi and Hoying, but elevates the allure through experimental vocal processing, involving distortion and panning.

 

 

Fair use from Republic Records

3) “Supercut” by Lorde

Off her second album, “Melodrama,” Lorde’s “Supercut” is a mesmerizing heartbreak anthem that demonstrates the artist’s incredible songwriting and depth of emotion. Backed by synths and tight electro-drums, Lorde wistfully croons over a past relationship, reflecting on how she subconsciously eclipses her painful memories with good moments, skewing her retrospection.

 

 

 

Fair use from Parametric Records

4) “Deep End” by Coucheron (featuring Eastside and Mayer Hawthorne)

Just as the title suggests, Coucheron’s “Deep End” is the perfect song for lounging at the pool. It’s compelling in that the beat constantly starts and stops, lending groove not only to the instrumentation, but to the song’s structure. “Deep End” is a fairly mellow listen, but maintains an underlying drive that keeps listeners engaged.

 

 

Fair use from Atlantic Records

5) “Screwed” by Janelle Monae (featuring Zoe Kravitz)

Janelle Monae is one of the most underrated artists of this decade. Her music is consistently experimental, powerful, and original. Collaborating with Zoe Kravitz, Monae’s latest anthem, “Screwed,” is one of her more mainstream ventures – fun, breezy, and beyond catchy. Not known for her singing, Zoe Kravitz also surprises on the track, perfectly complimenting Monae’s voice with her airy soprano.

 

 

Fair use from Atlantic Records

6) “Do Or Die” by Terror Jr

Following their 15 minutes of fame for scoring Kylie Jenner’s lip kit announcement video back in 2016, American electronic group Terror Jr has produced some of their best music so far, and it’s a shame their popularity couldn’t sustain. Among their best tracks is “Do Or Die,” a euphoric pop anthem that melds genres and sounds into one collage of electronic bliss. The vox hits at the beginnings of the verses are simply stunning, and the record is unquestionably worth a listen.