My 2024 Summer Playlist Has Arrived

Listen to this year's soundtrack inspired by early '70s glam and Daytime Disco.

Although the calendar has only just turned to May, and it's not officially summer yet, back in Germany—where I'm from—we'd often declare it summer the moment temperatures hit 16°C and the sun peeked out for a solid five minutes. I've decided to keep that same optimistic ritual alive even here in LA now as we’re preparing for “May Gray” and “June Gloom.”

During my time at Spotify, I was always very excited to predict each year’s summer hits for our Sommerhits playlist. As a Pop curator, the playlist typically featured the obvious mainstream hits that have already been released. Here and there, I would take the liberty of throwing in a few wild cards and not-so-obvious tracks that I believed had the potential to stand out. The official playlist still exists, of course, and you can listen to it here. In my mind, I had this romanticized notion of delivering the perfect summer soundtrack for people—a responsibility I took seriously, especially considering again how, in Germany, we hold on to summer as if it's our dear life. It’s just that curating songs for people's memories carries some kind of philosophical weight.

I don’t feel that level of responsibility anymore. My curation is still about creating the perfect soundtrack, but more from a discovery and “broaden your horizons” perspective rather than potential commercial success. It’s about crafting a playlist that isn’t just heard but felt (talking about that philosophical approach again). It’s not just about finding music but about finding meaning in music.

So here we are now. It’s May 2024, and I’m sharing what will be my soundtrack for the next few months in the hopes that you’ll find some songs you resonate with as well.

I’m not a fan of dropping lists of genres, but just so you get an idea, this year’s playlist includes a mix of Pop/Indie/Electronic/R&B influenced by Tropicália, Funk, Soul, and Psychedelic throughout the decades. It’s a wild mix, but I promise it all comes together once you press play.

I want to give an honorable mention to Poolside, aka Jeffrey Paradise, and his Daytime Disco.

I’ve been a fan of Poolside since I discovered their song Can’t Stop Your Lovin’ in 2019. And this playlist, which is updated weekly, is just always chefs kiss.

For me, Daytime Disco not only encapsulates their distinct blend of chillwave and nu-disco but also describes a whole genre and lifestyle. This vibe (along with my current rewatch of Mad Men) has shaped my current listening habits and inspired the overall theme of my Summer 2024 playlist.

Here’s what I’m thinking: Imagine yourself as the rich aunt vacationing in Palm Springs–your lavish lifestyle as grand as your summer hat. Life is good because you have an endless supply of Aperol Spritz, yet miraculously, no hangovers. It’s a romanticized snapshot of early ‘70s glam. When not lounging on your sunbed by the pool at 28°C, you're cruising down palm-lined streets in your 1973 Mercedes 450sl.

That’s the feeling I want to capture in my Summer playlist.

Translated into music, this is where I landed:

I want to note that this is not a final list and a work in progress. It is loosely sequenced, and I would recommend listening to it in the given order. But I believe it's diverse enough to hold up well on shuffle—for those who dare.

[I am also working on making my playlists accessible on other streaming services; please bear with me.]

Thanks for reading and listening ✨🪩