This summer, many of my favorite artists released music within the same stretch of time. Olivia Rodrigo, Ryan Beatty, Tiny Habits, Yana, just look at my current playlist on my homepage. My entire music taste is basically there.
When I looked at my Receiptify for June, I was definitely surprised by some of the songs that I constantly listened to. With more releases coming throughout July and Lollapalooza slowly creeping up, these are the five songs that stuck with me the most.
5. “the cure” — Olivia Rodrigo
“the cure” was released before Olivia’s full album came out, and I immediately fell in love with it after the first listen.
I love how the guitar and Olivia’s ornamentations carry so much of the background at first, then the song keeps building as the stronger vocals and drums start to enter. It has that emotional pull without feeling too heavy, and I think that’s why I kept going back to it so much.
4. “maggots for brains” — Olivia Rodrigo
Can’t say I’m surprised by the Olivia presence in my top five, especially this song. I fell in love with this song the day I listened to the full album and immediately added it to my playlist. I said before that this song feels like “good 4 u” if it matured, went through some emotional growth, and came back a little more self-aware.
There’s something about it that just hits. It still has that classic Olivia edge, but it feels a little more lived-in. I simply love this song and “the cure” so much, and there’s not much else I need to say. Olivia’s a genius.
3. “DNA (More Than A Game)” — Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, EJAE, and Megan Thee Stallion
This one caught me off guard. Out of all the songs that could have landed in my top five, DNA being here is kind of insane to me.
I think the familiar names attached to it are what pulled me in at first. EJAE, David Guetta, and Megan Thee Stallion on the same song already had my attention, but I did not realize how much I was actually listening to it. I hate to say it, but unfortunately, it is really good. It’s fire.
Still, seeing this song above literally any Lizzy McAlpine song was crazy. I’m not mad at it, but I was definitely confused for a second. Great song, just not one I expected to see here.
2. “Mutt” — Leon Thomas
“Mutt” was genuinely the first Leon Thomas song I really sat with, and I had to learn it for Loughranpalooza (check insta if you’re confused), so I’m not surprised it ended up this high.
I’ve been a fan of Leon since his Victorious days, but this song took a little bit to grow on me. At first, I wasn’t listening to it for enjoyment. I was listening to it because I had to learn it for a gig, which definitely added some stress to the experience. Instead of casually vibing, I was trying to make sure I knew what I was singing.
Once I got past that, I started to hear the song differently. Now I see it as this smooth, chill track that’s really relaxing once you settle into it. It has such a nice groove, and the more I listened, the more I understood why people love it.
1. “Down Debbie / Reservoir” — The Army, The Navy
Last but certainly not least, my most listened to song of June was “Down Debbie / Reservoir” by The Army, The Navy.
The duo just released their album Fake Brave Life, and it has been such a staple for me this summer, especially this song. When I first heard it in the middle of the album, I looped it for so long that I decided to save the rest of the album for the next day just so I could refresh my listening. That’s how much it stuck with me.
The song isn’t really high energy, but the storytelling pulls you in and carries you through. It makes you feel something without forcing you into a specific emotion. It’s not too fast, not too sad, not too much of anything. It just sits in this perfect middle space that I kept coming back to.