"Whether it's to mellow you out before your outbound or as a cure to the holiday blues on the inbound - a bit of Air before you're in the air is always the answer."
Soundtrack your summer.
For many, the warmer months are when life starts to defrost. A good soundtrack can amplify summer gatherings or time spent alone outside, soaking up the rays. Whether it's the line-up to a festival you've been anticipating all year, or a dog walk in the park - music is the thread woven through all the sun-lit days of the year. It's what makes a summer personal to each of us, and a certain song can send you back to summers gone in a golden haze of warm reminiscence.
Looking for the perfect soundtrack to summer? We’ve selected 10 of the best summer albums for every occasion, from ambient records for the airport and road-trip classics to laid-back music for BBQs, heatwaves and beach holidays. Expect timeless favourites from Air, Brian Eno and Stevie Wonder alongside contemporary selections.
Best albums for the airport
Gate-ready records for take-off, touch-down and every delay in between.
Air - Moon Safari (1998)
Airports call for one thing… ambient. Okay, and maybe a 9am pint. 43 minutes of dreamy downtempo 90s electronica, the French duo really know how to chill you out before a flight. Trailblazers Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel set the precedent for countless artists to follow, from Lemon Jelly to Zero 7. If you want some further listening, chuck on Vegyn’s 2024 rework, Blue Moon Safari. The only producer Air trusted with their baby. Whether it's to mellow you out before your outbound or as a cure to the holiday blues on the inbound, a bit of Air before you're in the air is always the answer.
Brian Eno - Music for Airports (1978)
The defining statement of ambient music, few records have ever been so perfectly matched to their surroundings as Brian Eno's Music for Airports. The story goes that, in 1978, Eno became frustrated by the stressful, impersonal atmosphere of airports, and was inspired to create music that transformed spaces of waiting into places of reflection. Rather than filling every silence, its slow-moving piano phrases, suspended vocal loops and spacious synth textures soften the constant hum of departures, announcements and passing travellers.
Music for Airports turns moments of transit into something quietly meditative. Nearly 50 years on, its influence can still be heard everywhere from contemporary ambient artists to film scores, the perfect travelling companion for making you simply slow down and listen.
READ: A Rough Guide To Ambient Music
Further listening: Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children, Air - Pocket Symphony, Four Tet - There Is Love In You, Helado Tropical - Helado Tropical.
Best albums for a road trip
Open roads, open windows and albums built to go the distance.
Durutti Column - The Return of the Durutti Column (1980)
Released in 1980 on Manchester's Factory Records, The Return of the Durutti Column by The Durutti Column is a masterclass in atmospheric tone. From coast to countryside, Vini Reilly's jazz-inflected guitar playing paired with Martin Hannett's intricate electronic textures is the perfect accompaniment for those seeking calmness amongst the rush. That iconic birdsong intro of Sketch For Summer evokes the feeling of a sun-lit afternoon, golden fields as you stare out the car window, the breeze on your skin.
With fans in contemporary artists such as Blood Orange, Harry Styles, The Avalanches or Mark William Lewis, The Durutti Column's mark continues to be felt, and in 2026, the band release Renascent, their first album in sixteen years. The renowned Manchester outfit revive their dubby melancholia with shimmering instrumental music and warm ambient washes which might just make for the perfect follow-on to The Return for your longest trips on the road this summer.
Gerry Rafferty - City to City (1978)
Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty gifted us this yacht-rock classic in '78 and while it defined the U.S radio in the late-'70s, it seems to have marinated with every summer that's passed. A warm and breezy soundtrack for your summer drive, with the windows down and the sun setting, slowly falling asleep in the passenger's seat. One of the highlights of the record is Raphael Ravenscroft's searing saxophone on the key track Baker Street. The perfect accompaniment to a long drive down wide stretches of road, pretending you're in an episode of Top Gear.
Further listening: Khruangbin and Leon Bridges - Texas Sun, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs, Paul Simon - Graceland, Lord Huron - Strange Trails.
Best albums to keep cool in a heatwave
Ice-cold sounds for long, hot days.
Aim - Cold Water Music (1999)
Like a breath of fresh air or a plunge into cool water, Aim’s Cold Water Music with its glacial album artwork, soulful samples and icy synths is the perfect album to stick on when you're feeling a little flushed. This late-'90s debut introduced Andrew Turner (better known as Aim) as a DJ and producer intuitive to making emotional and cinematic trip-hop, marrying his unhurried boom bap drum beats with the crisp vocals of rappers A.G, QNC and YZ. These tracks have a flavour of real heavyweight golden age rap - you will never forget The Force after your first time hearing it.
