Songs of Summer Vol. 2
We asked incoming first years from the Tufts Class of 2020 to create playlists that embodied their summer. Here are two more of the best!Dez Fonseca“Hello, my darling,” croons lead singer of Australian neo-future-jazz/soul/funk quartet Hiatus Kaiyote. It’s a perfect opening line to a playlist which devotes itself to summer but also flows like a summer day; airy and light as a sun-drenched morning.“Nakamarra,” is succeeded by songs of optimism and camaraderie, brought by a healthy dose of rising-star Anderson .Paak. This is summer afternoon. Barbecue is being served by uncles in hideous brown sandals. Kids are performing dangerous stunts into backyard swimming pools.Two back-to-back tracks from the Jackson Pollock of rap, Young Thug, transition us into dusk. The sky is fading into singed orange-purple which only Mother Nature can pull off, and the day’s energy dissipates into a more muted, romantic vibe. Songs like “Grab Her Hand” (shoutout to Boston’s own Michael Christmas) and “We Can Do It” suit the mood with messages of monogamy and subdued sounds.Drake’s “Controlla” and Taylor McFerrin’s “Florasia” turn a summer dusk into a summer night, sounding as intimate, passionate, and dependent as summer lovers can be. Their music embodies faded street lights, bonfires on beaches, and makeshift beds on secluded rooftops. Closing out the playlist is Childish Gambino’s “Sober,” fitting with its sobering messages and falsettos which summate the bittersweet ending of a summer night.https://open.spotify.com/user/1261231312/playlist/6VfSzqw0vo7FE6dv8BJHJ0 Charlie BillingsI don’t have my own car, and Chicago summers are woefully hot. The air is muggy, so thick you could cut it with a knife. This diverse playlist is for those times when you either have the good fortune of being in a friend’s car blasting the stereo, or when you’re stuck outside in the smothering heat. Brazilian rhythms are prevalent throughout the playlist, but it’s also filled with the variety summer has to offer. There are fast, danceable tracks, hazy jams, and groovy undercurrents. At the end, three Chicago summer classics play in a row. Chance, the anointed king of Chicago youth music, shows his love to THE city, while Kanye finishes it up with two classics, one slow and contemplative, the other all about “movin’ on up” to greater things. Here’s to a great last summer before college, and a bright, vibrant future ahead.https://open.spotify.com/user/c_h_a_r_l_i_e_/playlist/1wLMKwNbJ4UGggSyEZH8CO