Literally this year is FLYING. I’m reporting to you live from London after escaping the hellscape that is LA in September. Nothing like a late summer sunburn to make you decide you’ve had enough and do not want to see the sun for a few months. Although I gotta say, the sun has been fairly well-behaved since I’ve been in London.

Summer was admittedly a blur, just like Spring was. And I really can’t begin to tell you how it all went down. But I can tell you that are some serious schemes in the works. And processing that gap is what this blog post is for. Stick around for the playlist as I tell you about how we ended up seriously scheming through this month’s playlist.

Spring was a busy but fruitful time for me. The highlight was definitely having Luke come to see my world in LA. The biggest theme was processing the gap between where we were to where we wanted to be. Naturally with that, came some levels of grief that we both had to sit with, namely the ways each of our self-neglect has been sneaking into our relationship.

The summer felt like this achy middle space where I was trying to balance a lot of work (so much that it mushed my brain), coaching Luke through the beginnings of his Saturn return, and dealing with my own revelations about self-neglect, money, and my body.

I felt so much more annoyed by the heat, but believe me, I tried to find the silver linings in all the cool things I got to do with friends, the fun concerts I went to, watching the World Cup with my family, and my sister doing her annual family trip. What began to reveal itself to me was how temporary my whole life in LA began to feel. Soon, I wouldn’t have to trapped in the pursuit of comfort as I have been. Soon, I wouldn’t have to struggle with this uncomfortable loneliness surrounded by people that love me. Soon, this city will not be my primary home.

And that’s the emotional place I write to you from in London right now. I’m waist deep in the transition, but so is the world, seemingly. I’ve lived enough life to know that life transitions are these rogue moments of glory where you’re kinda forced to throw everything you thought you knew out the window in favor of the stubborn light in you telling you to do something. Kinda the whole, “the world is crashing so I might as well just chase my dreams” mentality.

It’s a really weird time, but it’s not a time to gloss over things. In fact, it’s in the details that I’m realizing the breadcrumbs to the next stage in front of me. It’s the little signals I’m getting from the world around me and of course, the music coursing through my headphones. I’m not quite finished getting the downloads from September, but I’ll tell you what I find at the end of Fall.

Summer was a slow but steady space to realize all that’s beginning to change around me. The future I’ve been dreaming about is closer than ever and let’s just say we’re processionally walking to it. So, here’s the soundtrack of Summer 2026.

Highlights

purple by Olivia Rodrigo

“And it’s crazy how I used to visit your town like a tourist. Now I got a local grocery store and a favorite florist…”

I’m having the weirdest experience listening to this song in Luke’s living room as I hear him showering in the bathroom nearby. I’m thinking about how in early summer I was digesting Olivia’s album and it was a kind of unsettling feeling listening to this song, trying to make sense of her warning here. I knew it was going to be a big thing to not just see more of Luke’s family but to mostly be living with him for a few weeks was going to be a new thing for me. This song helped me realize the concern I had about completely leaving my dreams behind in favor of the world I was building in London. It’s like I needed to take the space to understand that and be discerning about what I was building.

Vending Machine by Valley

“Take whatever you want from me, you fell in love with the vending machine…”

I love how I can tell when Chase Lawrence (formerly of COIN) has had a hand in a song. Because he is allll over this Valley song and I LOVE IT. Ever since they started teasing this song I was sat. And honestly, I kept going back to this song for the quirky declaration of a rabid kind of infatuation. It’s just so good, I’m so excited for their album.

Hurricane by Infinity Song

“Hu-hurricane, let it pour, and I′ll keep waitin’ for more…”

This song makes me want to strut down a catwalk. Infinity Song deserves all the flowers and this clean disco-style love song is just euphoric. Which was exactly what I needed as I waited for the fun that would come later in the summer. The vocoder at the end is just a chef’s kiss, just such a well done song.

Çike Çike by Bebe Rexha

“I ain’t come here to wait in no lines. I just came here to clear my mind. I just came here to have a good time…”

I LOVED this song by Bebe from her album Dirty Blonde. I know she was really leaning into the world building for her album and I felt just immediately transported with this song. She speaks Albanian, her mother tongue, in this fun, dance “get ready with me” song. It was a really hypnotic form of levity I kept in my playlist to pull me back into reality after spending a lot of time with the depths of the Olivia Rodrigo album. This song was like “girl, it’s summer, go out and have some fun.” And I listened to that.

