What We’re Listening To

SUMMER STAYS HOT, ESPECIALLY AT THE END. OUR MUSIC TEAM HAS THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO KEEP YOU COOL.

By LILY CRANDALL & THE MUSIC TEAM

“I am what I am and I'm good at it / And you don't like me well that isn't fucking relevant.” Enough said.

Possibly too much of a “gimme” because “cool” is in the title, but it could be called “Extremely Lame & Boring Colorado,” and it would still make me feel powerful. The booming trumpets in the first 3 seconds really set it off; it’s a perfect powerwalk song.

I’d be doing 16 year old me a disservice if I didn’t include the song that I listened to walking to school every morning at 6:50am for a whole year. An excellent song to pump yourself up at the start of the day.

This song made me feel cool when I was ten, and it makes me feel cool now. Lately, I feel like a big part of growing up is finding my way back to who I was as a kid, when all I wanted was to be like Karen O in her custom leather jacket, dancing down a dark city street at night.

This song is full of heavy emotions, but the honesty Lauryn Hill uses to wrestle with them is undeniably powerful. She ends with the blunt and devastating question, “Where were you when I needed you?” Just singing along to it feels like a weight off my chest.

Hearing Geese’s latest single for the first time made me a little sad that I graduated this year—at once angsty and danceable, it has the perfect energy for a back to school playlist. Think chilly fall mornings, a new dark eyeliner, and a superiority complex.

I’ve recently revisited this album that Miley dropped last year and have been appreciating her ever present emotion. This song is perfectly timed, and synthesizes whatever power is supposed to feel like during these times.

“This time, baby, I’ll be bulletproof.” I don’t give a fuck, once again, I’m ready to scream. No better feeling than giving this song your all and letting it transport you to all the times you’ve done it before, except this time you’re finally in the driver’s seat.

My buddy Christian put me on to this artist a few weeks ago, and this song encapsulates the obsession. It’s a subtle announcement of what makes those you love so special. It’s lovely on the ears as well, and I’ll walk as slowly as I can while I listen.

This song got me through most of the parties in my college years. Everytime it came on I’d get Emmanuel or Miguel or Aakif or whomever knew it and was in my vicinity and go crazy with it. It’s the ultimate team-up of the 2010s, and it’s soaked in freshness.

I found out about this song from ’88 through a friend recently and instantly fell in love with it’s groove. It’s a song for anyone who’s been outed for being different but later learned the best revenge is loving yourself. That’s pretty damn cool, but Momus takes the extra step of eclectic lyrics and pop that would make New Order and Pet Shop Boys weep.

It doesn’t feel ‘powerful’ but instead is coated in a cool summer breeze. This one was for every 90+ degree summer strutting down the street trying not to let on you’re melting into your pits. Confidence is no worry with a song like this; it couldn’t care less. Drop some ice in your drink and throw this one on.

I love a good narrative song because you get to imagine yourself as all the characters. If you’re going for power, imagine yourself as the Jackie Onassis lookalike -- she’s at the top of her classes, she carries herself right, she’s singing oh ah oh oh ah oh oh ahhh. As the plot thickens and the horns build, the song only gets better and better.

If you’ve ever thought about leaving your hometown to be a big star, this is the one for you (also, definitely do that, what are you waiting for?!!)

Okay, I’m not on TikTok, but even I know that this gorgeous piece of artistry has been made into a “sound.” I guess I’m an old fart, but I remember it as a song that I would listen to on the stereo with my mom when I wanted to feel unstoppable. It holds up.

This choppy guitar and yelling harmonic song demands a dance and a jump!!!! Confidence boost immediately.

“She tapes her regrets to the microphone stand / She said you can’t hold the hand of a rock and roll man very long” - Enough said. Imagine screaming those lyrics in the car in the 70s.

Every time I listen to this song, I feel like I’m in a No Doubt music video with eyeliner thin eyebrows. The best way to feel. Gwen Stefani’s vocals on this song are unmatched.

Sorry not sorry. This song is always on blast.

Through incredible synth and mystifying instrumentals, Cherub creates a world that’s easy to get lost in with Doses & Mimosas. Best paired with driving windows down, volume up through your suburban hometown.

I used to be a competitive swimmer and before every race I’d listen to Shake It. It always hyped me up and made me feel strong. To this day, it transports me to those moments and rejuvenates that energy.