Looking At The Tracks Of The Summer With The Chainsmokers, Major Lazer & More

Matthew MeadowAugust 8, 2016

“Song of the summer” is generally quite a subjective phrase that takes into account various elements. These can include, but aren’t limited to, chart success, radio airplay, public perception, and often our own biases when looking at certain artists. Still, though all four of these tracks have been released rather recently, their power and potential for “song of the summer” is undeniable.

The Chainsmokers released “Closer” with Halsey and shot up to #1 on the charts in less than 24 hours, and for good reason. The track is ostensibly addictive and extremely radio friendly, offering to fans of pop the same satisfaction as it might for EDM. However, the following week, it was quickly upstaged by DJ Snake and Justin Bieber’s “Let Me Love You” which rose to #1 in just a matter of hours. There’s no doubt that star power was at work here.

“Let Me Love You” wasn’t Bieber’s only EDM collaboration in the past month, though. He was also featured on Major Lazer’s “Cold Water” which performed admirably against other tracks of the week.

The outlier of the group is “Purple Lamborghini” by Skrillex & Rick Ross. The dubstep collaboration is at utter odds with the poppier, more future-sounding collaborations listed before, and yet the star power and influence on the track is impossible to ignore. As part of the soundtrack for the Suicide Squad movie, let alone simply being a Skrillex production, it will be thrown into sets by anyone and everyone from Tiësto to Ghastly.

Based on all available metrics, these four tracks are most likely to be considered “song of the summer” in the EDM sphere. Which one will eventually come out on top is actually pretty difficult to anticipate, so it’s best to keep an eye on all of them in the coming months, especially as festival season winds down.