Cross My Heart by Lime Garden

“You did it to me, I did it to you, we did it to each other,…”

The way I was OBSESSED with this song. I’m actually still. Like I need to see these wonk pop geniuses live. This song has so many components that tickle my brain just right. It’s sassy, it’s reflective, it’s catchy, it’s a perfect song. I need everyone to listen to Lime Garden’s album right the fuck now because we could all use a new indie English rock band.

This Too Shall Pass by Young the Giant

“Your roots run deep, my friend. You didn’t break the branch. New leaves will grow instead. This, too, shall pass, I promise…”

This song did some heavy lifting in the mental space for me. I remember just crying to it from the depths of my being when I saw Young the Giant in concert. I felt the world around me in LA get heavier with all of the chaos in the news cycle, the piles of work I found myself in, and the weird transitional space I was in before going to London again. And it was this song that made me realize that this space I was in was temporary and LA wouldn’t be my primary home soon enough.

All I Do Is Think of You by The Jackson 5

“All I do is think of you, day and night that’s all I do…”

I blame Luke for this one. Granted he put me onto a song that sampled this song but I heard this OG in public at some point in the summer and I had to add it to my playlist. It also made me realize I didn’t know how much music The Jacksons really had. It’s just such a nice song to vibe to.

Edges of You by Alfie Jukes

“You are the best part of every dream. You are the soundtrack to every scene…”

It only felt right that Alfie Jukes gave me another summer soundtrack of being in love, considering how much “More Time” soundtracked last spring/summer. This song felt like the theme song to Luke and I’s sequel as we surpassed the 1 year mark. It captures the curiosity, the still childlike wonder, and the truly unending joy I have from deepening our bond. Alfie, at this rate, we may have to invite you to the wedding.

Lay It All Down by Debbii Dawson

“Wondering why the seasons have to change. Too much on your mind and on your plate. Leave on all the lights to keep the dark away…”

This song was so important to me that I needed to talk about it again. I felt this profound heaviness throughout most of summer because I was tired of being stuck and in transition. It was a really frustrating thing to realize I’d been in a transitional season for like 2 years. Sure, now I had direction and I was thankful for it, but I was tired of working so hard just to change things. I had a lot of work-related angst and I was actively questioning God how much longer would I need to keep fighting. This song gave me the answer to my prayers in the sweetest way.

Does She Know by Sekou

“Does she know? All the secrets that you keep, all the things you share with me, where you really want to be…”

Sekou crafted an immaculate vibe with this song and the album he put out. Between him, Olivia Dean, and Sienna Spiro, British soul is so backkkk. It’s the kind of song you just want to soak in, like ladyfingers in tiramisu. Highly recommend you to check him out.

Bad Omens by 5 Seconds of Summer

“These bad omens I look right through them, that’s what you do when you love somebody…”

I listened to the 5SOS setlist to prep for their show because of course I did. When I came up to this song every time, I found myself sitting with this little gnawing feeling in me as I looked at the news around me and thought to myself “why on earth is this world making so many obstacles for Luke and I to be together.” And that’s when the climax of the bridge jumped at me. It feels so dystopian to be in love right now when it feels like the world I knew is crumbling before my eyes. It’s like I have no choice but to ignore the bad omens and focus on the hope coming from this love I’m building with Luke.

Seaside Rendezvous by Queen

“I love you madly. Let my imagination run away with you gladly, a brand-new angle, highly commendable, seaside rendezvous…”

Luke had me listen to Queen’s A Night at the Opera and this song immediately reminded me of when he and I went to Brighton and basically declared our love for each other. It was a wild feeling to realize that our little seaside rendezvous was a year ago. But anyway, love having this little tune to remind me of it.

Enough is Enough by Pomegranate

“But I’m still in the middle of it, what I tilled, grew up a little bit…”

Another banger from Pomegranate. I love this song and how euphoric it feels. It’s fairly stripped back at times but the punch is in the words and I love it for that. Especially in this transitional space I’ve been in, this song comes like a friend walking next to me.

eat the pavement by Dev Lemons

“Withered to the bone of all my patience, all you wanna do is make it up to me. I’ll make you eat the pavement…”

Dev Lemons made a tasty little song here. The production in this song is so fun and grungy and I love how Dev balances it with a super soft and dreamy tone in her voice. Honestly, this song sounds like some of my work crashouts where I’m trying to be sweet and forgiving and diplomatic but actually I’m at my wits end. I love it when songs capture that for me.

