In what seemed to be the longest, coldest, most dreadful winter this year, D.C. finally experienced a day of bright sunshine and glorious heat this past Wednesday. So what better way to celebrate the beautiful weather than with a pre-springtime playlist to make the upcoming cold and potential snow more bearable? These are my top three favorite tracks that are sure to warm you up for the days to come.

1. “It‰’s Real” ‰ÛÒ Real Estate

Real Estate is quintessential surf rock, with their Beach Boys sounding guitar melodies and their relaxed, yet upbeat drums and symbols. In “It‰’s Real”, the spring reverberator on the amplifier gives the guitar a rippled, wave-like sound, which gives the song its beachy and summery qualities. Lead singer, Martin Courtney‰’s vocals contribute to the smoothness and harmonious tones of the song as he sings his simple, yet clever lyrics, ultimately providing the perfect “chill‰” factor for the song. Like so many songs that reflect the nature of the warmer times of year, “It‰’s Real” incorporates a steady pattern of melodies and instrumental arrangements that make it ideal for car rides to and from the beach.

2. “Noche Nada” ‰ÛÒ Givers

What I love about Givers is their use of eclectic musical layering. “Noche Nada‰” starts out with simple, hand-clapping beats, then introduces both male and female vocals, then slowly fades in an almost cloudy sounding synthesizer, and ends with a fun and poppy electric guitar melody. Right when you think they‰’ve added every musical element possible, Givers adds a super soft and quick, but interesting flute riff before the two minute mark. Finally, to top it all off, they speed up the tempo with a symbol driven, guitar solo that sets up the ending of the song perfectly.

3. “Another Sunny Day” ‰ÛÒ Belle and Sebastian

Besides the title of this song, which is an obvious giveaway for its appropriateness as a spring and summer song, “Another Sunny Day‰” has lyrics that remind you of those warm, post-winter months. The song begins with, “Another sunny day, I met you up in the garden/You were digging plants, I dug you, beg your pardon‰” and eventually, “Another day in June, we’ll pick eleven for football‰Û, both of which signify the time spent outside during this time of year. The fourth verse starts out with the lyrics, “Everybody’s gone you picked me up for a long drive/We take the tourist route the nights are light until midnight‰Û. Not only do these lines help in making the song perfect for driving, but they also illustrate the road trips and long car rides that are typical during the summertime.

Together, these songs make up my top three picks for the spring and summertime. Although we have not made it out of winter, completely, I hope that these songs give you a boost to get you through the upcoming chill.