Zany Waves 2026 Song of the Summer Nominations
What makes a summer song? Is it the song you hear everywhere, the one you can’t escape on the radio, or simply the one that soundtracks every late night, road trip, beach day, and questionable decision of the season? At Zany Waves, we think it can be any of the above. Our 2026 Song of the Summer nominations span the songs that defined the season for us — whether they became widespread hits, provided the perfect summer scream-along, or simply captured something about the feeling of being alive in the summer of 2026. Here are the songs our team nominate to be the song of the summer this year. Take a listen through, and who knows, you may find your next favorite tune!
Midnight Sun by Zara Larsson
Nominated by Valentina Reyes
If you weren’t listening to “Midnight Sun” to eternalize your summer, you were missing out on a pop phenomenon led by Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson. Released nearly a year before its chart resurgence, the single eventually became the season’s glittering soundtrack, filling the summer with rhinestones, dolphin propaganda, and impossibly vibrant outfits. Larsson didn’t just dominate the season; she gave it a personality, reminding us of one very crucial truth: summer can be personified, and perhaps even made eternal, when you carry the light of the sun within you.
Crank by Slayyyter
Nominated by Reagan Austin
Slayyyter Summer!! “Crank” by Slayyyter was the high energy, industrial club song we’ve all been looking for. In the club, in the car, in your headphones, it doesn’t matter where you listen, this song gives an immediate energy boost and pumps you up. It is impossible to keep your body still when this song starts to play.
Postinternetfame by Quiet Light
Nominated by Yukthi
For soft music lovers, this is the golden ticket to experience the feeling of quiet summer mornings with melancholy. The electric beats and synths blend seamlessly and create the perfectly serene setting with introspective lyrics. Released in April, this track was out just in time for listeners who were spending the summer longing for someone who slipped through their fingers. Evoking emotions shared by many, “Postinternetfame” is the yearning song of the summer.
Love At First Bite by Motionless in White
Nominated by Nik Baez
“Love At First Bite” was my song of the summer because it became the anthem to my Summerween. The song perfectly blends 80’s synthwave with modern metalcore. Motionless in White created something that captured the elements of 80’s synth while still keeping their sound. Every time I listen to it, I feel like I’ve been dropped right into an 80’s horror romance movie. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better song to blast all summer long.
linknb by Kelela
Nominated by Natalie Hogan
While summer anthems are typically thought of as being upbeat and super bright, I found Kelela’s “linknb” as my song of the summer. Maybe it’s my blind love for any and everything Kelela releases, or the fact that the east coast was swamped with showers all summer, but I could not stop replaying this track. Part of the appeal is the short nature of the song, running just under two minutes long you can’t get enough of it. I think the bounciness and moodiness “linknb” brings is what makes it so catchy, as this track and new avatar as a whole marked a sort of return to Kelela’s earlier music and alternative-rock influences. With every listen from the moment it dropped to this day, I find myself running it back at least three times before letting another song play. Through grey skies and blue, “linknb” was my most cherished song this past summer.
Stop The Wedding! By Ashe
Nominated by Emma Zoe Polyak
Have I been in a position where I’ve contemplated stopping a wedding? No. Did Ashe release this song in August, arguably late into the summer? Yes. Do I still think it deserves the title of “Song of the Summer?” Absolutely. Beyond its virality and its status as an excellent song to scream along to (one of my personal hallmarks of a summer song), its lyrics reach beyond the very literal idea of stopping a wedding when you realize you’re not truly in love with the person you’re marrying. At its core, “Stop The Wedding!” speaks to letting go of anything that holds you back, and truly, isn’t that the whole point of summer?