How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep by Bombay Bicycle Club

“Can I wake you up? Is it late enough? Is it late enough? There’s a story in which my eyes shut…”

One thing about me is I will always find comfort in 2010s indie music. I had definitely heard of Bombay Bicycle Club but I don’t think I had actually listened to their music. This song came up on Apple Music when I was listening to a Young the Giant suggested radio and I was immediately enchanted by the guitar riff. It’s the type of hypnotic song that I found myself listening to a lot of with my overfunctioning brain. I realized this in conversations with Luke where I began to realize my tendency to overfunction, not just in our relationship but in how I show up at work. No wonder I was reaching for these songs that just kind of spun me around, it was all I could take in.

Seasons by Suki Waterhouse

“’There’s gotta be a better way for me to figure it out so I know how to find some pleasure when the only feel I’m feeling is down…”

This was one of my favorite songs from the album. But it was holding a heavy mirror to my face. Even though I tried to have as much fun as I could this summer, I still couldn’t quite shake the loneliness. This song really met me in it.

Weirdo by Suki Waterhouse

“’Dreams come true, but they take me far away from you…you’re on the other side of the globe I’m missing my favorite weirdo…”

This song made me feel so seen. I love it when great songwriters write songs about what I’m going through because they know how to find those simple but beautiful lines that explain it all really. Weirdo is just an artfully crafted tune around that.

Daughter from Hell by Gracie Abrams

“I hope that I make you proud…”

This song totally caught me off guard. Gracie Abrams finds this earnest forgiveness in her voice here that just makes me reach the revelation she’s singing about. I feel this song deeper than ever as I reflect on how difficult I know I’ve been to my parents. Something about finally leaving them to start my life/family with Luke in London makes me feel sorry for not being as present as I could have been. It’s like it’s finally time to let go of the resentment.

High by In Color

“You’re the only thing that’s getting me high…”

In Color is at it again. This song is pretty much how I was feeling about Luke. Even though I was going to concerts and seeing family and friends, I kept going back to the high I get from spending time with him. Idk what to tell y’all, it’s a sexy song.

Sun Has Set by beabadoobee

“Fuck that, you can never run back to me now, this sun has set…”

Also pleasantly surprised by this one. I’d been saying for so long that I was shocked that I’ve never found a beabadoobee song that I really love. And then she came out with this one. This song pushes this rawness in her voice that feels so real. I love this and I know I gotta listen to her new album “Pylon”.

10 FEET TALL by Sophie Truax

“I can grow 10 feet tall if I think about it…”

The more I listen to this song, the more I feel like it describes the resolve I have to make my dreams come true. Sophie’s EP Can’t Split a Worm was just such a through and through treat. Like, she just gets me. I love her artistry so much and she’s just such a creative force. Evidence? She made all those puppets!

SELFISH by Sophie Truax

“You’re not self-aware, you’re just selfish…”

I love this song and it also feels like my inner dialogue when I get really frustrated. With all the work I was doing, I was feeling really irritable and I can’t even really explain who specifically I was directing at it. It felt difficult not having an outlet to process the hard work days I was having, especially when I would call Luke at the end of his day but I still had work to finish. I still welcomed the space he made though.

Look Back by Bombargo

“I feel so lost when I’m alone, late night just scrolling on my phone…”

The moment I heard this song, I knew it was gonna get stuck in my head. And that’s just the power of Bombargo tbh. These guys are really just masters of their craft and I can only imagine this song live being like shaking off the demons Florence and the Machine style. You gotta see them on tour this fall.

oh well by Ariana Grande

“Maybe this time can be different. I don’t have to try to be responsible for things that just aren’t mine. Good things can replace dysfunction, obsession, friends I used to need, but now…”

It felt haunting to listen to the new Ariana Grande album and I wasn’t sure I liked it at first. But it felt angsty, which of course I liked. I love the way she leans into electronic/ambient music in this album. This song felt like a scream from my inner being. I felt this song in the way I was realizing how I’ve been taken advantage of in my overfunctioning, especially in certain ways at work. In the dreaming of what the next phases of my life look like, I was trying to imagine what it would be like to feel less responsible over things that really aren’t my responsibility. This song felt freeing. I also loved “big feelings”, “stay”, “like i do”, and “bad thing (bunny hop)”. I’ll talk about one more that I love at the end of this post.

