By Josh Schonfeld

Alright, I get it. You want to say “goodbye” to Adele’s “Hello” and you’re so sick of that same old song by Selena Gomez. Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” makes you want to puke, and you wish you could just tell Alessia Cara to leave the damn party she’s describing in “Here.” We’re all at our breaking points with these overplayed songs, and it’s time for some fresh new ones to take their place. Here is an emergency booster to reinvigorate your wilting playlist and get you prepared for the imminent warm weather approaching.

Josef Salvat – “Open Season”

Highbrow pop at its finest, this song is the epitome of a calming day at the beach. The production lends itself to warm rays of sunshine while the vocals provide that cool breeze we all yearn for on a hot summer day. Salvat’s silky tone hypnotizes you into relaxation as you lie on your towel and watch the world go by with your Ray Bans on. As if Salvat weren’t cultured enough, he also recorded the song in French, entitled “Un autre saison.”

Charli XCX – “Vroom Vroom”

The track opens with Charli XCX commanding, “Let’s ride,” and she is not joking. “Vroom Vroom” is a roller coaster ride of emotion; from dizzying highs filled with bells and whistles to disturbing lows with a thumping bassline. It’s almost unreal that such an experimental pop song could come from the same artist that made the sappy love theme to The Fault in Our Stars with “Boom Clap.”

Flume – “Never Be Like You (feat. Kai)”

A recent #1 in Australia, “Never Be Like You” is a jarring electronic ballad that plays with your emotions. Should you feel sorry for her? Should she be forgiven? She “fucked up” but she is missing him and is “only human, can’t you see?” Much like the message of the song, the production battles with itself to create a menagerie of rippling beats that take a few listens to digest. Flume plays with the idea of mistakes and forgiveness, with much of the instrumentation sounding like mistakes that your ears end up forgiving once it’s all over.

Jonas Blue – “Fast Car (feat. Dakota)”

I was adamant about not liking this song. I’m not a fan of simply adding a dance beat to a ballad and calling it a new song, especially when the original artist is THE Tracy Chapman. Unfortunately, much like DJ Sammy’s “Heaven,” the catchiness of the lyrics and “danceability” factor is just too much to overcome. As the song suggests, the production progresses like a fast car on the highway as Dakota whispers inspirational lyrics while staring out the window. Who knows, maybe we’ll finally get an EDM cover to my beloved Enya in the near future after the success of “Fast Car.”

The Rubens – “Hoops”

Brooding, morbid, and mysterious, “Hoops” is an alt-rock bop with a killer hook. If the line, “Hooooops and everything get back, never get back too soon,” doesn’t stay stuck in your head for days, then I’m jealous and I want your willpower. The track builds up to a powerful repetition of this hook with a massive audio overlay to provide a kaleidoscope of sound that abruptly ends with a few staccato notes. While it’s a mere 2 minutes 39 seconds long, that damn hook will stay with you for an eternity.