As the days get longer and the evenings get warmer, the summer heat starts to steep into our skin while we sit by the bonfire roasting marshmallows and playing the acoustic guitar. Well, at least that's how I imagine summer is supposed to look like. Before I could even say "five hundred fifty fireworks floating freely" five times fast, June was already over and with that I started a new Spotify playlist for July. Before we start counting down the days left before school starts up again though, I figured I would share my favorite songs from my June playlist to help kickstart anyone needing musical inspiration going into the second half of the summer and the year.

1. "Peaches" by In The Valley Below

"Working on a feeling
Breaking down the ceiling
Digging up a deep end
Freezing on the beaches
Reaching for the sweetest, sweetest peaches"

This is one of my all time favorite songs in general, but I especially love listening to it in the summer because it reminds of the carefree and adventurous spirit this season can bring out in us. This song can be interpreted in many ways, which is another reason why I can't seem to get tired of it. Personally whenever I hear it, I get this image of someone digging up the fresh soil of the earth and finding sweet peaches (even though they are actually grown on trees, I googled it after writing that). I love this song's metaphor of finding the renewed energy and enthusiasm to chase after your dreams contrasted with this thought of "we might also want to just YOLO it a couple of times." Either way, it always reminds me of the feeling of loving life.

2. "All I Really Need" by Vindata Ft. Kenzie May

"You've been chasing new things, falling out of love with Molly
And I'm always with Mary, she don't like your good friend Charlie
You don't wanna be lonely, ain't that everybody
Appreciate your service, but I'd only hurt you, sorry"

I found this song on one my good friend's playlist entitled, "I Dig Your Groovy Tunes, Man," so basically that's all you need to know really to believe it's worth listening to. But I suppose if you want to hear more, I will say that this song is probably just as chill as the previous song, if not more. Besides Kenzie May's impressive ability to sing eloquently about drugs, I also love the clever wordplay Vindata comes up with that subtly touches on situations that would otherwise be very intense in real life. One of my favorite lines is the very first one "baby boy bad as you wanna be" which immediately pulled me in with it's alluring alliteration.

3. "Tongue Tied" by Grouplove

I don't know if it's upbeat instrumentals, earnest vocals or just the whooping and cheering at the beginning of the song, but this song to me is the epitome of a summer song: a mix of a little partying while trying to say your goodbyes. I think my favorite part is at the 1:39 mark where we hear a female vocalization break that's like an awkward indie version of rap. I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the album this song came from titled, "Never Trust a Happy Song" which I think so accurately describes this song.

4. "Way Up" by Floduxe Ft. Ava Re

This song perfectly mixes different sounds to create one coherent relaxed summery vibe. It is introduced with sound effects at the beginning of water and pigeons squaking, reminding me of a boardwalk by the ocean. I love when Ava Re starts to sing, because we get a taste of R&B with her light yet husky voice. Finally, with a drop we complete the combination by adding some EDM to the song that is more low-key instead of crazy energetic. This cool vibe is reflected in other songs that I've been enjoying this month which include remixes like Trndsttr (Lucian Remix) by Black Coast Ft. M. Maggie and more traditional EDM like Sad Machine by Porter Robinson.

5. "Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake

Not gonna lie, when I first heard this song come on the radio while making breakfast, I had to pause for a dance party (like come on, even the title of the song has an exclamation point). After looking it up, I realized it's featured in the upcoming movie "Trolls" which I hadn't heard about (so good job on the promo with Justin Timberlake, DreamWorks), which seems pretty cute and at least from what I've seen in the trailer, has beautiful animation and graphics. The music video is basically a compilation of what looks like everyday people jamming out to this song, and I would say their "expert" dance moves totally mirror my own. Every time I hear this song, I'm instantly so much happier and yes, it is a cheesy feel-good song that I'll probably get sick of hearing in a couple of months, but for now I'm going to milk it for as long as I can (dairy references not intended). After all every summer playlist needs a fun family-friendly song to end on!