"Party," by Beyoncé
"There's really nothing better than Beyoncé. And there's really nothing better than her song 'Party' for summer. It's become a go-to road-trip song when my girls and I head to wine country, and the video is just too cute. It shows the exact type of BBQ party that I want to attend!"
-Katie Hintz-Zambrano, senior editor, west coast
"Sweater Weather," by The Neighbourhood
"A little birdie told me this was THE song for summer (a KCRW DJ, actually), and I have to agree. They're a brand-spankin'-new L.A. band that's for sure going to blow UP! I imagine putting this sexy yet poppy melody on repeat for late nights after Malibu beach parties — it has summer sandy makeout session written all over it..."
Brenna Egan, L.A. editor
"Ooh La La," by Faces
"The acoustic guitar and clap-like beat in the background makes this the perfect sing-a-long song for a weekend car ride to the beach."
-Christy Kurtz, photo editor
"Lust For Life," by Girls
"'I wish I had a beach house. I wish I had a pizza and a bottle of wine' — could those lyrics be any more fitting for summer? This is my warmer-weather anthem. I hear it and instantly am ready for a jaunt around Big Sur (my must-hit NorCal summer destination). Plus, these guys are S.F.-based, too. Be warned: Dancing at your desk will occur."
-Angela Tafoya, S.F. editor
"Two Headed Boy," by Neutral Milk Hotel
"I actually wasn't supposed to be listening to this song at the time I became obsessed with it. I was at Russian Language School at my alma mater, Middlebury College, and technically wasn't allowed to listen to anything that wasn't in our newly adopted mother tongue, but really, there's a limit to how much Kino and Vysotsky one can take. Still, "Two Headed Boy" (and the whole rest of the album) became both my refuge from the headache of cases and declensions and glagoli dvizhenie, as well as my most powerful way to recall the warm Vermont air perfumed with pollen and the few, precious weeks I had left with friends I would soon never see again."
-Lisa Eppich, production editorial assistant