Summer has arrived and with it come loungy late evenings, long drives by the seashore, and a whole lot of good vibes in the form of a playlist featuring your favorite male seiyuu artists.
Estimated reading time: 12 minutos
Summer is officially here – at least in the Northern hemisphere – and it’s time to sit back, relax, recharge batteries, go on drives with the sunset as your guide, hang out with family and friends, and enjoy the good things in life (even if trying to do so safely, given what the world is going through with pandemic).
And because every summer deserves its mixtape – or playlist, if you will – I bring you a couple of essential refreshing summer tunes performed by male seiyuu artists and 2D groups to brighten your days, boost your energy levels and put a smile on your face.
You can shuffle the songs around if you want to.
However, the best way to enjoy this playlist is to listen to it in the intended order, I curated this list feature (and thus the playlist) in a way that you’ll feel the energy and good summer vibes as you go through the tracks, getting progressively exciting while hinting at the second part of this feature – that one, mellowed out – that will tie up everything perfectly.
You can check this feature in podcast/video version!
A Spotify playlist featuring the songs on this list – at least the ones available on the platform – is provided below.
Without further ado, let’s kick off this list feature.
A note that these songs aren’t ranked.
STYLE FIVE “SPLASH FREE”
I love to kick off playlists with a lot of energy and, in this case, with a song that perfectly encapsulates the summer feeling that you’ll get from listening to this playlist.
STYLE FIVE’s “SPLASH FREE”, song that was a massive hit in 2013 as it was featured as the ending theme for the FREE! anime series and counting with its main cast on the vocals is a no-brainer.
The sound encapsulates everything you love about summer-themed pop music, it has a comfortable tempo, a driving melody that is insanely addictive, and a punchy bassline. An interesting part of this song is the clap track that works really well with this track.
As soon as the song starts playing, you’ll clap along to it and when the chorus kicks off, you’ll find yourself screaming your lungs out to the lyrics (at least for me, it still is like this since I first listened to the song in 2013).
This is one of the best summer-themed songs, bringing to the spotlight the imagery of “water”, with the pulsing synths being primarily responsible for fleshing out that refreshing touch to the song.
To top it all off, this is one of the most energetic performances by a 2D/seiyuu unit I’ve had the pleasure of listening to – and enjoying – in the past 11 years.
Powerful opening track.
KiLLER KiNG “Jyu Byo Mirai”
Tension goes down a bit to welcome KiLLER KiNG’s massive “Jyu Byo Mirai”.
Man, this song has everything in the right place to both be a dancefloor ready tune but also being a tune to add some energy and light to your summer.
Synths are big and party-like, the build ups and break downs are massive, making that tension rise in you, something that the song’s explosive drops will ensure you’ll get a high from.
The chorus hits hard although really contained in its presentation, and the vocals are exciting throughout. You’ll need less than 10 seconds to enjoy this song, given how good and pleasant it is.
Trignal “U~Kimi ga itekureta kara~”
In their prime, Trignal delivered a beautiful, mid-tempo tropical pop tune with “U~Kimi ga itekureta kara~” in 2018.
This is one of their sweetest songs and also one tailormade for summer. The wah-wah guitars paint a beautiful sunset filled soundscape while the marimba beat and punchy bassline take you to a laidback later summer party by the seashore.
On top you have Trignal’s falsetto-filled vocals in what is one of their best performances to date.
This is the type of song to sit back and relax to it as you watch the sun set or while going for a drive. Awesome mood.
TRIGGER “In the meantime”
Rollercoaster tension in this playlist. TRIGGER brings intensity to the spotlight through their massive dancefloor hit “In the meantime”.
The synths are like ripples in the water, the beat is powerful but never overwhelming and the synths are everything you could ask and more for the dancefloor.
The verses carry a certain nostalgia thanks to the vocals, something that the fickle piano melody in the background further adds to. Now the chorus… The chorus is explosive and, once again, quite contained while still being hard-hitting (on the bass side).
Perfect track to recharge batteries to – if you feed off the energy in songs – or be drained by but still satisfied by the time the song wraps up.
Anthos* “Juliet”
Anthos* are masters at crafting soundscapes exuding a summer soundscape. “Juliet” is a perfect example of that.
The verses are fast paced and build up the tension in a powerful way, carrying themselves pretty well into the progressive beat and slow-paced atmospheric sound of the chorus.
This is an unusual song construction – at least as far as 2D music groups’ music goes – as the chorus ends up being rather anticlimactic but it feels strangely right.
The minimalistic marimba percussion in the background, the booming bassline, the brass hits, the triplets on your right ear, and those vocals will instantly take you to a summer soundscape. You’ll want to dance the night away and enjoy the liberating tone of this track.
Wataru Hatano “Truth for”
Wataru Hatano may not be known for his dance music however, from time to time, he releases an addictive dance tune that will leave you speechless.
While “Never End! Summer!” seemed like the obvious choice, “Truth for” better conveys the intensity of summer for me.
The summery lead synth and dirty bassline paint the chorus however where this song absolutely shines is on its verses.
The piano is larger than life, the melodies bright but not peppy, the atmospheric synths are dreamy and the beat is contained. The chorus is intense, riding in a comfortable mid-tempo as synths in the background play around with your notion of tempo.
The song counts with an awesome break that Wataru Hatano makes the best of with his energetic vocals. And that ending melody on the piano? Good stuff all around.
A hidden gem that fits perfectly with summer.
