Spring and summer are on the horizon, but times are still tough as we huddle through the remains of winter. Personally, I like the cold, so summer is kind of a bummer. Also, growing up in Florida, summertime gets old really fast. But all that aside, I can appreciate those of you who need to be gaslit a little bit about the whole wintertime situation.
Here are five alt-rock bangers that will make you forget all about the cold and look ahead toward summer, wherever you are.
“Island in the Sun” by Weezer
Starting out with a classic summer alt-rock banger, Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” appeared on The Green Album in 2001. It’s breezy and relaxed, embodying a laid-back California-style chill-out. This is a song to float on your back in the pool to, drifting across the surface of crystal-blue water while the sun beats down overhead. But there’s a pleasantly cool wind wafting over the hills that cuts through the heat. Eyes closed behind dark sunglasses, head submerged up to your ears so that everything becomes a muffled dreamscape. And then, like the soft touch of an angel upon your forehead, there’s Weezer playing from another room.
“A-Punk” by Vampire Weekend
“A-Punk” appeared on Vampire Weekend’s 2008 self-titled debut album, and its bright, staccato beat is a sunny contrast to the gentleness of the previous Weezer track. This is a song for hitting the boardwalk under a relentless summer sun. Spunky, youthful, and full of promise, “A-Punk” comes on when you’ve got the whole summer stretching out in front of you. What to do first? Ride bikes down to the beach, or eat Italian ice on the pier, or throw French fries at seagulls on the boardwalk? There’s so much potential in the coming days, it’s easy to forget that winter even existed.
“Tongues” by The Frights
There are two versions of “Tongues” by The Frights: a single from 2014 and an album version from 2016, spelled “Tungs”. The lyrics are the same, and the sound is very different, but both versions successfully conjure a vision of adolescent summertime spent making out under the pier. While “Tungs” is more subdued and a bit coy, “Tongues” has a hint of youthful aggression. It’s that rowdy sort of straightforwardness that comes from having nothing to lose. Maybe you’re visiting this small beach town for the summer, and when the time is up, you’ll go back home to whatever landlocked state you came from. But in the meantime, you’re taking dates to the arcade or the boardwalk snack shack. You’re trading kisses that taste like the sweat from your upper lip. And you’ll wander back home with hickeys on your neck and hearts in your eyes that reflect off the bright boardwalk carnival lights.
“Y’all Boots Hats? (Die Angry)” by Glocca Morra
Released in 2012 on Glocca Morra’s album Just Married, “Y’all Boots Hats? (Die Angry)” might seem nonsensical at first. But this Midwest emo banger is perfect for the days leading up to a summer free-for-all. It’s the anticipation of hot days and cool night breezes, of recognizing that you need to get out and go somewhere. Maybe it’s been a long winter and a busy spring, and you’ve been cooped up at home for too long. You’re going stir crazy, you’ve got to get out, go anywhere, and do anything before you explode. But then summer comes, finally, with enormous clouds in a blue sky solid as a block of wax. “Y’all Boots Hats?” is like the lead-up to that summertime renewal. The building pressure that has nowhere to go, until, finally, it does.
“Cannonballers” by Colony House
“Cannonballers” was released on Colony House’s 2023 album, The Cannonballers. Beyond the slick, badass beat, this song features a direct reference to the Wabash Cannonball roller coaster that once stood at Opryland USA in Nashville. The opening guitar riff is roller coaster-like already, and the song builds into a head-banging chorus. This is a song for late-night drives, leaning out the sunroof of your best friend’s 2003 Mazda Protegé. Or, for screaming down the highway with the windows down on the way to Opryland. Additionally, while shivering through the dregs of winter, throwing this song on will briefly make you forget all about that.
Photo by Wendy Redfern/Redferns
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