In order to be as interesting and inclusive to you all as possible, I thought I would begin on a topic we all can relate to currently, at least for those of us existing in the Southern Hemisphere. Summer is undoubtedly my favourite season, not just for the increased temperatures or outings to the beach, but for the newfound carefree and blissful atmosphere that seems to engulf everyone on December first. So here are a few of my summer essentials that I rely on throughout my ninety day utopian escape.

MY SUMMER PLAYLIST:

For me, I have definitely got into the seasonal playlist obsession, so I know when any of my beloved or undiscovered indie bands start blaring that summer has truly begun. For those who don’t know me I would undoubtedly appear as some lame, wannabe-alty muso, but through my hourlong youtube trawls and obsession with my Dad’s old rock music, I have started to amount quite an unusual, unique but rad (in my opinion) collection of tunes. Here are some of my summer favourites.

GLASS ANIMALS

Gooey

Black Mambo

Hazey

Toes

Anyone close to me knows that I am OBSESSED with these guys. I stumbled across them on youtube and have fallen in love with their sound. I can’t fault any of their songs so definitely, definitely check these guys out if you’ve never heard of them, they won’t disappoint. 

ALT J

MS

Forever and Always loyal to this band. Unfortunately for me, the global obsession with Breezeblocks has meant it has been overplayed and is now less endearing, but the other less well known songs (although they are all pretty popular) on An Awesome Wave like MS are definitely still up there in my long list of summer favourites.

ANGUS AND JULIA STONE

Grizzly Bear

My Word For It

Heart Beats Slow

My siblings are pretty cool, but the coolest sibling award hands down goes to these two. They are both incredibly talented Australian singers and have a really soft, funky sound that just radiates that summer loving. (I can’t believe I just said something so cringe). (But there is truth in that sentence OK).

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

Cocoon

Yes another British band, and yes, another golden discovery. Breaking away from the softer, indie tunes, these guys are a rock band you definitely should go and discover for yourself and play their music quite loud. They are awesome.

STICKY FINGERS

Kiss the breeze

Another longtime favourite, my list would be infinite if I listed every song I loved by them. This is a current goldie on the playlist.

THE KOOKS

Junk Of The Heart (Happy)

Sorry for engulfing you with British bands (but go Angus and Julia and Sticky for supporting down under) but seriously they all have this unquestionable talent for producing insanely good music (I’m British myself so I should probably get writing, lmao). You seriously cannot go wrong with any song from these guys.

STEREOPHONICS

DAKOTA

JUST LOOKING

Okay these guys are a Welsh rock band this time, so a slight point of difference here. I owe it to my Dad for introducing me to them, and their sound will forever remind me of summer days at home.

BON IVER

MINNESOTA

I wouldn’t say their sound is my favourite but I do like this one. Sometimes I feel like I can’t follow their songs at all, but I do find an occasional goodie from this band.

NEON TREES

1983

EVERYBODY TALKS

Neon Trees has countless really upbeat and feel good songs to get you going whenever and whatever.