At the beginning of any new semester/month/era, I always build new playlists to motivate me through any upcoming changes. Now that we have entered the back to school season, but we are still suffering through the summer heat, I figured it was time to find some music to reflect this new period. Whether you’re starting your first year of college, or you’re finishing your last semester, here are some tunes to listen to while walking around campus and enjoying the last few weeks of sunshine.
- “Get Me Golden” – Terraplane Sun
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With its upbeat tempo and fun rhythms, this song is the perfect backdrop for a sun-filled day. The band is best known for this single, and it’s no surprise with this melodic track.
Favorite lyric: “Thinkin’ I worked way too hard to be where I’m at / Blinded by the cars and the boulevards”
- “Maybe She” – Still Woozy
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As one of my latest favorite artists, Still Woozy never fails to disappoint with his bedroom pop and indie songs. This track feels laid back and relaxed while asking questions about his relationships.
Favorite lyric: “You have got me so confused / I’m running out too much”
- “Park Bench” – Valley
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With strong backing beats and enticing rhythms, this song evokes a sense of familiarity and feels comfortable. In this track, Valley offers commentaries on modern behaviors in the setting of relationship tropes.
Favorite lyric: “I guess you can call these hard times / Buy your mental state in the grocery aisle”
- “Color TV” – Deal Casino
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As a slower-paced and more angst-y addition to this list, Deal Casino consistently delivers indie pop and rock songs that reflect the anxieties related to growing and getting older.
Favorite lyric: “Trying my best to survive / And all my friends are slowly dying, one by one / But it sounds like so much fun”
- “Baseball” – Hippo Campus
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While baseball season is another marker of the summer and fall seasons, Hippo Campus offers upbeat and fun songs to listen and sing along to.
Favorite lyric: “There’s something fiction about the way that reality’s going / Seems like the chakra’s playing hopscotch / Anxiety a growing”
- “Warm Animal” – Sure Sure
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With this track’s infectious rhythms and glowing lyrics, it feels like a perfect welcome to the uncertainties that may come with beginning a new chapter of life.
Favorite lyric: “How much should I be reading into / The way you look at me in your room?”
- “Circles” – Vista Kicks
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As a beach-y rock band, Vista Kicks offers a new sound and approach to music creation. Their songs reflect the status of life as a function of modern times, while also offering upbeat and fun tracks with captivating instrumentals.
Favorite lyric: “If I kick and I scream would you tell me the truth / I’m losing my mind, I’m losing my youth”
- “You and I” – Barns Courtney
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As this English rocker’s latest single, “You and I” incorporates enchanting rhythms that evoke the sentiments behind a lost love.
Favorite lyric: “Lovesick melody, carry my words across the sea / Tell her I miss her, tell her I’m torn in two”
- “Seventeen” – Peach Pit
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This bedroom pop and indie group from Vancouver, Canada, produces laid back yet punchy music. This song strikes the balance between relaxed and energetic, and discusses the emotional realities of being “seventeen.”
Favorite lyric: “There’s something dark hanging over my head / I’m seventeen, don’t hold your breath”
- “Less Than I Do” – The Band Camino
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To round out this small playlist, The Band Camino offers an upbeat and emotional pop rock track.
Favorite lyric: “Everyone I’ve asked about it / Has said you’re doing fine, I doubt it”
Now, with some new tunes, get out there and enjoy the sunshine!
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