Chvrches — “Gun”
Chvrches are a Scottish band making some of the best pop music around. First it was “The Mother We Share,” then “Now Is Not the Time,” and they’re continuing their hot streak with “Gun.” Their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, is out September 24.

Chance the Rapper — “Interlude (That’s Love)”
Chance the Rapper’s mixtape Acid Rap is one of the better rap releases of the year. Over its 55 minutes, Chance dabbles with every sound from soul-influenced rap a la early Kanye, to Chicago’s drill scene, to the spaced out rap of A$AP. “Interlude (That’s Love)” is one of the most upbeat tracks where Chance just raps about how great being in love is.

Fidlar — “Awwwwkwaarrrddd (ft. Kate Na$h)”
Fidlar’s self-titled debut album is one of my favorite records of 2013 so far. For whatever reason, “Awwwwkwaarrrddd” isn’t on the album, but it’s a great, catchy song about getting drunk and making things super awkward.

Vampire Weekend — “Diane Young”
Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City is another one of my favorite albums of the year, and “Diane Young” is one of the standout tracks.

Alex Bleeker and the Freaks — “Step Right Up (Your Yourself Some Wine)”
How Far Away, the second album from Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, is a pretty much perfect record for the summer. While it’s kind of a break-up album, the narrator is pretty upbeat about the whole thing. The album is bittersweet, nostalgic, wistful and just ridiculously pleasant to listen to.

Mikal Cronin — “I’m Done Running From You”
Mikal Cronin’s MC II is another great summer album. It’s garage rock/pop sound is a little more energetic than Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, and “I’m Done Running From You” is an upbeat standout from the album.

The Rolling Stones — “Sweet Virginia”
One of the best songs off of Exile on Main Street, and one of the greatest albums of all time. That’s all I’ve got to say about “Sweet Virginia.”

Icona Pop — “I Love It”
This song was actually released last summer, but for whatever reason it didn’t really get a lot of airtime until pretty recently. It’s just a great pop song for the summer.

Daft Punk — “Get Lucky”
You know it. You love it (maybe). Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” has been everywhere this summer, and for pretty good reason.

A Tribe Called Quest — “Can I Kick It?”
A Tribe Called Quest’s “Walk on the Wild Side”-sampling jam is an annual summer song for me. For the last five or so years, if I’ve made anyone a mixtape during the summer, “Can I Kick It?” has been on it. If anyone knows a better song for the summer, please tell me.