To me, June feels like the official start of summer. With the long days stretching ahead of me in a happy patchwork, I have a few rites of summer I always like to do to kick off the season.
One rite is listening to "June Hymn" by The Decemberists. The nostalgic melody is an ode to summer and the rituals rooted in place.
Here's a hymn to welcome in the dayHeralding a summer's early sway
Decemberists lead singer Colin Meloy shared his inspiration of writing the song:
"I think I was just really attached to this area, coming out of that winter and seeing how that environment changed every month, learning more about your surroundings, just kind of watching and witnessing what happens over the course of the seasons."
We built a nostalgic summer playlist that's one part focus on the season's change to summer, one part aching nostalgia, with a healthy dose of nature reference and a splash of pop songs to bring up the vibe.
What's on your summer playlist?