15 Songs That Make You Feel Like Summer Isn't Over

When the sun comes out and the weather is breezy, everyone wants to show off their nice cars. From the Cadillacs to the Corvettes to the candy-painted low-riders, cars are without a doubt synonymous with the summertime.

Coming across as the frenetic cousin to Kanye West’s “Drive Slow,” “New Chevy” was one of the songs that put Taylor Bennett on the map. Flanked by fellow Chicago rapper King Louie, Bennett takes a page out of David Wooderson’s book and croons about picking up girls in his new Chevrolet, something that summer is all about.

From the moment "Bamboo" begins to play, it’s apparent Deers don't really give a shit. Embracing a rough, lo-fi demo style, Deers command your attention with their piercing voices and scratchy guitar work. It’s skittish and unexpected, two traits that lead to a level of uncertainty about just what one is hearing. But isn’t that really what summer’s all about? Spontaneity?

This pair from Spain have an admirable amount of spunk, and a sense of adventure that can clearly be heard through their music. Nothing is better to listen to than this as you run around Central Park slightly intoxicated with your friends.

As mainstream appreciation for electronic music of various stripes continues to grow, one can find more and more talents flying a little lower on the radar. Artists like Flume, Ta-ku, Shlohmo, and XXYYXX, are all producing exciting electronic music with various aesthetics, and now it’s time to add ODESZA to that list.

They're an electronic duo from Seattle who told us about their love for “really beautiful, angelic, sexy vocals.” “Sun Models” is a prime example, for as soon as the falsetto of Madelyn Grant meets the vibrant production, it’s hard not to begin moving to the beat. When the leaves of fall have you longing for the long warm nights of the summer just gone, lose yourself in the pure, innocent joy of this track.

In the months following summer many of us will spend hours dreaming about getting away, wishing for any sort of vacation to take our minds off the depressing doldrums of autumn and winter. Beginning with a recorded airport announcement and followed by a thumping beat, “Flight 43” doesn’t crash and burn like the first episode of Lost, rather it inspires and indulges the imagination of the dreamer to the point where they can almost feel the sand in between their toes.

Their name says it all, it’s a Daytrip. So before rashly breaking down the cubicle walls and buying a one way ticket to the Bahamas, catch “Flight 43.” It may not take us to the Bahamas, Hawaii, or even South Carolina, but it will take us somewhere, anywhere, and that’s exactly what we need.

Raury took the summer by storm, from releasing his debut album Indigo Child, to spitting over Outkast on Sway In The Morning, to announcing his very first NYC show.

One of the first four songs Raury dropped was “Cigarette Song,” which U.K. production duo Snakehips would later go on to give a fantastic, slow-building remix. As they stripped the song of its acoustic feel, Snakehips injected flairs of space-age production while keeping the heart and soul of Raury’s vocals intact. The song seems to capture a romantic idea of life in some place where eating good food, sharing cigarettes, and jumping in the river happens nightly.

Inevitably, the King of Summer, aka Bobby Shmurda has found his way onto this list with ease. Having dropped one of the most popular, viral rap records since Soulja’s Boy “Crank That,” Shmurda has dominated the country for the last three months. Lil Wayne loves it, Rihanna dances to it, and for some reason the record hasn’t quite gotten old yet. Although the sound isn’t specifically seasonal, this song will always be remembered as one of the biggest of summer 2014.

I remember you holding my hand, why’d you always leave me in the summer, man?

Ironically, the supposed glory days of summer and broken-hearts can often go hand in hand, a gloomy reality Kwamie Liv touches upon ever-so-gently on “Comin Thru.” Despite a brief mention in the chorus however, Kwamie Liv steers the song in an entirely different direction, one where positivity and empowerment are the guiding forces. Leaving behind the worries of summer love, Kwamie’s vocals swing up and down the scale as if to say, "I can have fun with or without you."

It’s difficult not to feel uplifted with such spirited songwriting, no matter what the situation.

