Say Goodbye to Summer: 5 Songs I Had on Repeat

Linnea Mayo ’26

A&E Editor

            This summer I found myself wandering around Trinity’s deserted college campus for 10 weeks, and often relied on music as an escape from this reality. Music always finds a way to articulate exactly what I am experiencing and feeling, and through constantly exploring new artists and albums, I learned a lot about my personal music taste this summer. Nothing brings me more joy than carefully creating playlists, so I figured I would share 5 songs from my summer 2023 playlist, titled “Summer in 3 states” that I could not stop listening to.

1. The Water by Indigo de Souza

One thing I learned this summer is how reliant I am on water, especially in the summer. Having grown up near Lake Michigan, almost all my summer days were spent at the beach. You could imagine my despair within the first week of being on campus over the summer – landlocked and constantly burning in the sun. By my last week, I was itching to go in a body of water, and it was not until my friends and I roadtripped to Burlington, Vermont and I listened to this song for the first time that it finally began feeling like summer. Indigo de Souza (quite literally) encapsulates the feeling of excitement and peace that the water has always brought me. This song is perfect for driving to the beach and the anticipation of a long summer’s day ahead.

2. Honey by Samia

Honey is the title track of Samias third album, and despite its repetitive lyrics makes me feel nostalgic every time I listen to it. The lyric, “I got my girls and a hopeful heart,” is a sentiment I resonated with throughout the summer and reminds me how simple life feels when I am with friends. This song is a warm hearted description of the simplicity of girlhood and all things summer.  

3. There’s a Light that Never Goes Out by The Smiths

I had listened to some of the Smiths prior to this summer, but after playing this song on repeat in my friends car throughout June, I could not help but add it to almost all of my playlists. It is perfect for just that, driving around with no final destination in mind with people that you love. Morrissey talks about not being afraid of death if the last moments are with the people you care about, and his lyrics describe feeling alive while you are still young. Hearing the lyric, “Because I want to see people / And I want to see lights,” after the loneliness of the campus all summer made me yearn for this feeling to return and to soon be reunited with friends and family.

4. Highlands by Middle Kids

I listened to this song on repeat during the short time this summer I returned to my hometown. Right off the bat the song describes a fading town and yearning to leave. For me this desire for change often comes from feeling like I am not doing enough, especially in the summer. The repeating line of “Out of the dark, into the highlands/ Give me your heart, I wanna hide it  / And I can’t keep waiting for things to change” seems to describe coming to a point where you realize it’s okay to break away and move on. The entire song paints a picture of running towards a sense of freedom.

5. Free by Florence and the Machine

Florence describes that this song is about the push and pull of her anxiety, and how music and dancing helps her gain control over it, even if just for a moment. Throughout the summer it was hard not to get caught up with worries and overthinking the future. This song freed me from the constant worry and stress of life, and helped me recognize that it is okay to take a break and focus on things that bring you peace and security. This song also served as a reminder that although I am growing up, I am still young and am allowed to not have everything figured out.