Tetsuya Kakihara & Nobuhiko Okamoto “Paradise”
The tone changes and we’re now exploring songs with a surfer pop-rock vibe.
“Paradise” winks at 50s surfer rock while having a contemporary take on pop, making this quite the addictive tune that feels like summer right from the very first note.
Brass is big in this track, leading the way for this song to be as enjoyable as it is. The drums are playful and quite simple, with a beat that you’ll want to tap your feet or clap along.
I love the chorus in this track, it is everything that 50s rock had best but Kakihara and Okamoto took it a step further and made it insanely addictive.
Rumor has it that when this song wraps up, you’ll still be singing along to the chorus.
Soma Saito “Summerholic!”
Still in the surfer rock vibe, we have Soma Saito’s summer-themed “Summerholic!” released in 2020 and part of his “in bloom” digital single trilogy and later included in his 2nd full-length album “in bloom”.
“Summerholic!” caters to those that are no big fans of crowds and prefer to spend the Summer at home or going for a drive alone. It’s a song about having fun in the summer without a care for what you’re doing.
Mindless fun fits well with summer and those guitar chords will make sure you’ll feel it from its very opening.
You make your paradise and now, in the world we live in, this song couldn’t be more perfect as most of us will create that summer “paradise” in the comfort of our homes.
Fun track that breaks a bit of the intensity in this playlist but for a good reason.
Takaaki Mamiya & Kira Ouka “TRICK TRAP TRICK”
I believe I’ve already talked plenty about this song but it never seems enough. VAZZROCK’s Takaaki Mamiya (CV: Tarusuke Shingaki) and Kira Ouka (CV: Yusuke Kobayashi) are massive in the summer inspired “TRICK TRAP TRICK”.
The song has underlying suggestive themes being explored but let’s not dive into it – as I already did that for the Valentine’s Day list -, here we explore how this song channels the summer season from its dreamy synths, punchy bassline, and ethereal atmospheric synths.
You’ll find yourself in a wide soundscape that has that careless, laidback feel of summer you can’t get enough of.
Yuma Uchida “VIBES”
Yuma Uchida has his fair share of dance tunes but none captures the summer vibe as well as “VIBES”.
The piano melodies are mellow and big, setting an upbeat tone for this song. The bassy synths take over and lead you to one of the most explosive choruses in this playlist.
“VIBES” has a massive chorus that is quite minimalistic in its content, focusing more on the feeling and what a feeling that is.
The booming see-saw synths immediately take you to summer – regardless of the season you’re in when you listen to it – and although I tend to absolutely loathe auto-tune (99% of the times it completely ruins performances that were perfectly well to begin with), surprisingly it actually works well in the chorus as an accent for Uchida’s vocals.
This is a song made for the dancefloor and for sure a tune you’ll want to listen to during the summer to dance away your problems and just have pure fun.
Tasuku Hatanaka “DO IT”
I don’t know about you but since 2017, summer for me means new Tasuku Hatanaka music.
He’s made it a trend to release music in this season and most of his releases end up being bona fide dancefloor anthems.
“DO IT” is such dancefloor anthem for me. The song is part of Hatanaka’s massive 1st full-length album “FIGHTER”.
The verses feel like summer, as those atmospheric synths set a comfortable, sunset lit stage for Hatanaka’s intense performance.
The chorus is an explosion of color with progressive synths cranking up the tension for you as Hatanaka’s vocals go through some of the trickiest vocal parts in the song. If you’re talking about summer tunes, “DO IT” is a song that must be in the conversation.
Mamoru Miyano “DISCOTIQUE09(STY RMX)”
This one was really hard to pick for me. Mamoru Miyano has plenty of songs that could fit summer (“Shine” being a prime example of that) but I wanted something with more punch and with a mature tone instead of a peppier one and thus, I picked the dirty remix of the good old “DISCOTIQUE”.
“DISCOTIQUE09(STY RMX)” counts with minimalistic verses, with a beat serving as the backdrop for Miyano’s vocals but as soon as the pre-chorus arrives, you know you’ll be in for a massive dance tune.
The song carries itself vastly better in its remix version as opposed to the original (that sounds a bit dated right now) and has quite the punch.
The bassline is big, with the synths occupying the entire soundscape. It’s almost as if you’re losing yourself in a wild party, completely intoxicated by the song’s vibe.
Not only is this a perfect song for summer but it is also proof that remixes can – at times – vastly improve songs.
These were my picks for the essential refreshing summer tunes performed by male seiyuu artists and 2D groups. I added those to a neat playlist on Spotify – the link is below – for you to listen to time and time again.
This is the first part of a massive summer themed playlist feature.
The second part drops later into this Summer and will count with a new playlist and a compilation version including songs in both playlists so that you can encompass your whole summer of 2021 in a full 1h30 of good vibes.
A video version will be released as well, covering some of the tracks. Make sure to check our YouTube channel for that special SEIYUU LOUNGE episode!
Thanks for the list! And I’m looking forward for the second part of it. I think I’ll also refrain from posting my choices till then (and judging by your comment about Latin vibes, I have a suspicion that at least one of my choices will be there anyway *cough*Kakihara-san*cough*).
Thank you for this list! As a person who tends to like music styles commonly associated with summer(tropical house, surf-rock, latin vibes music, etc…Tropical house is actually my favorite music style recently), i’m glad to find more songs with this kind of sound 😀
Hope you’re enjoying the good vibes! There will be more songs – especially ones with Latin vibes – dropping later this Summer so please do look forward to it!