For this list I’m going to cover my personal top ten tracks released in the summer of 2022. For songs to be considered they’d have to be released between May 6 and August 22, the end of the Spring 2022 semester and the start of the Fall 2022 semester. The area of music I’m covering is more into the alternative music genre. The specific areas I’m covering consist of anything ranging from pop rock all the way to metalcore. Before I get into my actual top ten list, I’ll go ahead and put some honorable mentions below that are also definitely worth checking out. 

Honorable Mentions: 

“Here to Stay” – State Champs 

“Cubicle Dialogue”- Static Dress 

“Miracle” – A Day to Remember 

“Library of Broken Bindings” – Sincere Engineer 

“Drink Milk & Run” – Hot Mulligan 

Top 10: 

10) “gfy” (feat. Machine Gun Kelly) – blackbear: You know what the acronym is, and now you know one of the best angsty breakup songs of the summer. Produced by blink-182’s Travis Barker, this track features MGK busting a little bit of rapping for old time sake followed by harmonization with blackbear. blackbear did a great job of writing this catchy song that will have you hating your ex all over again. 

9) “Low Tide” – The Wonder Years: The fourth single from the much-anticipated new album from The Wonder Years’s “The Hum Goes on Forever’ definitely satisfied. The Wonder Years is my number one favorite band I can’t wait to go to another one of their shows to scream this song as loud as I can. This song has the grit and almost whiny vocals that make The Wonder Years the amazing band that they are. This is a great track and I can’t wait for the album that’s out September 23.  

8) “Sonder” – The Wrecks: The title track from the sophomore album of alternative/indie band The Wrecks is so ridiculously catchy. I can guarantee you this track will make you get up and move whether you want to or not. Their entire album Sonder is full of electricity and amazing hooks, but the title track truly takes it to another level.  

7) “Loud & Clear” – Heart Attack Man: I’ve seen people online refer to this track as “emo Wonderwall” so if that doesn’t get you intrigued, I don’t know what will. I can’t give a specific term of genre for “Heart Attack Man” because they’re all over the place in the best way possible. This song is super smooth and I have not been able to stop listening to it since its release. This song is about growing up going through the motions of youth and feeling like your life is just starting in your late twenties. This song is super pleasing to the ear and proves that “Heart Attack Man” is much more than a band with hilarious tweets (if I do say so myself.)  

6) “I should’ve listened to my friends” – Magnolia Park: Yes, the lyrics in this chorus are just a little repetitive, but you can’t tell me that exact chorus won’t be stuck in your head all day long. Magnolia Park absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s a modern pop punk banger about manipulation and how you should listen to your friends when it comes to love. I honestly don’t see what’s not to love about this song. I’ve been a fan of Magnolia Park’s back when their numbers on Spotify were in the 4-digit area, so to see tracks with +5 million streams and them soon playing huge venues with A Day to Remember truly makes me happy.  

5) “Teenagers” (feat. Against the Current) – The Summer Set: You might know The Summer Set from the days of neon hair and myspace back when they released songs like “Boomerang” and “Chelsea”, but they’re recently reunited with a few new tracks. They have their upcoming part 1 of their 2-part album “Blossom” that releases this Friday, September 9. This is their first big hit coming back from a +4-year hiatus, and what a way to come back. This is an enthralling pop rock anthem that also features Chrissy Costanza from the very talented band, Against the Current.  

4) “dumb” (feat. Tom The Mail Man) – Stand Atlantic: This Australia based melodic pop punk band is back again with their latest album, F. E. A. R. This is one of the breakout tracks from this album and I’ll let you go ahead and guess what the acronym stands for. This explosive pop song features none other than “pop rap” artist, Tom the Mail Man. Tom fits really well on this song and even joins in on the second chorus alongside Stand Atlantic’s insanely talented vocalist, Bonnie Fraser. 

3) “FOUR OF A KIND” (feat. Extra Large Holiday Card) – 93FEETOFSMOKE: “Emo rap” sensation 93FEETOFSMOKE never shies away from features and this is definitely my favorite one yet to come from him. XLHC is the solo project from Hot Mulligan’s own, Chris Freeman. Chris provides rhythm guitar and backing vocals in Hot Mulligan, but truly shined on this feature as well. 93’s new EP GOODGRIEF was full of amazing tracks but this one shined brightest in my opinion.  

2) “Riptide” – Beartooth: Beartooth has returned on their best track to date. I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t ever been the biggest fan, but this track changed my entire perspective. This Columbus, Ohio, based metalcore crew released their most unique sounding track to date and it changed everything. Every single thing about this song is just perfect, from the explosive instrumentation to vocals that punch you right in the face, this song rules. The band took some time off and singer Caleb Shomo returned completely sober and absolutely ripped, thus just showing even more that this era of Beartooth is by far an entirely new reinvention.  

1) “Funeral Grey” – Waterparks: I don’t even know where to begin with this track. Waterparks teased their fans for weeks upon weeks and when they finally did drop this new single, every single second of that wait was very much worth it. This is a song that I believe truly anyone can enjoy, even if you don’t like or aren’t familiar with their genre. This track is a pop rock anthem, that I can honestly say just might be the catchiest song I’ve ever heard. This chorus hits you like a brick wall in the best way possible, and Aswten Knight’s very fast and pop inspired vocals fit perfectly in place. I actually got the opportunity to hear this song in person over the summer and it blew my mind all over again. This is an incredible track that anyone can enjoy so I would recommend checking it out immediately, your ears will thank you I promise. 

Thanks for making it this far, I hope you’ve enjoyed my top ten tracks from the summer. If you’ve enjoyed any of my musical tastes and opinions then feel free to check out my own music related radio show, Bring Me the Radio. It airs every Thursday night 8-9 p.m. on WUSM 88.5. My co-host and I talk everything music related that comes out of the alterative music scene. Thanks for reading my article and I hope you’ll get to tune in every Thursday!