Cold Water Music is without doubt one of trip-hop's most understated gems, a record that feels like a cool breeze on an impossibly hot afternoon, everything inviting you to slow down, relax and let the day drift by.
Ed O'Brien - Blue Morpho (2026)
While other summer albums capture the season's warmth and euphoria, Blue Morpho finds its cool in stillness. When the heat is overwhelming, its cooling textures offer relief. Named after the iridescent butterfly Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien encountered during his time residing in sunny Brazil, you can hear the influence the country's rich musical landscape throughout the record.
Created during a period of healing and quiet reflection in the Welsh countryside during the pandemic, O'Brien transports you to that same moment of tranquility. Released via Transgressive, Blue Morpho marked O’Brien’s first solo album under his own name, following his earlier work as EOB. Its crystalline blend of tropicalia, ambient electronics and lush soundscapes offers a shady retreat from the summer heat.
Further listening: Masayoshi Takanaka - Seychelles, The KLF - Chill Out, Björk - Vespertine, Miles Davis - Kind of Blue.
Best albums for a BBQ
Crowd-pleasing records to fire up the grill and keep the party going.
Toots & The Maytals - Funky Kingston (1973)
There's nothing quite like some sunshine reggae while the coals heat up. This album sounds like dancing barefoot around the garden with your friends in the 6pm sun. By the time Pressure Drop plays, one rum punch has probably turned to three.
First released in Jamaica and the UK on Dragon Records, this album is an uplifting blend of reggae, funk and soul - the very essence of feel-good music. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert captures the resilience of working-class Jamaica, weaving a reminder to enjoy life despite hardship.
Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July (1980)
Hotter Than July reflected a changing era. Stevie Wonder revived reggae influences with a pop approach in the aftermath of disco. This album’s legacy is its eclecticism and political nature, its biggest statement being Happy Birthday, a joyful but political song written to support the campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday. With its reggae-inspired basslines and infectious rhythms, the renowned Master Blaster (Jammin’) epitomizes the right kind of energy for a summer party, its jubilance the backbone of the album and its conceptual feel. This is peak summer, long days and togetherness, a BLAST from start to finish.
Further listening: The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free, The Doors - Morrison Hotel, Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory, Moby - Play.
Best albums for a beach holiday
Sun-soaked records for slow days by the sea.
Morcheeba - Big Calm (1998)
Morcheeba’s Big Calm floats and twinkles; its laid-back downtempo grooves, guided by Skye Edwards' warm vocals, bring an unmistakable sense of calm, as the album title doth suggest. Taking from classic trip-hop, Big Calm is all about the mood it creates, incorporating soul, jazz, dub, blues and sampling (The title track Big Calm features vocal and lyric samples from Papa Was a Rollin' Stone by The Temptations, alongside an interpolation of Never Knew What Love Was by Chris Harwood). The mix of live musicianship adds to its atmospheric qualities, the relaxed breakbeats and layered instrumentation making the music sound like it's drifting, the sound of the sea present throughout, especially in one of the album’s most renowned track: The Sea. This is the kind of music you might hear in a stylish hotel bar or on a lounger at a beach café. Not just an essential holiday companion, this is also suited for slow-paced living, slow sunday summer mornings, mirroring the endless change of seasons. As the lyrics of Blindfold put it: “Spring has gone and summer keeps on coming on”
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Colour (2015)
Alabama Shakes make the kind of feel-good music that mimics the sensation of warm sunlight on closed eyelids. Their sound is a masterclass in texture, blending lazy, psychedelic grooves with Brittany Howard's powerhouse vocals. For the ultimate beach-side playlist, look no further than tracks like Gemini, This Feeling, Guess Who and the iconic, hypnotic title track.
Whilst Sound & Colour remains a sunshine staple, the long wait for new material is finally ending. The band is set to release I Must Be Dreaming in August 2026 - their first full-length offering in eleven years and the perfect soundtrack to close the summer.
Further listening: Metronomy - The English Riviera, Masayoshi Takanaka - Brasilian Skies, Nirosta Steel - My Skyscraper, Clairo - Charm.