The soundtrack to the season, courtesy of Bedouine, Phoenix, Cornelius and more.

The Stranglers spent it walking on the beaches looking at the metaphorical peaches, Mr Don Henley used it to indulge a fetish for Wayfarers, and Mr Bryan Adams whiled it away playing his new six-string until his fingers bled. Each to their own and all. But when it comes to summer, summer, summertime, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince surely had the best approach: it’s time to sit back and unwind. In order to chill out in style, of course, your holiday playlist needs planning as carefully as your wardrobe. So here are five new albums that will keep you cool this summer in every sense. You heard his Freshness – pursue the groove that soothes.

Cornelius

Out now (Rostrum)

Japanese producer Mr Keigo Oyamada, aka Cornelius, deploys sounds with the precision of an acupuncturist. His slick bricolage is meticulously constructed from mostly acoustic instruments: a thwack of acoustic guitar here, a ripple of keys there, and pitter-patterings of polyrhythmic drums – all swept away at times by washes of synth. Mr Oyamada is a master in taking things slow: Mellow Waves is his first record as Cornelius in 11 years. But this album proves that music to unwind to can be complex, experimental and busy with ideas.

Portico Quartet

Out 25 August (Gondwana Records)

The return of the Mercury nominees, whose minimalist blend of jazz and electronica centres on the mellifluous chiming of the hang. A distant relation of the steel drum, this tuned percussion instrument is shaped like a UFO, and sounds just as otherworldly. Portico Quartet started out busking on London’s Southbank, floating themselves somewhere between Flying Lotus and Mr Steve Reich. Their fourth studio album is both ethereal and propulsive, as the flute-like tenor sax swirls around its grooves like a cool breeze.

Bedouine

Out now (Spacebomb)

Sweet and dusty, pared down country-folk. It’s the sort of thing you can imagine Ms Vashti Bunyan playing in the 1960s, as she made her legendary journey in a horse-drawn caravan to Donovan’s Hebridean commune. Armenian-American singer Ms Azniv Korkejian has lived in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Savannah, Boston, Houston, Austin, and on a horse farm in Kentucky – so she understands the importance of travelling light. Her enchantingly sparse debut album is being released by Virginia-based soul auteur Mr Matthew E White, who uses the song “One Of These Days” as his wake-up track when on tour.

Phoenix

Out now (Glassnote)

France’s biggest musical export since Daft Punk have gone and made an album significantly inspired by ice cream. Or rather, gelato. Recording their sixth record in Paris during recent dark days, Phoenix wound up escaping sonically to a nostalgic, idealised Italy. Life here is a choice between the beach or the disco, and no one’s yet heard of Mr Silvio Berlusconi. Cue sunburst synths and large scoops of retro soft pop, while the title track leans on a jukebox and asks if you’d like “champagne or prosecco?” One of each, please.

Toro Y Moi

Out now (Carpark)

One of the biggest names in chillwave returns with a record that turns a relationship break-up into a positive by exploring “the feeling of space”. His most ambient work to date, Boo Boo blends hypnotic vocals and muted piano breakdowns with downtempo beats and air-conditioned synths. It’s the perfect soundtrack to a cruise around California’s Bay Area, palm trees in the foreground, high-rises hazy in the distance – which, coincidentally, is almost exactly how Chaz Bear chose to promo his new album.

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