The soundtrack to your alfresco disco this season.

Summer, season of escapism, of brief bursts of continental-style sunshine, cars driving past with killer songs blasting from their speakers. Is there a better, more resonant and memory-stamping time of year for pop? As the days stretch out, as we gather on beaches, in bars, gardens and local parks, instinct tells us that the pop we listen to has to be upbeat, lyrically optimistic and unchallenging. We want to listen to music that has more surface than depth.

Yet summer is also fleeting. We have all experienced those moments where time seems to freeze, where we become suddenly aware that the heat and the light can’t last for ever, that the nights, and perhaps our dreams, too, will soon be drawing in. For such moments, a well-assembled playlist needs to include songs that capture that feeling and deepen our appreciation of the bliss we experience as the rays hit our faces and to-do lists get placed on the back burner.

The playlist below is a go-to for the artists, songs and genres you should be listening to as 2018 hits its midway point. To encourage an atmosphere of care-free, hedonistic celebration, Crystal Fighters’ “Boomin’ In Your Jeep”, Elderbrook’s “Sleepwalking”, “Dance To This” by Mr Troye Sivan and Ms Ariane Grande, Ms Kali Uchis’s “In My Dreams”, “On A Level” by Ms Tove Styrke – whose new album Sway is as pop-perfect as Ms Carly Rae Jepsen’s unimpeachably brilliant Emotion – and the Canadian artist MorMor’s “Whatever Comes To Mind” fit the bill perfectly.

Lyrically, songs such as Christine And the Queens’ “Girlfriend”, “Give Yourself A Try” by The 1975, Ms Janelle Monáe’s “Screwed” (with Ms Zoë Kravitz), “Waste” by Ms Lily Allen, “Humility”, the irresistible blue-eyed-soul opener on the new Gorillaz album The Now Now, and newcomer Mahalia’s savage kiss-off “I Wish I Missed My Ex” are darker in tone. Musically, however, they tick the escapist box, and who’s concentrating on the lyrics when the music is as giddy-making as this?

Nobody uses the adjective “chill-out” any more, and for good reason. But it accurately summed up pop that was altogether stiller, quieter and more doubting. It summed up, too, that hour of the day when the shadows lengthen and the absence of the sun, rather than its glorious, blazing presence, is all of a sudden apparent. That’s the time for songs such as No Rome’s “Do It Again”, “Losing You” by the Norwegian singer Boy Pablo, Mr Moss Kena’s “You Don’t Know” and “Reborn”, the alternately mournful and hopeful closing track on the debut album from Kids See Ghosts (aka Mr Kanye West and Kid Cudi).

The order of this playlist isn’t set in stone, but neither are our moods.

“Humility” by Gorillaz

“Ultimatum” by Disclosure

“Screwed” by Ms Janelle Monáe

“Boomin’ In Your Jeep” by Crystal Fighters

“Sleepwalking” by Elderbrook

“Girlfriend” by Christine And The Queens

“Give Yourself A Try” by The 1975

“Hunger” by Florence + The Machine

“Yesterday” by Ms Connie Constance

“Do It Again” by No Rome

“Cool” by Ms Hana Vu

“You Don't Know” by Mr Moss Kena

“Losing You” by Boy Pablo

“Whatever Comes To Mind” by MorMor

“In My Dreams” by Ms Kali Uchis

“Waste” by Ms Lily Allen

“I Wish I Missed My Ex” by Mahalia

“On A Level” by Mr Tove Styrke

“Dance To This” by Mr Troye Sivan

“Reborn” by “Kids See Ghosts”

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