At the end of a winter quarter that left me particularly heartbroken, disgusted, disheartened and disheveled, I returned home to my native East Coast to watch the beautiful wedding of my sister-in-law and brother, Tanya and Patrick. Even though seeing a happy couple in love was at the bottom of my to-do list for fun activities following this last quarter, their inspiring relationship officially ended my cynicism. It launched me back into my full-blown lover girl era right in time for spring. So here are some tunes to defrost your heart and prepare for better days ahead.
I first heard this song at a swanky restaurant in Wicker Park on my first night back in Chicago after spring break. I immediately pulled out my phone to Shazam it (on Snapchat… much to the disgust of my date) and added it to my April playlist. The dance beat of this song pairs perfectly with indie-pop vocals to create an anthem to bounce along to when you’re getting ready with your girls for the first warm night out or add it to your soundtrack for your return to Lake Michigan days on the ledge.
Any tune by Hippo Campus reminds me of the impending warmth and happiness after a dramatic winter. First introduced to me by a long blonde-haired, puka-shell-wearing, California surfer boy on a band trip during my sophomore year of high school, Hippo Campus has stuck with me ever since. Even though we did not get married after our two-day romance and trip to the 9/11 memorial, I still have this wonderful song to listen to. It particularly reminds me of a tragic winter, complete with some boy drama, only to be blessed by the sun and a new outlook on life.
I couldn’t possibly write a DeJamz mentioning Patrick and Tanya’s wedding without adding some Kali Uchis into the mix. I begrudgingly admit that Patrick and Tanya are solely responsible for any and all of my interests that are deemed cool, whether it be wearing baggy pants or listening to Kali Uchis. They first showed me this song in the summer of 2018. With the pop beat and Uchis’ beautiful vocals, it is the perfect song to rid yourself of winter heartbreak and remind you of better days ahead. Also, a frequent send when a boy who seems like they knows a little too much about music asks you, “what’s your song of the day?”.
Most of my warm-weather songs stem from the summer before my freshman year of high school, when it seemed like each kid in my home city of Brooklyn was trying to one-up each other in finding the most overdramatic, indie, “obscure” songs they could. But “Blue Coupe” is a rare exception from this time period. It’s peaceful, it sounds like good weather, and it is one of those tunes that makes you take a deep, relaxing breath as soon as it comes on.
I cannot conclude my lovergirl spring DeJamz without including debatably the best love song of all time. Curtis Mayfield’s soulful classic perfectly captures what it’s like to become the lovey-dovey version of yourself again. As Mayfield gushes about his partner, you will not only have a perfect anthem for warm weather, but it might motivate a romantic gesture.