The feeling most people get when they think about summer is one of happiness. Lana Del Rey, however, gives us a little bit more realistic depiction, complete with heartbreak and angst evan as the track’s instrumentation stays whimsical and dreamy keeping that summer connection. Lana has perfected this balance, tempting the listener in with alluring production, then slowly taking tighter hold of their heart with each line.

After two years without a release from Brooklyn-based trio Lemonade, they returned with a flourish with “Stepping,” the first single from their new album Minus Tide. Meshing rippling synths and staccato production together into an epic, glimmering wave of pulsing noise, Lemonade provides the perfect musical heartbeat to a summer day—fast-paced, frenzied, glistening, and beautiful.

Lets be honest, everybody—at some point—listened to Young Thug this summer, whether on one of his own songs or on tracks with Migos, T.I., Gucci Mane, Rome Fortune and many others. With "YRN" still ringing in our ears, Tyga and Young Thug linked up for “Hookah,” a nod to one of Persia’s greatest inventions. While Tyga goes in with his signature flow, Young Thug provides the crazy catchy hook of, “Baby pass me the hookah!”

Despite the futility in trying, the hook has has established itself as one of the most fun things to sing all year. As people begin to head indoors, plan a trip to the hookah bar and get a chance to say it in context for once.

For many of us, childhood summers are filled with memories of failed 25 cent lemonade stands and burnt cookies. While we mostly grew out of those sweet entrepreneurial dreams, there's a new kid in town named SOPHIE who's serving up "Lemonade" once again. SOPHIE's “Lemonade” is the type that makes you stop, turn, and have another glass immediately—the sounds are that infectious.

The overall result of most of SOPHIE's music is to leave the listener in a state of confused amazement—and it seems this is exactly his goal. While unleashing a barrage of extra-terrestrial noises and a number of helium voices, he somehow produces a sound that’s not overwhelming, but in fact quite pleasing. When you finally realize you're never too old for lemonade, it is then and only then that your thirst for summer can truly be quenched.

Related: A Timeline of #Internet Aesthetics in Music: 2009-2014

La Roux's new album is one of the best of the year, and her track “Tropical Chancer” showcases its best qualities. There’s the heavy '80s disco influence, the calm delivery of yet another catchy melody, and of course the creativity. The latter manifests itself through a tangle of tropical vibes as La Roux effortlessly blends mellow surf-rock together with steel drums and a reggae bounce.

If you’re planning on traveling down the coast of California or sipping from coconuts on the beach anytime soon, this is the song for you.

When you’re young and basking in the glory of summer break, your days are usually filled with fun, sun, and—possibly—a lot of random hookups you’ll try to forget by the fall. It’s just the nature of things, and it’s probably why this anti-cuffing season anthem rings so true.

As A$AP Rocky, Ferg, Nast, and Twelvyy spit with bravado about all the girls they have, it’s hard not to want to get involved in all the fun. When the time comes to hang up your t-shirts, reconnect with your old friend Haagen Dazs, and turn on Netflix, relive summers glory days by singing, "I got HOES! I got HELLA HOES!"

And there’s nothing True Detective can do about it.

Peter Michel’s voice is like the wind singing. Whether it be on “Hide Away” or his older material, Michel’s feathery vocals escape his mouth in a light whisper, often too quiet or muffled to even understand. Partnered with rolling lo-fi instrumentation provided by the rest of his band, Hibou as a unit produces music that sounds like the last days of summer.

“Hide Away” exudes a timelessness that makes you wonder if the song was made 15 years ago, even though it was released at the beginning of this year. It sounds like something your parents would listen to on a summer date, running around Coney Island, eating hotdogs, with no cares in the world. What could be better than that?

For those out there who can’t seem to fathom cream and soda being blended together to make a delicious elixir, Ryan Hemsworth and Tomggg have something for you. “Cream Soda” is delightful, a guilty pleasure song that—in this ironic age—seems almost too good to enjoy. As the beat pulses, Hemsworth and Tomggg layer a slew of distorted vocals over the song, topping it off with a schizophrenic piano that hits all the right notes in all the right places.

Don’t worry, nobody is looking. Go ahead and let your guard down, enjoy the song and dance a little while you drink your cream soda.