Entertainment
The year’s biggest music battle has begun.
As any critic will tell you in 2024, monoculture is, and has been, dead, and that includes the concept of a song of the summer, or the singular tune that’ll reign supreme during the year’s hottest months. It’s true: The song of the summer is no longer a static, non-fungible title, but a fluid and cyclical one that shifts with time and the public’s general mood.
But by Labor Day, there generally are a handful of tracks that we can effectively say became the soundtrack of the nation, even if just for a moment. For example, in the past 24 hours alone, I’ve encountered Sabrina Carpenter’s “That’s that me espresso,” and “I’m working late ‘cause I’m a singer” no less than 20 times from just texting my friends and opening the NYT Cooking Instagram — which sounds like an early frontrunner to me.
This summer, we’ll be tracking the moves of the top SOTS contenders power-ranking-style — moving things up, knocking things down, and bringing new power players into the fold every week until Labor Day. Factors that’ll be taken into consideration: chart stats (including what’s hot on the Billboard Hot 100), online buzz, and what we hear out in the wild from the windows of passing cars to block parties and barbecues. Dive into our most up-to-date standing, below.
1
“Espresso” - Sabrina Carpenter
Current position: 1
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: Per your TikTok FYP and every other form of online media, there’s no bigger song in the world right now than Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” Its breezy beat and absolutely nonsensical lyrics, like “I Mountain Dew it for ya,” have charmed everyone who wishes for the days of 2010s brain-smoothing pop, where it’s just immaculate vibes and nothing else. But the catch-22 is oversaturation, and considering MDW isn’t even here yet, we may be saying “espresso long” to the song soon.
2
“Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)” - Taylor Swift
Current position: 2
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: Summer 2023 belonged to Taylor Swift (“Cruel Summer,” the entire Eras Tour). But as to whether or not “Fortnight,” her latest hard-push single, will be able to replicate that success, well, only time will tell. As of May 2, she’s locked down the charts, so we’ve given her her due by placing “Fortnight” at No. 2. But it’s kind of a melancholic tune, which doesn’t fare the best in summer, so there’s a chance this will drop or be replaced by another Swift song — “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart,” perhaps?
3
“Texas Hold ‘Em” - Beyoncé
Current position: 3
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: Based off the summer charts of the last few years (which saw top songs for Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs), country is a summer staple — so why shouldn’t Beyoncé be considered? “Texas Hold ‘Em” is still the most ubiquitous tune off Cowboy Carter, but she smartly picked her Miley Cyrus collab to be its next single. A few weeks from now, you might see that track take this spot.
4
“Beautiful Things” - Benson Boone
Current position: 4
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: Washington native Benson Boone came out of nowhere when his January song “Beautiful Things” suddenly hit top 10 on the charts. TikTok fell in love with his diaristic, acoustic sound, and he has even breached the Gen-X set (an oft-overlooked but important streaming bloc). This might be enough to keep him riding the top of the summer radio rotation.
5
“We Can’t Be Friends” - Ariana Grande
Current position: 5
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: Eternal Sunshine was released two months ago, but “We Can’t Be Friends” has still got some steam behind it. I last heard it at a Sephora, and then immediately at a Target, and it’s sitting at a semi-strong position on the charts (No. 33, as of May 2). But unless Grande adds some more juice to it soon, we might see it putter out by MDW.
6
“Good Luck, Babe!” - Chappell Roan
Current position: 6
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: TikTok’s “a Boygenius winter/Chappell Roan summer” is fueling the steady rise of Roan’s latest bop, to the point where the singer has now surpassed Bridgers in monthly Spotify listeners. Fresh off a touring stint with Olivia Rodrigo, we’re expecting Roan saturation to reach its peak this summer — especially with Pride month around the corner.
7
“Bubble Gum” - NewJeans
Current position: 7
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: Every even slightly pan-Asian establishment was playing NewJeans’ “Super Shy” in 2023; DJs remixed it in the club. It turned the rookie group into a global sensation. Their new city-pop-lite song is decidedly less powerful, but it still oozes youthful, energetic charm. They’ve certainly got a shot at scoring another summer slam, but whether or not “Bubble Gum” will be the one will depend on how the rollout of their next single “How Sweet,” out May 24, goes — and if another girl group doesn’t come in harder.
8
“4eva” - Shygirl
Current position: 8
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: Consider this the Bushwick clubs’ song of the summer. Because of the niche factor, this is low on the list. But NYLON culture editor Layla Halabian attests to hearing this Shygirl track at practically every function, and way more than anything by Dua Lipa — which has gotta mean something. If you’re asking me, “4eva” deserves to move up, but realistically, it’ll probably stay just where it is.
9
“Illusion” - Dua Lipa
Current position: 9
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: I confess: I couldn’t publish this list without a Dua Lipa song because, to me, the girl is summer (it certainly helps that she’s always on vacation somewhere). Like the r/popheads Redditors, I agree her new album isn’t another Future Nostalgia, but “Illusion” is earwormy with an “oOoOoO” hook that feels scientifically formulated. The U.S. is still sleeping on this one (it’s No. 78 on the charts), but let’s pray the CVSes and Whole Foods save it for next week.
10
“Back Outside” - Anycia
Current position: 10
Last position: N/A
Our prediction: For the past few summers, like clockwork, a new rap girl has broken out with an anthem. In 2022, that was GloRilla’s “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” followed by Ice Spice’s “Munch (Feelin’ U).” In 2023, Sexyy Red’s raunchy “Pound Town” took over. This year, it might be Atlanta rapper Anycia’s turn, with her January track “Back Outside” sitting at a cool 3.3 million streams on YouTube. It’s got a feature from Latto and hits all the marks of a hot-weather hit. An uncomplicated beat, and a hero lyric — “Huh? I’m back outside” — might have this moving up.
