We got a few more warm weeks left before the temperature starts to slowly drop again, so for this month’s playlist, let me take you on a walk! I will take you on an auditory stroll around my lovely neighborhood, and don’t worry, I got the whole day planned out.

We’ll start out nice and easy with some smooth and slow tracks. How can you be stressed when you have Toro y Moi crooning in your ear? Let’s pretend we’re floating over everyone… But don’t get too comfortable—we have a schedule to keep, so let’s pick up the speed with some bouncy, sample-heavy, hip-hop-infused tracks that will transport us back to simpler times, when our to-do lists are shorter and our worries are like clouds that pass through the sky. As the notes dance over one another, feel yourself falling into stride with the world around you.

Don’t forget to people-watch. It’s on days like this when we slow down that we’re reminded that beauty already exists all around us. See that group of lovely people hanging out in front of their buildings and porches, enjoying their summer drinks with the sounds of reggae drifting off into the background? If you’re nice to them, they may even offer you a plate of smoky jerk chicken with a side of plantains, fresh off the drum. Let the “precious, light-hearted, enlightened spirit” that is Guts remind you: And the living is easy. You didn’t hear it from me!

When we’re feeling energetic again, let’s up the funk in our steps and make our way to this spot I know where we can dance the evening away. They may have told you that disco is dead, but look! It’s here, alive, well, and straight popping. Just listen to how these modern tracks incorporate and pay homage to the kinetic energy of that time. If you feel it, take it. Allows these tunes to bring a pep back into your step. Before you get too tired, let’s duck over here to this cozy little jazz club that serves just the right amount of feels. When we’re feeling too tired, we’ll kick back on that snug chair and let the guitarist serenade us to sleep. It's been a long day (or weeks, or months) for us and we all deserve a little break.

When I’m listening to this song, I feel like I’m being pushed on a swing in slow-mo, gliding up and down; all I can see is a sea of smiles and it soothes me.

Now I know I may be a little late to the party on this 1982 classic reggae song that I have definitely heard before (as it’s also sampled in a lot of songs) but I’m glad that I now know the original. Funnily enough, this song caught my attention when watching a scene in the latest season of Ozark.

After discovering this band on Spotify and googling it, I still don’t really know what this mysterious band is about! Just read this Wikipedia article: “Sault (frequently stylized as SAULT) are a British music collective that makes a mixture of rhythm and blues, house, and disco….Despite critical acclaim, Sault eschews interaction with the media, they have never played a live show, given an interview, or released a music video in support of their music, and features an array of unnamed collaborators. They frequently foreground black-centric issues.” Whatever it is they’re doing, I’m here for it.

I hear the Daft Punk in this track and that makes me happy. This track was probably playing all over London clubs in March or April of 2003 and I wish I could’ve been there to hear it live.