Staff playlist – Songs to listen to right now

“Stare at the Sun”
ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER

A successful summer song must be perfect for one of two things: driving fast or lounging slow. If the sun is mentioned, the success rate, um, skyrockets. This propulsive, jingle-jangle burner from the Fiery Furnaces singer’s latest solo outing, Personal Record, due June 4, is heliocentric enough for a decade of summers, and so catchy you’ll be humming it well into fall.

“Over the Love”
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

Told from the perspective of The Great Gatsby‘s Daisy, “Over the Love” is full of the novel’s imagery delivered by Florence Welch’s intensely dramatic vocals. Typical of Welch’s brilliantly indulgent style, this is a perfect addition to the soundtrack for the recent over-the-top film adaptation.

“Alive”
EMPIRE OF THE SUN

When compiling a summer playlist, consider which jams would sound best during a road trip on some vibrant, sunshine-filled futuristic planet. That’s pretty much what Empire of the Sun gave fans with its debut album, and the first single off the forthcoming Ice on the Dune heads in the same direction. The track and its slick video are glammed up with synth-laden dance beats and a chorus you’ll start singing when it comes around again.

“My God Is the Sun”
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE

It’s been six long years since we’ve heard from Josh Homme and his ragtag crew of rock cohorts. On the upcoming …Like Clockwork, arriving June 4, frontman Homme has rallied Dave Grohl, Sir Elton John and Trent Reznor. From the sounds of the first single, “My God Is the Sun,” Homme might have crafted his third desert rock masterpiece.