There’s nothing quite like the meditative bliss of working on a new playlist. Sure, there are thousands of premade mixes to choose from, but sometimes they just don’t feel personal enough. Playlists give us the essential soundtracks that make our day-to-day tasks more enjoyable (we’re looking at you exercise) and life’s seasons and adventures more vibrant.
Curating the perfect playlist is an art, and with the arrival of summer, we wanted to give you some tunes to inspire your 2021 summer soundtrack. Variety is key, so we’ve compiled a mix of chill songs, pump-up jams, oldie goldies, and a few new grooves to keep things fresh. Pick and chose as you please to create a playlist that perfectly pairs with your summer spirit and make sure to scroll down to the bottom of our recommendations to check out our take on a woodsy camping playlist.
1) “A-PUNK” – VAMPIRE WEEKEND
“A-Punk” perfectly captures the excitement that comes with the beginning of summer. It’s got such a retro feel to it too. We dare you to try not to smile while you listen to it.
2) “THE WILD LIFE” – VACATIONER
If the west coast became a country, this would be our national anthem. This song goes everywhere we go – longboarding, camping, driving with the windows down, BBQs with friends – you name it, this song goes with it. Not only does it have a beachy beat going on, the lyrics perfectly describe the spirit of spontaneous adventures.
3) “ELECTRIC FEEL” – MGMT
This song is an absolute classic. If it doesn’t already have some incredible memories attached to it for you, we think this is the summer to change that.
4) “FIGURE IT OUT” – ROYAL BLOOD
This song rocks hard. Royal Blood is a relatively new band out of the UK taking the world by storm – give this song a listen, and you’ll see why. It’s the perfect tune for kicking off a road trip and getting the energy up for a long drive. The only problem you’ll have with “Figure It Out” is trying to drive straight while you play the air drums.
5) “KID ICARUS” – SAM ROBERTS BAND
Another rocking jam, “Kid Icarus” is an upbeat feel-good tune. Like tentree, Sam Roberts Band is native to the true north strong and free – and this song has just the right amount of energy to fuel your hikes but enough chill for beach days too.
6) “TOPS” – LINCOLN JESSER
Now for something completely different. If you like electronic dance music, you’ll love this one. Perfect for windy drives with your friends under a cloudless sky, it’s a bassy song with a really “floaty” summery feel to it.
7) “FAR BEHIND” – EDDIE VEDDER
What adventurer’s summer playlist would be complete without something from the classic Into the Wild soundtrack? At tentree, we value getting away into the great unknown, and the song is about just that.
8) “THE JOKER” – STEVE MILLER BAND
An absolute gem from ’73, “The Joker” has the perfect vibes for sitting out on a dock and watching the sunset. There’s a reason this song has been a summer staple for almost half a decade and counting… we think the swanky guitar solo has something to do with it.
9) “2 HEADS” – COLEMAN HELL
This song is a bit of a wild card – it mixes banjo with electronic elements and a super catchy vocal hook. This one is definitely a bit of a love-it or hate-it kind of song.
10) “OF THE NIGHT” – BASTILLE
This song has a really haunting vibe and catchy tune. To preserve its magic, we suggest only listening to it when there’s a good nighttime adventure in the making.
If you liked these recommendations, be sure to follow us on Spotify for our latest mixes.
Keeping with the spirit of summer, we suggest giving our Camping playlist a spin. (S’mores are optional.)
