This years song of the summer is going to come from someone you haven't heard of before...
Ben Alessi
U
In summer you want songs that get under your skin without you having to do too much thinking and this is one of those tunes. NYC singer Ben Alessi's debut single U is a big, meaty, melodic song that effortlessly slides through the motions. A really confident, glossy debut single and if you feel like you've heard his voice before that's because you had. He featured on Aussie producer Kuren's Home.
M.I.L.K.
U and Me
We kinda have Denmark to thank for our fire summer playlists. First they gave us MØ and now they've deliverd again with M.I.L.K. U And Me is a layered, euphoric jam full of floaty vocals and a disco chorus that's destined for the dancefloor. It's not an obvious banger and that's probably why it's such a delight to listen to.
Jon Waltz
Riot
Summer is all about those festival-ready anthems but on the flipside of that you've gotta have those laid-back jams for warm nights and hangs. Jon Waltz' Riot fills that gap. It's a warm, wobbly mid-tempo tune that is weighted by charismatic vocals hard-hitting beats. The organ playing in the background helps to take it to church too.
Nimmo
Dancing Makes Us Believe
Any song with "dancing" in the title is automatically relegated to summer playlists but this one more than deserves its place in your feel-good lists. It's a glossy, sprawling dancefloor track that's also bursting with emotion. Nimmo are one of the only alt acts out there truly giving us anthems that we once devoured from bands like The Gossip. This is perfect.
Liana Bank$
Plead The Fifth
So you've ticked off the euphoric section of your playlist and now you need that gritty party tune full of memories of the night before and regrets. Plead The Fifth by NYC newcomer Liana Bank$ is exactly that. It's full of smokey, alcohol-hazed verses and also climaxes into a glitchy, woozy drop in the chorus.
Louis Mattrs
Bow Down
This one's just a really great pop song that we had to pop in here because every summer deserves a great pop song. Bow Down was produced by Two Inch Punch who had a big hand in Sam Smith's success and in many way this has the same charms as Smith's Money On My Mind. It's characterised by careful, slinky vocals and elevated by pitched-up sample work.
Bishat
Told Me
Sweden's done it again gifting us another popstar, making pop songs that are a cut above the rest. That popstar is Bishat and here latest track Told Me is basically what Major Lazer could do if they weren't sticking to a very tight, copy/paste formula right now. Told Me has a richly melodic verse that shoots straight towards a jangly, rumbling MØ-esque chorus.
