The Best Singles of the Summer

Elena Fry-Hernandez - Music Editor

●       Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

This track is the diss heard from around the world. At the heart of the biggest Hip Hop beef in modern day history, “Not Like Us” is Lamar’s fifth and final (as of now) installment in his series of disses against rapper Drake. Its lyrics double down on allegations against Drake, some including sexual misconduct and pedophilia. The track spent ten weeks total in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 this summer. Some music publications have listed it among the greatest diss tracks ever made.

●       Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!

Despite its original release in early April, this track saw overnight commercial success over the summer. It’s a quintessential pop anthem with a catchy chorus and an unforgettable bridge, one that’s bound to get stuck in your head for at least a few days. In it, Roan sends her best wishes to a woman who used to be her secret lover and describes the compulsory heterosexuality that split them up.

●       Charli XCX - Guess featuring Billie Eilish

Charli XCX made this summer a Brat summer we will never forget. With a sixth studio album dropped on June 7, she made sure to keep us on our toes the entire time. During the next few months, XCX released a handful of remixes, recruiting artists like Yung Lean, Robyn, and Lorde. In particular, the Guess remix features Billie Eilish. The pair sing about cunnilingus and guessing the color of XCX’s underwear over an electrifying European house beat produced by The Dare.

●       Megan thee Stallion - BOA

Sticking with her theme of snake related tracks (Cobra, HISS, Mamushi), BOA is the third of four singles from her third record Megan. The single samples Gwen Stefani’s early 2000s track “What You Waiting For?”. It’s a fun tune with a simple rebuttal from thee Stallion: “These b*tches only hot on Tik Tok…B*tch, your time up / Why is you not clockin’ out? / Doin’ sh*t for Tik Tok / B*tch I’m really hip-hop.”

●       Clairo - Juna

This smooth, slinky track comes from Clairo’s third studio album Charm. Although it was never released as an official single from the record, it didn’t stop the track from gaining traction on Tik Tok. Now considered a fan favorite, Juna is seductive and reminiscent of artists like Mazzy Star, but with a modern soulful flair. In the song’s second verse, she sings: “You make me wanna go dancing / Try on feminine / You make me wanna go buy a new dress / You make me wanna / slip off a new dress.”

●       Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER

BIRDS OF A FEATHER was released as the second single from Eilish’s third studio album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. It’s an emotionally vulnerable, breezy new-wave ballad to a lover. Eilish describes wanting to “stick together” with them, declaring “I love you til’ the day that I die.” She also sings: “I don’t know what I’m crying for...I don’t think I could love you more,” as if she has the psychic ability to sense the listener’s own tears.