Resonance of Twilight: Emo Western Songs Echoing at Summer’s End

Summer is OverKSI

KSI – Summer Is Over [Official Music Video]

The more fun you have in summer, the lonelier its ending can feel, right? With that in mind, let me introduce “Summer Is Over.” It’s a track released by the British rapper KSI, expressing the desire to “live through summer once more” as the season comes to a close.

That alone is bittersweet, but if you reinterpret summer as a period of happiness in life, it becomes even more poignant.

The chill vocals and melody also make it a perfect, mellow listen for the end of summer.

SummerKenya Vaun

Kenya Vaun – Summer [Official Video]

A slow ballad marked by a nostalgic guitar riff that evokes the melancholy of late summer.

It’s a bittersweet song about the desire to break free from busy days and spend a summer that lasts forever.

Kenya Vaun’s clear, translucent vocals seep into the heart.

The sound, reminiscent of ’90s neo-soul, is sure to delight fans of classic R&B.

It’s a track from her debut EP released in March 2024, and it’s already drawing attention among music aficionados.

It’s the kind of song you’ll want to play on a quiet night while looking back on summer memories.

Summertime SadnessLana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey – Summertime Sadness (Official Music Video)

Lana Del Rey is one of the leading female singer-songwriters of the music scene since the 2010s, who describes her own musical style as “sadcore,” crafting a unique sonic world while also achieving major commercial success.

Among Lana’s songs—whose melancholic vocals evoke the sound of old film soundtracks and paint a downbeat world of gut-wrenching sorrow, loss, and stifling emptiness—Summertime Sadness is a masterpiece you’ll want to listen to at summer’s end.

The title alone is steeped in melancholy, but I recommend listening to it alone on a late summer night, when the heat has finally eased, with a bilingual lyric sheet in hand to take it all in.

Be sure to check out the music video as well, brimming with a nostalgic, melodrama-like atmosphere!

One Kiss Don’t Make a SummerLucky Soul

Lucky Soul – One Kiss Don’t Make a Summer

Since the mid-2000s, artists and groups influenced by 1960s girl-pop and soul have debuted—mainly in the UK music scene—sparking a modest boom.

Adele, who went on to become a global diva, also debuted as a singer-songwriter during that period; so did Duffy, whose debut album was a huge hit, and the Pipettes, a trio with a retro, cute look who gained popularity in Japan.

Many people likely still love listening to their music today.

Among the bands that emerged in that boom was London’s Lucky Soul, who drew attention in Japan for their delightfully retro yet universal pop sound and sweet “lolita” vocals.

Their debut album, The Great Unwanted—released in Japan with the perfectly apt title Koi wa Gorgeous ni—includes the classic One Kiss Don’t Make a Summer, a superb summer song where nostalgic sonics and wistful melody create a perfect synergy.

But the lyrics actually recount the end of a summer romance.

If you’ve had a similar experience, why not listen to this track at summer’s end and soothe your heart…?

Every Summertimeniki

NIKI – Every Summertime (Visualizer)

It’s a song that gently embraces the bittersweet feelings at summer’s end.

NIKI’s soaring vocals and the retro-tinged melody resonate pleasantly.

Released in August 2021, the track is included on NIKI’s debut album, MOONCHILD.

The story of lovers growing from an 18-year-old college student into a 25-year-old working adult is woven together with summer memories in an impressive way.

The lyrics, which layer the moments of falling in love onto summers that come around every year, are sure to deeply move listeners.

It’s the perfect song for those times when you feel the loneliness of summer’s end yet want to look forward to the new season.

La La Lost Youniki

NIKI – La La Lost You (Official Video)

If you went through a breakup this summer, I recommend “La La Lost You.” It’s a song by Indonesian singer-songwriter NIKI.

In the track, she looks back on memories with someone who lives in a faraway town and expresses how much she misses them.

I think it’s a song you can relate to in many situations, not just heartbreak.

Another noteworthy point is how it captures the uniquely wistful scenes of late summer.

Try to imagine that atmosphere as you listen.

SummertimeNew Kids On The Block

New Kids On The Block – Summertime (Official Music Video)

As a romantic song to listen to at the end of summer, I’d like to introduce “Summertime.” It’s a track released after the reunion of New Kids on the Block, the boy band that took the 1980s by storm.

The song looks back, from a male perspective, on the memories of a wonderful summer romance.

While it does touch on farewells and the end of summer, that’s not where it stops.

It goes on to depict the seasons turning and summer returning, with the narrator longing for her each time it comes around.