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Every summer after June everyone begins to ask what the “song of the summer” is. For me, that is one of the most unfair questions, because their are too many to pick. Today, I want to take you through songs that we’ve highlighted before on the blog as well as a few new ones. Not to settle the debate about what song has risen to the top of the music world, but to show just how alive the industry is!
Violet Grohl “Bug in the Cake”
Earlier this summer, one of the first songs that we featured here on our blog was “Bug in the Cake” by Violet Grohl. Coming off Grohl’s debut album, Be Sweet To Me, “Bug in the Cake” sets the tone for what looks to be a burgeoning career of stardom from Violet Grohl. At only 20 years old, she has stepped out of the enormous shadow that is her father and his band, Foo Fighters, and into her own light and sound. It is a sound that, to me, is much more hypnotic than it is loud, and much more raw than it is tailor made.
“Bug in the Cake” sets the standard for what Violet Grohl is capable of storytelling wise. In multiple interviews, Grohl has stated that with Be Sweet To Me she was massively inspired by the creative mind of David Lynch, and on “Bug in the Cake” that stands out from the beginning. It crafts this eerie narrative of being haunted by the ghost of her grandmother in her old house. Through this haunting, Grohl expounds on her own feelings of anxiety and depression. Storytelling aside, as a pure piece of music, “Bug in the Cake” exceeded my own expectations. It toes the line between shoegaze and 90s grunge in a way that I really have not seen done before.
The only word that comes to mind to describe the sound is hypnotizing. It draws you into this soundscape that feels almost like it is attacking you from every angle. Combined with the storytelling, it forces you to feel Grohl’s anxiety, and to be honest, you don’t want to turn away no matter how uncomfortable it can feel.
Olivia Rodrigo “the cure”
Very few artists are able to remain as consistent with not only their music output, but the quality of music that they are making as well. Olivia Rodrigo has proven herself to be one of those artists. Earlier this summer on the blog we covered “the cure” as a part of our Pick of the Week series. I had nothing but praise for the song, as, in my opinion, it is one of the most vulnerable songs that I have heard this summer.
With “the cure,” Rodrigo steps into an ever growing role of a superstar songwriter. Her focus in this song is the shortcomings of love, and how it is not always the best thing for her. Throughout the song, there is this underlying tension in the music that becomes harder and harder to ignore. Just when you think that it is going to die down, it bursts and leads to this explosion of sound and emotion in the second chorus. Rodrigo pleads with not only her partner, but herself to allow their love to be enough to “fix” her, but no matter what she does it is not enough to make her feel complete or whole. Ending in the resignation that her partner’s love will “never be the cure.”
This is Lorelei “Billy Came Back”
Your favorite artist’s favorite artists has a non-zero chance of being This is Lorelei. The singer-songwriter Nate Amos, also known as This is Lorelei, has been steadily carving a space for his sound in the music industry over the past couple of years. First with his other musical project, Water from Your Eyes, with Rachel Brown, and now with his solo project This is Lorelei. The summer of 2026 for Amos has once again been one filled with an influx of attention from the fanbases of other artists such as Hayley Williams, Geese, Waxahatchee, and MJ Lenderman. Along with this new fanfare came the announcement of a new album set to release later this year, The Singer in My Band, and its first single, “Billy Came Back.”
From the very beginning of the song, “Billy Came Back” puts us into the world that Amos is trying to create on this album. The soft twinge of the guitar layered onto the harder more indie rock infused electric guitars makes the song feel like a modern day musical epic. Then come the lyrics. As the opening song to his album, “Billy Came Back” introduces us to the main character of The Singer In My Band.
“Billy” seems like a legendary, almost mystical figure to the singer. He is someone who left a life of music and fame to gain some deeper understanding of himself and the reason he writes music. “Billy Came Back,” just like summer, feels like the beginning of a new chapter. To me, it encompasses the joy of summer whether it be the beach or parties; the subtle loneliness of it; and the excitement that comes with thinking about the potential that lies after it.
Paulie Swan “Shiner (The Cape)”
As is tradition with almost any list that I have written, there has to be something that is relatively out there compared to the rest of the music. This time I want to focus on the Scottish-born artist, Paulie Swan. After garnering praise on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, Swan released his first EP, “Swans Today,” in June. The project features four songs coming to a total of 18 minutes, but, for me, it is some of the best music that has come out as of late.
Across the entirety of his four song EP, the standout track, to me, has to be “Shiner (The Cape).” On this song, Swans blends his traditional piano sound along with more traditional rock instruments. What he does best lies in his lyricism. He describes repeatedly the lengths that his partner is going to have to go to win back his love. Essentially he is saying that it is impossible for their relationship to go back to the way that it was. With this realization that he will never be ready for their relationship, Swan concedes that he will no longer bother his ex in an outro that feels less like a concession and more like affirmations that he has to tell himself in order to be able to truly move on.
Westside Cowboy “Kick Stones (The Boys)”
On my side of the internet, it seems that almost everywhere you look whether it be Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, or any other music publication, one of the names that is repeatedly brought up as one of the rising stars in the alternative rock world is Westside Cowboy. Since their formation in 2023, the band has received heaps of praise from other British bands in their generation. Most notably from bands of the famous Windmill scene such as Black Country, New Road and Black Midi. Following their EP earlier this year, So Much Country Till We Get There, the Manchester-based band has begun the rollout for their first album, It Goes On. Out of the three singles, the highlight track for me so far has been “Kick Stones (The Boys).”
What makes not only this song, but also this band special is their ability to turn quiet moments on their songs into a triumphant release of tension. Hailing from their own interviews, the band makes “Britainicana” music that blends indie rock with Americana. On “Kick Stones (The Boys)” you can hear exactly what they mean by that description. If you listen close enough, you hear the use of synthesizers combined with acoustic and electric guitar to create a vibration across the song that grows in volume throughout.
Another element that brings the song together are the lyrics. They allude to “the boys” who embody lost youth in the song being gone for good. In these lines, there is resentment in the delivery of the lyrics about them leaving the singers behind. The lyrics and blended genre of Westside Cowboy make this one of those songs that you simply cannot put down after your first listen!
