For most in the northern hemisphere, this summer has been a scorching one. While we crank up the air conditioning and lather up our sunscreen, we need a good soundtrack — and K-pop always delivers. From beachy tropical jams, to light electronic and everything in between, summer comebacks capture the trends of the year, with a side of ease and fun.
There’s one staple playlist that every K-pop fan should have: a summer hits playlist. It doesn’t necessarily have to comprise summer releases, but rather the songs that capture the mood each year. Though my personal summer playlist is well over a hundred tracks, here’s a little sampling. It features lots of SM classics from Taeyeon and f(x), and newer bops from ONF and fromis_9. Each track is a moment that colored one of my many K-pop summers of the past.
Before the summer haze fades and we settle in for fall, enjoy an abridged trip down summer memory lane.
