After the flashy, ‘bratty’ burnout of summer 2024, summer 2025 arrived like a long, overdue exhale. The drama faded, the BPMs slowed and the season drifted by in a haze of soft synths and breezy hooks. Did anything actually happen? Hard to say. But one thing’s for sure: the soundtrack was unforgettable. Here are my four picks from this summer’s releases.
“Bowling Alley” – Audrey Hobert
The start of summer. You’re ready — preparing for the next two months like Hobert, who’s “got [her] creams on and [her] gown on.” You’re not worried about the usual school-year stress: tests, homework, drama. This song captures the almost naïve optimism that we feel at the beginning of summer — when we’re sure we’ll have fun, get tons of rest and be productive. This cheeky track from Hobert’s debut album “Who’s the Clown?” is a perfectly honest teenage bedroom anthem.
“Lover Girl” – Laufey
Summer means bossa nova, and Laufey delivers. Three albums in, she’s become a modern jazz icon, and in this soft bossa groove, she explores the tumultuous time that is summer, when everything feels possible yet slightly unreal. We spend the season chasing perfect memories and ideal moments, “working overtime to have you in my world,” as she puts it. But isn’t that what summer is for? To be a little dramatic, to romanticize the everyday, to believe the fantasy might just come true.
“The Subway” – Chappell Roan
Last summer, Roan was just beginning to rise, finding her footing in the music world. Now fully established, her wistful tunes have found their way into many a late summer playlist, for when the two-month vacation feels like it’s finally coming to an end. Yet, Roan reminds us, “It’s just another day and it’s not over / ‘til it’s over.” Her clever wordplay, turning “she’s got a way” into “she got away,” assures us that whatever we choose to do with our breaks, it’s enough — no more, no less.
“Summer Forever” – Addison Rae
With lyrics like “Fears thrown out the window / feel like summer forever,” Rae invites us to live the season to its fullest — staying up all night, singing our favorite songs and feeling less alone even when we’re apart. The repetition of “Love you so bad” echoes the intensity and tenderness of a break impossible to forget. This song is a lesser-known gem on Rae’s self-titled debut album — one that helps us hold onto those endless summer nights, even after the season has passed.
Overall, the songs of this summer carried a reflective, almost meditative quality, marking the season with a calm that lingers into the approach of fall.
