There's nothing better than a long drive through a humid summer night, with the windows all the way down and the sunroof open and a good soundtrack playing softly in the background. Here are a few of my favorite tracks to add to your summer playlist.

1. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" — Arcade Fire

What a title. This one starts right in with a sturdy, driving beat that propels you through the rest of the track, and the high vocals are perfect for the kind of sleepy daydreaming that only happens on long drives. And on top of it all, those lyrics, lamenting the seemingly endless "sprawl" of modern infrastructure.

"Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains / And there's no end in sight / I need the darkness / Someone please cut the lights."

2. "How It Ends" — DeVotchka

"And in your soul they poked a million holes / But you never let 'em show / Come on, it's time to go."

3. "Fire and the Thud" — Arctic Monkeys

Everyone's been all over The Arctic Monkeys since "AM" was released, but in my opinion it was only with "Humbug" that the band came into their own. This track starts off slow, then oozes into a dark, hypnotic beat. Here, they outdo themselves with subtle riffs. (And there are maracas.)

"Am I snapping the excitement / If I pack away the laughter, and tell you how it feels? / And does burden come to meet you / If I've questions of the feature that rolls on your dream reel?"

4. "After Glow" — Foals

"I know I could not stand alone for very long / Without you there to take my coat / You were better than whatever came before."

5. "The Birth and Death of the Day" — Explosions in the Sky

This track has the delicately meditative beauty that characterizes some of Explosions' very best work. And how relevant is that title? If you close your eyes while listening to this—passengers only, for everyone's sake—you can almost see the sun dripping quietly down below the skyline.

"(dreamy electric guitars)"

6. "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" — The Postal Service

"And I am finally seeing / Why I was the one worth leaving."

7. "How Soon Is Now?" — The Smiths

Time for some real talk: I'm tired of "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" being the essential Smiths driving song. Of course it's relevant, but with the band's penchant for gloom, is that a good thing? Looking over at the person next to you while Morissey bleats about crashing into an 18-wheeler isn't exactly a recipe for a good time.

And did the Smiths ever produce a more plaintively heartfelt, genuine lyric than this chorus? Probably not. (Fun fact: the opening lyrics are "I am the son and the heir," not "I am the sun and the air." I discovered this only after listening to the song about 700 times.)

"How can you say / I go about things the wrong way? / I am human and I need to be loved / Just like everybody else does."

8. "Why Won't They Talk to Me" — Tame Impala

Though its lyrics frequently veer into the pathetically heartbreaking, this track doesn't have as somber a tone as the title would lead you to believe. The instrumentation has a watery, quirky charm, and Parker's heavily-distorted vocals echo from its core.

"Nothing for me / I guess I'll go home / Try to be sane."

9. "Breathless" — Waxatahatchee

Despite still not being 100 percent sure how you're supposed to pronounce "Waxatahatchee," I think her stuff is uniformly fantastic. This is no exception, though it has a different feel than some of her better-known work. It has an exquisitely-crafted sadness about it, and the slow fade into nothingness at its conclusion is haunting.

"You take what you want / You call me back / I'm not trying to be yours ."

10. "Not Sleeping" — The Twilight Sad

"And you left to Illinois / It's overdone / And now you're lonely / Two feet off the ground."

11. "Obedear" — Purity Ring

"Shrines" is actually one of my favorite night driving albums ever; almost all the tracks have that essential sad-but-not-quite quality that blends perfectly with headlights and quiet nights. This track has a surreal, chilly tone, and Megan James' sweetly frosted vocals bring out the...weirdness of their lyrics.

What do those lyrics mean, you ask? I have no idea—but they always sound like poetry.

"Oh but dear, the sky is low / Gather up its harm in gauze with grateful arms."

12. "Space Song" — Beach House

Gentle lyrics, pulsing keys, lush melody—this track pretty much has it all. It feels a little like loneliness, but not the bad kind. Before the beat comes in, I always have a bizarre moment where I think this is the "Twin Peaks" opener track—it has the same lush, dreamy vibe.

"Tender is the night / For a broken heart / Who will dry your eyes / When it falls apart?"

13. "Running Up That Hill" — Kate Bush

An oldie, but goodie. Kate Bush, guys! This plaintive chorus makes me cry every time I hear it, and the whole thing is full of a humid, ambient synth that makes it perfect for cruising past lonely storefronts and near-empty streets. It's a classic.

"Is there so much hate for the ones we love? / Tell me, we both matter, don't we?"

14. "Need It" — Half Moon Run

"Can't be the same as we lie in the light / Knowing full well, your virtue's my vice / In the night we are one."

15. "Daydream" — Youth Lagoon

Youth Lagoon is pretty much a byline for nostalgia-laced electronic, and he's playing to his strengths with this track. Its reflective, sweetly lucid lyrics are enhanced by its ponderous instrumentation. As a side note: there are (as always) some decent remixes out there, but Powers' vocals in the original have an utterly earnest timbre that can't be beaten.

"So I'll daydream about you, and I'll think happy thoughts / Before somebody sees me / Oh please, help me God."

16. "The Wilhelm Scream" — James Blake

James Blake's characteristic blend of R&B and electronic vibes doesn't always do it for me, even though by all accounts I know that it absolutely should. But this track, with its punchy beat, brooding vocals, and the way it diffuses slowly into a static-laden, misty finale—this one definitely does it.

Worry not; there isn't an actual Wilhelm scream in the song. (At least, I don't think there is.)

"All that I know is / I'm falling, falling, falling, falling / Might as well fall in."

17. "People That We Must Remember" — Zulu Winter

"We hold love and smash tones / In places that he lost "

18. "I Want Your Love" — Chromatics

It's probably cliché to include a song off an album that's literally titled "Night Drive," but...it's so good. Chromatics is great at coming into albums with a cohesive, almost cinematically narrow vision, and this is no exception. It's difficult to pick a favorite, but this track, with its wispy vocals and meditative synth, is a strong contender.

Other good tracks off the album: "Tomorrow is So Far Away," "Mask" and the mellow spoken-word "The Gemini."

"Pyramid glass / Scraping the sky / See our reflection / Cast no reflection / I want your love."

19. "Celebrating Nothing" — Phantogram

"How many times can I blow it all? / How many times will I burn it down?"

20. "Carry Me Out" — Mitski

This track has a very different feel from anything else on this list. The guitars soar in the background as Miyawaki croons "Carry me out, carry me out." "Bury Me At Makeout Creek" is a solid, dependable, "I-need-to-have-a good-cry" album, but this track elevates it to something beyond sadness. It's sweet, fragile and really good.

Listen to it as the sun comes up.