On repeat

Every year we seem to have the same debate: what actually makes a song the sound of summer? Sometimes one track just seems to define the season. This week we are taking a look at some of the best songs of the past few months.

This year, there was no obvious answer. Instead, summer 2026 gave us a long list of contenders, from huge global hits to songs that slowly took over social media. PinkPantheress had a major moment with “Girl Like Me,” which found new life after Coachella and quickly became one of the season’s most talked-about tracks. Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” was almost impossible to escape, while Olivia Rodrigo once again showed why she does heartbreak songs so well.

Then there was The Strokes, whose “Dine N’Dash” offered a welcome throwback to the band’s earlier sound. So, was there one definitive song of summer 2026? Probably not. But perhaps that is the point. Sometimes a season needs more than one soundtrack.

In other news this week, turn to our Sound Mind pages to read about Brooklyn Beckham and how, despite his public fall-out with his famous parents, he is practically turning into them. An integrative psychotherapist explains that Brooklyn, just like many, may be drawn to familiar patterns because they feel “normal.”