As a seemingly endless summer transitions to an autumn of academic opportunities and students settle in on Grounds, many may grapple with a combination of excitement for the school year ahead and a wistful longing for the events of the past few months. Some students may already be looking back fondly on a season full of slower days, but a year full of new beginnings and fresh opportunities awaits with the start of the academic calendar. These songs are perfect for soaking up the last few drops of summer sunshine and serve as a great soundtrack for the first few weeks back in Charlottesville.
“Last American Summer” by Flatland Cavalry
Flatland Cavalry, a Texas-based country and Americana band formed in 2012, released this track as a single promoting their 2023 album, “Wandering Star.” The song heavily features acoustic and electric guitars, piano, fiddle and various brass instruments that sonically overlap to build the wistful yet hauntingly joyful tune. The story describes moments of young summer love, singing of classic elements of small town American summertime and Fourth of July fireworks.
Cleto Cordero, the lead vocalist, sings “Can’t get it out of my head / That our days are numbered,” reflecting his conscious recognition of the fleeting nature of summertime memories. The track epitomizes the feeling of living through a moment that will later exist only as a fond memory, mourning an experience before it has even ended. Cordero’s next verse begins by describing a “Loaded car, leaving slow / Where the hell does innocence go,” conjuring relevant images of summer’s end in a childhood hometown and heading off to college, which is a familiar experience for many University students.
“It Never Rains in Southern California” by Albert Hammond
Though this 1972 track — the oldest on this list — really has nothing to do with summer, the tune feels light and sunny to match the title due to its airy piano notes and guitar melody. However, that is immediately juxtaposed by the disillusionment found in the second verse. It tells of a Hollywood hopeful who heads to the Golden State looking for a chance to make it in the glittering entertainment industry, propelled by the promise of sunny skies and opportunity, yet he is disappointed by the harsh, competitive reality as the song comes to a close.
The tune of this track encapsulates the light, breezy feeling of a slow sunset drive with the windows down — so long as the listener does not pay close attention to the lyrics. Hammond sings of the feeling of being underwhelmed and disappointed when heard stories do not align with reality, of starting out with excitement and high hopes and leaving a bittersweet feeling underneath all of the summer sunshine. The contrast between the tune and the lyrics mirrors the competing feelings that come with summer’s final days. As students wrestle with the excitement of returning to Charlottesville routines and cooler fall weather, the anxiety around assignments and expectations looming around the corner portend a complex emotional conflict characteristic of the end of August.
“Fine Line” by Harry Styles
The title track and final song from his second solo studio album, “Fine Line” contains a sonic shift from a subdued guitar melody to a confident trumpet chorus that coincides with Styles’ change in mindset as the song nears its end, from trepidation to longing to hope. It begins with a quiet, reflective melody as Styles taps into his higher register voice, delivering breathy vocals that beautifully complement the soft guitar notes. He considers the unpredictability to come in his new relationship, singing “There’s things that we’ll never know,” matching the uncertainty that may accompany the upcoming school year as many students transition from familiar summer routines back to life on Grounds.
“Fine Line” highlights the awkward space between the certainty of what was and the unknown moments of the future, the line between a sadness over the end of what was and the excitement of what is to come — a true moment of transition. The track builds, eventually reaching a climatic beat drop after Styles assures his listeners that “We’ll be alright.” This line comes right as the background music stops completely before unleashing a smashing brass ensemble playing an infectious melody, as if accompanying a montage of memorable moments from the summer while simultaneously creating an irrepressible buzz in anticipation of what lies ahead.
“End of August” by Noah Kahan
The first track of melancholic rock artist Noah Kahan’s newest album, “The Great Divide,” this song serves as a perfect introduction to the project and a fitting close for this short playlist. Starting slow with an intro of crickets and cicadas on a summer night and light piano chords, Kahan first sings about one minute into the song with a soft verse recounting a drive with friends through familiar streets.
The song gradually builds to a crushing crescendo, mimicking the overwhelming feeling of friendly reminiscing, before the tune quickly tapers off for an abrupt ending as August ends and everyone heads their separate ways, similar to the dispersion of hometown friends going to different colleges. It tells of the waning days of summer in Kahan’s small Vermont hometown, serving as a metaphor for fleeting memories and the speed of change as good things come to a close and others fill their place. Kahan sings that “It’s a matter of time ‘til it’s / Fields of ice and reflector lights” as cooler weather and darker nights loom on the horizon. The track perfectly encapsulates the sentimentality and wistful longing that may accompany summertime’s close while simultaneously looking forward to reconnecting with friends back in Charlottesville.
Whether returning for a final fall in Charlottesville or coming to Grounds for the first time, these songs — with their hopeful trumpets and nostalgic piano notes — provide an opportunity for reflection and preparation before the school year to come. Students can spin this playlist while soaking up their first weeks on Grounds, taking the opportunity to actively remember moments from the summer while transitioning into an exciting year ahead.
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