Long days. Hot nights. Free time. Barbecues and beach parties every time the sun peeks out from behind the clouds. Even with the second festival season in a row severely curtailed, there’s a celebratory sparkle about summertime that simply cannot be extinguished. Whether you’re a skate kid, a beach bro, a backpack-wielding traveller hitting the road, or a tired worker just looking forward to chilling out in the nearest beer garden, it’s really got something for everyone. Hell, even goths get a chance to show off their laciest parasols.
What you might want from a summer album will depend on who you are and what you’re up to, of course. Crushing beers with friends in a field? Grab the Guns N’ Roses! Diving headlong into a new romance? Introduce them to the delights of Ash! Hitting the beach? Welcome to Weezer territory! Even if you’re just killing time with your closest buddies until school or work starts up again, there’s a whole pop-punk genre to sort you out. Here, we present 21 of our warmest, wildest, weirdest favourites below, but don’t be afraid to let us know which we’ve missed out.
And don’t forget the sunscreen!