Monthly Mixtape: Patio Grooves 😎 Summer Edition
A 2 hour playlist of sunny vibes for dark times.
Happy Summer Solstice from The Wax Museum! It’s the first day of summer, and what a June it’s been: long days at the beach, brewskis with friends, rubber bullets to the face, ICE raids, destabilization of the Middle East — just good, clean fun.
As society’s GPS reroutes us straight into Children of Men, we could all use a little sonic escapism. So consider this your musical life raft.
Patio Grooves is back — your seasonal, genre-hopping antidote to the doomscroll. I stuffed this edition with 33 tracks of pure serotonin, spanning five decades, including 10 instant classics from 2025 that almost make the future feel exciting.
Call it 2 hours of sunny vibes for dark times, streaming now on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.
Patio Grooves 😎 Summer 2025
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music
If you're still rocking with the Spring 2025 edition of Patio Grooves, that’s been relocated here: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music
This playlist is the latest entry in our ongoing, actually human-curated mixtape series. No algorithms, no AI slop — just handpicked jams from someone with too many records and not enough shelf space. Check out some recent mixes below.
The Cookout 🍔🌭☀️
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music
My Memorial Day BBQ mix gets a summer-long rebrand as The Cookout — perfect for grilling and chilling. The playlist features Hotline TNT’s delightfully fuzzy “Julia’s War,” the standout track from Raspberry Moon that dropped today.
The Wax Museum Freshman Class of 2025
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
Last month, I highlighted 15 debut albums worth your time and your turntable. This playlist features my favorite song from each record by our Freshman 15.
This Modern Love: Essential Love Songs of the 2020s
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
For Valentine’s Day, I made you a mixtape of my favorite new love songs from this decade, and I’m freeing it from behind the paywall for those who could use a little lovin’ right now.
Thanks for visiting The Wax Museum, we return next week with a doozy — The Best Records of 2025 So Far megapost!
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Brilliant as always. My aim today is to stop time and listen to all those debuts in full.