10 Songs on my Summer 2023 Playlist
The sun is shining, the humidity is steamy, and the windows are down. Here’s your Rockmommy Summer 2023 playlist, complete with pop, rock, and punk tunes from the past and present:
“‘Devotion’ to me is a song about feeling so in love it’s almost like being ripped apart, there’s an intensity, a wildness and a tenderness,” Arlo Parks recently told Stereogum about her latest single, which highlights her understated, pretty vocals gliding atop a sea of sounds.
#2: The Drowns and Suzi Moon, “Ballroom Blitz”
The Drowns’ cover of the classic “Ballroom Blitz” with my favorite femme punk singer Suzi Moon came together ahead of their sets at this year’s Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas. And it’s just the coolest version of the classic I’ve heard!
#3: The Sparkle & Fade, “You Said”
This pretty, layered, shimmery guitar-driven pop song by Connecticut indie pop-rock band The Sparkle & Fade is summer fresh for 2023. And who can’t relate to lyrics about being a relationship that seems perfect, but is full of trust issues? Also: Listen closely for the Lisa Loeb reference.
#4: Belinda Carlisle, “Circle in the Sand”
I’ve recently started revisiting the dreamiest, most beachy New Wave/pop songs from my childhood, and this one from rockmommy Belinda Carlisle was one of my favorites.
#5: Dick Dale, “Shake and Stomp”
I love vintage surf rock and this tune, which I love as much as “Miserlou” takes me back to my first-ever Dick Dale concert a couple of decades ago. Nothing feels quite like summer as much as a Dick Dale song.
[SEE RELATED: HOW MEETING DICK DALE, MY FAVORITE GUITARIST OF ALL TIME, CHANGED MY LIFE]
#6: Lana Del Rey, “High by The Beach”
This isn’t one of Lana Del Rey’s biggest hits, but it’s absolutely one of her greatest, most cinematic tunes. I relate so deeply to the storytelling around tortured, doomed love (a common theme in her songs), and really dig the atmospheric vibes. I always listen to this while running on the beach.
#7: Nita Strauss, “Victorious” (Featuring Dorothy)
Nita’s second solo album, The Call of the Void, dropped 7/7, and features a ton of exceptional rock vocalists — Lilith Czar, Alice Cooper, and Alissa White-Gluz, among them. This single features metal singer Dorothy Martin (aka Dorothy), and it’s the triumphant tune that every young woman needs to hear. The video leaves me teary eyed.
#8: “Santigold, “L.E.S. Artistes”
Creator (and rockmommy) Santigold’s always churning out memorable and catchy songs, and this one, from her 2008 album, Santogold, which I first heard on tour with my band, is still on heavy rotation in multiple playlists. Fewer truths were ever uttered than, “I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up.”
#9: Tina Turner, “The Best”
I was reminded of how much I loved this tune after watching Schitt’s Creek — and again, this spring, after Tina Turner passed away. It’s one of the greatest love songs from one of the greatest rock sirens whose career spanned so many genres and decades. She’s simply the best — better than all the rest!
#10: Katrina & The Waves, “Walking on Sunshine”
Try not to feel good listening to this ’80s classic, which takes me back to pool days with my childhood best friend Karina, in Calverton, Maryland.
Want to hear more of my summer favorites? Check out my Spotify Summer 2023 playlist.
Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.
