TOP TEN TUESDAY: Ten songs of summer '16

(Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish!)

I always feel as though some music is constantly linked to certain years in my head. 'Ho Hey' by The Lumineers is a 2013 song, 'English Kids In America' by Lower Than Atlantis will always remind me of 2014, just like 'Nerve' by Don Broco takes me straight back to summer 2015 every single time.
These ten songs are always going to bring me right back to the summer of 2016.

10) 'You're So Cheap' by Dead!

Yes, 'Something More Original' was released more recently, but 'You're So Cheap' is so much better. Having heard it at Slam Dunk, Download and Reading, it's the most pervasive of the songs I've chosen.

9) 'Get Over It' by Lower Than Atlantis

I didn't like this song when it was released (it's a bit standard, admit it!) but something clicked for me after hearing it live. Despite having listened to 'Work For It' - the song they only released last month - more, I can't actually remember what that one sounds like off of the top of my head. I couldn't include a forgettable song on this list.

8) 'You & Me' by The Hunna

A quintessential summer song. I feel sun in my bones when I hear this. 

7) 'Secrets' by State Champs

"YOU CAUGHT ME IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME, SO I'LL JUST DIVE RIGHT IN!" 

Tell me that opening line isn't catchy as shit. You'll be lying. Yes, this song was released last summer, but after seeing them with Sleeping With Sirens and (briefly) at Reading festival, this is always going to remind me of 2016. 

6) 'Let Go' by This Wild Life ft. Maya Tuttle

I really enjoy the entirety of This Wild Life's new album, but I think this song stands out the most for me (followed extremely closely by 'Fade', which is devastatingly honest). This is the only new release that I've bothered to listen to in its entirety - it's been one of my most anticipated albums of 2016 since it was released.

5) 'Night People' by You Me At Six

Returning with the rockiest song they've released since 2011, I was grateful that the five lads from Surrey decided to go back to their roots. If they'd stuck to the indie sound they experimented with on 2014's 'Cavalier Youth', I would have been very disappointed. 

4) 'Everybody' by Don Broco

Cowboys are the best things.

3) 'Closer' by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey

With a whopping 250 million views on Youtube - and increasing rapidly! - 'Closer' is the song of the summer. The combination of Halsey and The Chainsmokers is magic, and I can't wait for the official video to be released: it's just going to make it even more popular. 

2) 'Serotonia' by Highly Suspect

While I was tempted to include 'Hello, My Name Is Human' because it's only just been released, 'Serotonia' is the song I can't stop listening to. Opening with the self-absorbed line "I wish that everyone I knew was dead, so that I'd never have to pick up the phone", I was struck by how candid this band's lyrics are.

1) 'Stupid For You' by Waterparks

From that opening "hey!", I was hooked. Unapologetically pop, with synths and electronics weaved throughout, Waterparks first taste of their debut album is addictive. "You're yellow, I'm natural blue", vocalist Awsten Knight croons his girlfriend, yellow Power Ranger Ciara Hanna, and if the rest of the album is as adorable as this song it's going to be very fun indeed.

I hope you enjoyed this Top Ten Tuesday! What have been your favourite songs this summer?