Twiggy by Remi Wolf

“Twiggy little butt you got swinging back and forth like a cuckoo clock…”

Luke LOVES Remi Wolf and he always tells me she reminds him of me haha. I can kind of see it. I was tempted to sing this song about Luke and his twiggy little butt but the bridge bites like nothing else out right now. Like it is the definition of a relationship souring fast. The guitar after the bridge just feels like a release and I love it for that.

Joy by ROLE MODEL

“Won’t you come a little closer? You’re so far away…”

ROLE MODEL strikes again. This guy is just so infectiously charismatic. This song feels like it needs to be his show opener. It’s a BOP. This whole album was really fun for me to listen to because it felt like he really got that Bruce Springsteen/Fleetwood Mac groove right and authentic. It’s also just a rewarding dirtbag learning to be better story, which I feel like is my weakness lol.

Tiger’s Blood by Brandon Flowers

“She wants to get outta this podunk place so bad, she could taste the dream distilled…”

Brandon Flowers’s album THRASHER was incredible. He really did country-western music in such an authentic way. I was really impressed and I usually don’t like that genre. It also felt in line with The Killers world. Like immediately after I listened to the album, it felt right to listen to my favorite Sam’s Town. Highly recommend you listen to this album.

Rein Me In by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean

“I’m working myself up to a nice warm bliss, all my memories of you ring like tinnitus…”

At first, this song kept getting stuck in my head for silly reasons: 1) Darshan from BOYTHROB’s version is elite and 2) Sam Fender made a TikTok of him singing “all my memories of you ring like tinnitus” in a very American accent and it sent me. But the more I sit with this song, the more I realize it explains the way I’m starting to feel about LA and Olivia Dean’s verse calls me out for not acknowledging the pain of actually leaving. It’s wild because the song sounds like freedom.

Man Overboard by Isaac Dunbar

“Now you’re pulling on my line and I feel it, I wanna leap in…”

Another absolute BANGER by Isaac Dunbar. He’s just dropped pop perfection twice in a row. I love him and am patiently waiting for everyone to recognize his MIND.

Tantrum by Jonas Brothers

“I wanna be the chapstick on your lips…”

Honestly, the closer I get to reuniting with Luke, the more feral I become. This song was me throwing a tantrum against the work angst and the heat in LA. I just love this song so much.

Wet Cement by The Aces

“Like we were sixteen, love drunk out in the garden, we can’t stop now when we’ve already started…”

The Aces are yearning in love songs again, I’m so sat. This song made the yearning hit like it needed to when I was trying to survive the summer. I can’t wait for the next project The Aces release, I’m really digging the music they’ve been teasing.

Billions by half•alive

“Eat the ninety-nine like a cannibal…”

I had been wanting to sit with the new half•alive EP and when I finally sat with it, I was blown away. I, like any normal person, am sick of billionaires and the obvious deception of the pursuit of wealth. I appreciate the story arc in this EP so much because it feels like a rediscovery. half•alive always makes ART and I felt in awe of this one.

Baby Girl by Chloe Qisha

“Oh, what I’d do to be you…”

This song was me realizing I need to be baby girl when I’m not working in London. I’d been working so hard in LA, hormones all imbalanced, and then I heard some woman on IG talking about how at work she’s a boss but when she comes home to her husband, she is baby girl. All of a sudden, it clicked for me that I needed that attitude when I’m with Luke. This song felt like me singing to me. It’s a sexy little song. And dare I say, it makes me channel the baby girl in me. Luke for sure has gotten to know that side of me and that’s all I’m gonna say.

Whatever You Wanna by Annabelle Dinda

“I will go wherever you want me, long-haul flights to stupid new countries, I will be whoever you dare me…”

As I prepared to go to London, I started to realize that this trip would move forward my relationship with Luke in ways I couldn’t quite comprehend. It’s like I knew I would be surrendering to the plan in ways I didn’t realize I’d be ready for. It was interesting because for a long time, I’d been feeling like I was able to see/control how my life would unfold from July 2025 until April 2026. But after that I had no idea what would come next. After Luke came to visit me in LA, I needed all of May to understand how much closer we’d grown. And that’s when I understood that June/July/August were about me sorting through all of what was actually keeping me from getting even closer to him and the next step. The closer I got to my trip in September, the more I realized I needed to stop planning things and just surrender to whatever he and God wanted to do in September. And honestly, I’ve felt so much levity and freedom from acting that way. I forgot that leaving space for God to do His thing makes life so much more fun. And I’ve found joy in rediscovering that this trip.

