This week's Mixtape Rewind takes us back to Season 1 when Instagram picked our summer soundtrack, and we just tried to keep up. We asked listeners to send their best summer songs, then built a real mixtape out of the chaos: 12 tracks that feel like heat haze, long evenings, and that first day when summer finally clicks into place. Along the way, we shout out the people who submitted picks and admit where we couldn’t resist sneaking in a few of our own.

The fun part is how quickly “summer music” stops being simple. We get nostalgic with LFO’s “Summer Girls” and the oddly unforgettable lyrics that still scream 1999, then jump to Sylvan Esso’s “Rooftop Dancing” and talk about why rooftops are basically the city version of a pool. Weezer’s “Feels Like Summer” brings that bittersweet edge, and from there we keep pulling on the thread of sunny songs that hide something darker underneath.

Lorde’s “Solar Power” nails the new-release summer vibe, The Kinks’ “Sunny Afternoon” turns out to be way more cynical than it sounds, and Childish Gambino’s “Feels Like Summer” smuggles climate change anxiety into a laid-back groove. We round it out with true summer essentials like DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s “Summertime,” a pure-pop hit from Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen, a “Constructive Summer” pep talk from The Hold Steady, and a cover-song detour with The Ataris and “Kokomo” before Poison closes the night with “Nothing But A Good Time.”

One more tease: there’s no Bruce Springsteen on the main mix, and yes, we noticed. Hit play, share this with a friend who hoards playlists, and leave a review if you want more listener-built mixes. What’s the one song you swear belongs on every summer playlist?

You can find the mix here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2xecia1iK9SH9fpDGGyElY?si=60cde1613e264ad0

1. Summer Girls - LFO

2. Rooftop Dancing - Sylvan Esso

3. Feels Like Summer - Weezer

4. Solar Power - Lorde

5. Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks

6. Feels Like Summer - Childish Gambino

7. Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

8. Good Time - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen

9. Constructive Summer - The Hold Steady

10. The Boys of Summer - The Ataris

11. Kokomo - Lily Wood and the Prick

12. Nothing but a Good Time - Poison

Go to My.SuperAwesomeMix.com and start using our new app on any device - mobile or laptop.  Copy and paste a link to your playlist then turn it into an old school mixtape in minutes!  

Support the show

Visit us at https://www.superawesomemix.com to learn more about our app, our merchandise, our cards, and more!