[2026] A summer song that tightens your chest with bittersweet feelings. A classic summer tune that touches the heart.

summer hazeatarayo

Atarayo – Summer Haze (Music Video)

Atarayo is a band known for its many emotionally charged songs and its well-regarded, heartrending love tunes.

Their track “Natsugasumi” is included on their first album, “In the Polar Night, the Moon Remains Silent,” released in 2022—a summer-themed song, as the title suggests.

With male and female twin vocals, it feels as if you’re hearing the story from both perspectives, stirring an indescribable feeling.

It portrays that universal experience of an ‘unforgettable love,’ making it a chest-tightening number.

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utatane

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Spicasupittsu

Spitz / Spica

This is “Spica,” a song released in 1998 by the rock band Spitz.

It was issued as a double A-side single along with one of their signature songs, “Kaede.” Many of you have probably heard it, as it was used in JAL’s “Resocha” commercials and as an insert song in the anime Honey and Clover.

Although the song has a very gentle and soft atmosphere, its profound lyrics can unexpectedly bring you to tears.

Give it a listen when you’re feeling anxious or lonely.

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sasashina

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Shadows of SummerMrs. GREEN APPLE

Mrs. GREEN APPLE “Summer Shadow” Official Music Video

This is a pop tune that carries the faint signs of summer’s end, leaving a bittersweet yet comforting afterglow.

Created by Mrs.

GREEN APPLE, the song was written as the theme for Kirin’s “Gogo no Kocha” commercial featuring Ren Meguro of Snow Man and Ayami Nakajo.

Released as the fifth installment of their five-month release run in 2025, it drew attention for being their first title to bear “summer” in about seven years, since the classic Aoto Natsu (“Blue and Summer”).

Through vivid summer imagery, the lyrics gently touch the tender parts of the heart, capturing inexpressible excitement and a wavering resolve.

It’s an emotional rock ballad perfect for when you want to sink into a sentimental mood.

Summer-colored FireworksSnow Man

Summer-colored Fireworks

A fragile yet grand and beautiful medium-tempo ballad that evokes vivid scenes of summer in Japan.

Lyrics filled with both the sorrow of the passing seasons and gratitude toward a loved one resonate deeply with listeners.

This track is included on the single “SERIOUS,” released in July 2025, and has earned high praise for the beautiful harmonies woven by nine vocalists.

On a slightly lonely night at summer’s end, take your time listening as you reflect on memories gone by.

SetsukaYamamoto Aya

Sayaka Yamamoto “Setsunatsu” Music Video

This is a work released in July 2025 by singer-songwriter Sayaka Yamamoto, created around the theme of “summer” for the first time in her career.

After enjoying enormous popularity as the first captain of NMB48, Yamamoto has steadily forged her path as a solo artist.

For this track, she reunited with producer Seiji Kameda for the first time in six years.

From the acoustic guitar intro, the light, buoyant band sound vividly captures the sparkle of summer and the fleeting pangs of melancholy.

The tenderness we feel for the passing seasons unfurls before your eyes like a road movie.

It’s a song that stays with you in those moments when you want to sink into memories with a touch of sentimentality.

Run Through the MemoriesMy Hair is Bad

Omoide wo Kakenukete

A song by My Hair is Bad that etches bittersweet summer memories into your heart.

While looking back on the fun days of the past, it sings of hope for the future.

Released in June 2024 as the theme song for the film “Crayon Shin-chan: Our Dinosaur Diary,” the track is included on the band’s sixth album, “ghosts.” Its energetic melody and moving lyrics beautifully capture the film’s theme of “bonds.” It’s a song that tightens your chest when you listen to it at summer’s end—highly recommended for those who want to cherish memories with friends and family.

August Is My Namekururi

Quruli – August Is My Name

This is a song released in 2022 by Quruli, a rock band from Kyoto, titled “August Is My Name.” It was chosen as the theme song for Amazon’s original drama “More Than Words.” The music video features Nana Komatsu, who is active as a model and actress.

The lyrics aren’t exactly heartbreaking, but the gentle, somehow nostalgic melody makes you feel like crying just by listening to it.

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sasashina

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