Our staff summer jams will become yours too

Welcome to This Week’s Playlist, where we look to current events for some melodic curation inspiration. Tune in every Friday for a mix of news, commentary, and of course, music.

Hey Gigglers, we’ve got a special playlist for you this week: A selection of staff picks for Summer Jam 2015. I surveyed our HelloGiggles staff and contributors for some of our favorite summer jams; because I’m writing this, I get to submit three. #privileged

Without ado:
Rachel Paige: Walk the Moon – “Shut Up and Dance”
While this might be obvious, or a pick from a ton of others, I can’t stop listening to Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance.” It is the perfect song for whether I’m alone, or in a car full of people to totally rock out to. Also, it reminds me of Back to the Future for some strange reason, so thinking about it gets me all excited and nostalgic about the 80s. I’ll eventually buy a backless dress and red converse because of this song.

Lilian Min: Santigold – “Radio”
I swear, music supervisors must have the best job in the world. Case in point: Whoever’s putting together the soundtrack for Paper Towns, aka this summer’s The Fault in Our Stars except maybe with less crying? Anyway, getting Santigold on any track is super smart, and “Radio” is a total banger.

Anne T. Donahue: Metric – “The Shade”
For too many moons I played down my big goals and/or plans for world domination (aka what we’re all striving for), but over the last few years, I’ve finally found a coven of pals who are beyond encouraging, super ambitious, incredibly kind, and the type of people who’ll champion victories while also picking up anybody who’s down. So, a song with the chorus of “I want it all” is the name of my game — especially since there’s more than enough “all” to go around. (And other lessons I’ve learned from Amy Poehler’s Yes Please.)

Gina Vaynshteyn: Janelle Monáe ft. Jidenna – “Yoga”
This is a song about dancing for yourself, with your girls, in your finest yoga pants. And I am so all about that this summer and all the summers. Also the lyrics, “You cannot police me / so get off my areola” = infinite gold.

Carly Lane: Hop Along – “Waitress”
I am loving the song “Waitress” by Hop Along off their album Painted Shut. They’re an indie folk-rock band out of Philly fronted by Frances Quinlan, and this is one of those perfect songs to crank up while you’ve got your windows rolled down. If you like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Metric, this is the band for you.

Gina Mei: The 2 Bears – “Not This Time”Shout-out to KCRW‘s Morning Becomes Eclectic for introducing me to this gem. When I heard it for the first time, I was immediately hooked. It’s a fun and catchy tune, perfect for long drives and lovers scorned. The song is also a must-have on break-up playlists — especially if you’re at the “pissed off” stage and just want to dance around your apartment.

Anna Gragert: Ryn Weaver – “OctaHate”
This is the type of song that makes you feel as if bubblegum hearts are about to explode from your chest. No matter where you are, you will want to dance like you did when you were a kid – hairbrush microphone and all. And what more could you want during those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer?

Nikita Richardson: Wet – “Deadwater”
If lazy days spent doing little to nothing are as much a part of summer as going all out, then this slow summer jam from Brooklyn band Wet—who’ve toured with the likes of CHVRCHES and London Grammar—perfectly encapsulates all things laid back. The tune is a little on the sad side, but between the mellow rhythm and delicately saccharine vocals of lead singer Kelly Zutrau, it seems like everything may turn out alright in the end.

Lilian Min: Miguel – “waves”
Miguel’s entire third album, Wildheart, is probably going to be on repeat nonstop during this summer. The man just knows how to write a love song, and “waves” is basically an ode to sunlit summer loving, and makes me love summer even more. This song literally sounds like stretching out on a towel under 80F and breezy weather, and it’s awesome in the true sense of the word.

Lilian Min: Mew – “Rows”
The summer after Animal Collective’s album Merriweather Post Pavilion came out, I would blast the opening track, “In the Flowers,” in my car whenever I drove around. My favorite thing to do was play the track relatively quietly, and then when the big build came toward the end, I’d crank the volume and the bass up. All of this is a roundabout way of saying that this 10-minute song, by a Danish weird rock band that shares a name with a super cute Pokemon, reminds me of the summer between high school and college and the emotions and feelings from that weird, vibrant, static time.

Go play this at your family BBQ, or your friend’s pool party, or as you drive to the beach or the mountains, or anywhere that will allow you to get your groove on. Happy 4th!

(Image via.)