I could go on and on about the power of music, but I’m always amazed how certain songs bring us back to different memories, times and places. I can re-listen to songs from my childhood and be instantly reminded of old friends, family trips and various celebrations.
This long weekend, as another wild summer comes to an end, I’ve been riding the wave of nostalgia with all my fave songs of the summer on repeat. Keep scrolling to check out my final ode to Summer 2k19 and some of the new memories tied to the tracks from this month’s playlist!
“Only Human” – Jonas Brothers
Happiness this summer truly began August 23, when the Jonas Brothers blessed Toronto with their long-awaited Happiness Begins Tour (my first of five shows that I’m currently set to see on this tour – don’t judge!). If I’m being real, the JoBros are one of my OG favourite music acts, along with Hilary Duff and Taylor Swift, so this comeback was truly a BIG deal!
This groovy, ’80s-inspired tune is one of my favourite songs from the new album and it’s even better live. In terms of the big picture, “Only Human” is one of my top picks for official song of the summer, tied with “Old Town Road,” “Señorita” and “bad guy” (mentioned below). Let me know in the comments below what you would pick as your song of the summer!
“bad guy” – Billie Eilish
I don’t think anyone can deny how clever this Billie Eilish smash is – it’s been on my ‘current jams’ playlist since the day it came out. “bad guy” has that kind of sassy punchiness that makes you feel ready to take on anything the world brings at you, and it’s been inescapable this summer (for good reason). I never fail to turn up the volume when it comes on the radio or on shuffle, so I’ll always associate this with summer car rides and house parties.
“Let It Happen” – Tame Impala
I need to give a shout out to a “Hannah Newman” on YouTube who says this about Tame Impala’s “Let It Happen”: “This song makes me feel extremely weird. I feel panicked yet calm. It doesn’t make sense.” Yet, it’s perfect. It’s also the song that made me officially fall in love with Tame Impala. This song opens their live set, which I had the pleasure of catching twice – once here in Toronto and again a few days later at Osheaga in Montreal. It’s arguably the highlight of their set as everyone just loses it and your feet are already sore from dancing just 8 minutes in. Hey – that’s when you know it’s a good show!
“boyfriend” – Social House feat. Ariana Grande
Is it really summer if Ariana doesn’t deliver another bop? This collab with her label mates and Sweetener tour openers, Pittsburgh-based pop duo Social House, is perfect for summer – it’s fun, flirty and free-spirited. Don’t just take my word for it – it won the MTV Video Music Award (VMA) for Song of the Summer.
“Sincere Love” – Joakim Karud
This is definitely not your typical summer hit, but Joakim Karud gets all my love for being the king of infectious tropical, breezy instrumentals. If you spend any time watching travel vlogs (this is me 24/7 as I currently plan for an EPIC trip next year), you will instantly recognize his releases. It’s these sorts of understated tracks that really get to me and make me want to go out and create new memories – so, in other words, hit me up with your travel invitations!
Hope you had a great summer! Let me know what your favourite summer 2019 memory is – and what song will forever remind you of the good times.
Happy listening xx