Ain’t in LA by ADÉLA

“Enjoy the ride, I know that you might wanna escape, it’s all a lie, the baddest bitches ain’t in LA…”

The second I heard this song, I knew it would hit the second I left LA. And lemme tell ya, the second I stepped off the plane at Heathrow? EUPHORIA. Literally I love wandering around London pretending like I’m in a music video to this song. Shoutout to the songwriters because I’m sick of LA and its bullshit. There’s so many cooler places for bad bitches to exist.

Nicole Kidman by ADÉLA

“Baby girl in control, I feel like Nicole…”

This song has just been ringing in my head, especially the way I’ve been balancing being baby girl and boss lady lately. ADÉLA STUDIED the pop girls for this album and I’m honestly so impressed. This song is just such a bop, I have to give it up to her and her team. It’s insane.

I’m The Man by ADÉLA

“Yeah, I’m the man and I always like to have the upper hand. It’s true, I like my boys a little feminine where we both understand, I’m the man…”

I just have to explain that I feel so seen in this song. I’ve always been afraid of the more masculine sides of myself but it’s been so freeing to process how much I need to embrace that side of me. And I also have to say how cool it’s been to be with a man that isn’t afraid of his feminine side either. Like gender roles and conventions are so boring, why not have some fun. And that’s on being a boss lady and baby girl at the same time.

Me Myself & I by 5 Seconds of Summer

“Now it’s just me myself and I…”

I couldn’t get this song out of my head truthfully. It snuck up on me when I was adventuring around London because Luke worked on Labor Day and I was trying not to. I just love the production in this song.

The Wedding by ROLE MODEL

“How sweet to realize at a wedding that all hope ain’t lost on me. Safe to say that I finally might get it, the fantasy…”

This song feels like the moment of earnestness in the Chuck Timely story. And knowing that Luke and I were going to his brother’s wedding when I’d be in London, I just knew this song would be in the back of my mind. And sure enough it was. Between all the “sooo you guys are next” from Luke’s extended family and the honest question from his mom of “does it need to be in 2028? Can it be sooner?”, him and I started to realize it didn’t have to be. This song felt like the perfect call to that moment.

nowhere, nobody by Ariana Grande

“Tell me why I keep on climbing just to reach the ground, just deep breaths, honey. There’s no more running and there’s nowhere with nobody else that I’d rather be…”

This song really does capture how at peace my soul feels in London. I literally just went to Tesco to grab dinner on the last day of summer and I was listening to this song crying on my little walk home, so present with the peace of being in the right place. So much has happened in the last couple weeks of just being with Luke. I’m not ready to give it away just yet, but I don’t want there to be obstacles keeping us from each other anymore. There’s a lot of scheming we’ve already started and I’m looking forward to making it happen with him. Because truly, there’s nowhere with nobody else that I’d rather be.

Albums/EPs you gotta listen to: INFINITY SONG by Infinity Song; DIRTY BLONDE by Bebe Rexha; Maybe Not Tonight by Lime Garden; Where Have All the Good Men Gone? EP by Debbii Dawson; In a World We Don’t Belong by Sekou; Loveland by Suki Waterhouse; Daughter From Hell by Gracie Abrams; Can’t Split a Worm EP by Sophie Truax; petal by Ariana Grande; Chuck Timely and the Hourglass by ROLE MODEL; Blue Island by Ravyn Lenae; Lost Weekend by Phoebe Bridgers, THRASHER by Brandon Flowers; Love, In Spite of Everything by Bombargo; Billions EP by half alive; PRIMA by ADÉLA

Summer was a frustrating time for me, but it felt so freeing to realize how temporary it all is in the end. It’s as if I can finally see the end of my two year transitional season. It’ll be here before I know it. Til then, it’s a day at a time, a week at a time, a month at a time, a season at a time. The dream is almost here. Fall will inevitably bring new things to process, including a visit from Luke around Thanksgiving. So, I expect some stories and a kickass soundtrack to come…

Full Playlist