Graphics by Ainsley Basic
This summer has seen a lot of great releases, but there can only be one song of the summer. Three of our staff members – Tatum, Nora, and Phil – weighed in on their picks. Read their descriptions, think it over, and cast your vote for the song of the summer below!
LORDE – “SOLAR POWER”
After five years of silence from the enigmatic Lorde, fans rejoiced at the release of her song “Solar Power.” And she brought the sun to summer in a yellow two-piece dress and a stripped down anthem to the season, blissfully and gracefully introducing us to her new era. Doing a complete 180 from Melodrama – an album defined by its heartbreak – “Solar Power” burst through the scene as a symbol of fun and healing. Peaches, bliss, aquamarine – she deliberately paints a summer scene bursting with color and flavor. And people on the internet picked up on it too. TikTok flooded with snippets of the song and people on Instagram used her lyrics as their captions. Fans picked up what Lorde put down. After two year of self-discovery and sacrifice, ’tis the season to embrace your new self and your youth. Have some fun under the sun with “Solar Power” by Lorde.
– Tatum Jenkins, Music Coordinator
LEON BRIDGES – “MOTORBIKE”
“Motorbike” is the perfect song to soundtrack your summer adventures. I already said it when Leon Bridges first released the track ahead of the rest of Gold-Diggers Sound, but 2021 deserves to be his biggest year yet. The whole album is a masterpiece, and “Motorbike,” with its undeniably catchy sound and endearing lyrics, is my favorite to come off of it. With a rhythmic looping drum beat, Bridges’ smooth, soulful vocals and dreamy synths, the song radiates comfort and warmth. Through the lyrics, he sings about wanting to live in the moment and ride off with his girl “on the back of [his] motorbike.” Bridges makes it clear that this isn’t just a summer fling, painting their love as timeless and filling the lyrics with aspirations of making her happy.
To me, “Motorbike” captures the warm feeling I get when thinking back on the fun times I had over the past few months. It’s the perfect reminder to soak in the carefree, joy-filled moments of summer spent with loved ones.
– Nora Onanian, Web Services Coordinator
WET LEG – “CHAISE LONGUE”
What better way to spend the summer than reclining upon the chaise longue? This, surely, is THE song of the summer. How bold for Wet Leg, a duo from the Isle of Wight, to make their very first song a song about furniture! That’s what it’s about, right? Taking a long rest in the shade and celebrating your accomplishments at college; and the attainment of ‘The Big D’ (which is surely a DEGREE, right?). Play it loud, dance around with reckless abandon, and let the lyrics mean whatever you want them too.
– Phil Jones, Afternoon Host
