Your perfect New York picnic playlist

In a city where cramped living spaces are the norm and most of our outdoor time comes from hustling from one place to another, picnics aren’t just a luxury–they’re a mental health necessity. With that in mind, we’ve teamed up with Stella to create a playlist custom engineered for New York City summertime. Grab some friends, pick up some Stellas and a snack board (or just some bodega snacks), and enjoy the best part about summer in the city. 

Find the full playlist on Spotify.

Photograph: Shutterstock

Deee-Lite - "Picnic in the Summertime"

Picnics in New York have a lot to offer, but peace, quiet, and privacy aren’t usually among them. This 1984 deep cut from downtown club icons Deee-Lite captures the very public way New Yorkers kick it in the summertime, when the people watching is at its best and a whole city of 8 million can feel tuned into the same wavelength.

Sister Nancy - "Bam Bam"

It’s not officially an outdoor gathering in New York City until somebody puts on Sister Nancy’s dancehall masterpiece. Its bliss-inducing combination of woozy horns and singsong nonsense hit just as hard today as it did when it first dropped in 1982. 

Tierra Whack - "Only Child"

Lyrically, “Only Child” is not-too-kind kiss-off to a toxic person, but Philly avant-pop genius Tierra Whack wraps it in such sugar-sweet hooks that even its target probably has it on their picnic playlist.  

Remi Wolf - "Photo ID"

The eccentrically multi-talented Remi Wolf is like a young Prince in the way she jumps from sound to sound. On “Photo ID” she serves up neo-disco that’ll get people dancing along, or at least as much as you can without getting up from the picnic blanket.

Lumidee - "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)"

In the summer of 2003 you couldn’t go anywhere in New York City without hearing Lumidee’s breakout smash. And why would you want to? The handclap rhythms and infectious hook still feel like city summer caught in a bottle.

Khruangbin - "Time (You and I)"

Texan trio Khruangbin’s globe-hopping psychedelic sound has made them one of the most popular bookings on the summer music festival circuit. Those festivals obviously aren’t happening this year, but you can recreate the effect by hanging outside with friends and blasting their new groovy album Mordechai.

Toro y Moi - "Ordinary Guy (feat. The Mattson 2)"

Chaz Bear has a longstanding reputation as the chillest dude in indie rock. This collaboration with jazz duo the Mattson 2 sounds like it was engineered specifically for kicking back and cloud-watching in the park.

Arthur Russell - "Make 1,2"

Arthur Russell was a niche phenomenon when he died in 1982, but in 2020 his once-edgy experiments fusing pop, hip-hop, and classical music are as close as it gets to a universal sound. “Make 1,2” is one of those songs that’ll get neighbors the next blanket over bobbing their heads along.

Mariah Carey & Ol' Dirty Bastard - "Fantasy"

It’s still hard to believe that the queen of pop ever teamed up with the most chaotic member of the Wu-Tang Clan. But “Fantasy”’s lighter-than-air rollercoaster vibes have become a summer pop staple–and an enduring example of why opposites attract.

Terrance Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, Kamasi Washington & Phoelix - "Freeze Tag"

The top musical team-up of the summer has to be the cross-genre supergroup behind “Freeze Tag,” which follows the lead of Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye by weaving social commentary into an effortlessly chill groove.

Kevin Abstract - "Georgia"

Brockhampton front man Kevin Abstract pays tribute to his adopted home state in the best way possible: by resurrecting the spaced-out funk of Atlanta legends OutKast, whose records have now been spreading Stankonia vibes to picnics, BBQs, and assorted summertime hangs for a generation.

Shakira & Anuel AA - "Me Gusta"

A good summer song needs to be upbeat enough to perk you up, but not so energetic that it’s going to make you sweat any more than you need to in the sweltering heat. This collaboration between Latin pop queen and new-jack reggaeton star finds that sweet spot and parks in it.

Burna Boy - "Wonderful"

Afropop is one of the latest additions to New York’s summertime sonic melting pot. Nigerian performer Burna Boy is one of the style’s most important innovators, but on “Wonderful” he looks back a generation to tap into the sound of 80s artists who first brought African music to the American pop charts.

M. Ward - "Daydream"

This summer, Stella launched its 'You're Never Too Far From The Life Artois' campaign to remind everyone that opportunities to savor the summer are still all around us. It's set to M. Ward's brand new rendition of the classic 1966 song "Daydream". The music video features Eva Longoria, Liev Schreiber and Blake Griffin embracing their best summer selves – check it out here.