Fans of DJ Earworm eagerly anticipate his “United State of Pop,” a mashup of the year’s biggest hits, at the end of every year. Mixing 25 different songs as seamlessly as he does is no small feat, and somehow he transforms even the most irritating stand-alone tunes into crucial parts of a delightful and danceable pop hybrid.
This year we don’t have to wait until December: The DJ is back with “SummerMash ’13,” a brisk track that finds a handful of the biggest summer songs bouncing off of one another splendidly. Even if you eschew Top 40 radio, you’ve likely heard all of these songs in some context at least once. The Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song “Can’t Hold Us” (featuring Ray Dalton) and Icona Pop’s Charli XCX-featured “I Love It,” were both featured in commercials, for instance (and the latter was famously on Girls). And of course, the dueling contenders for song of the summer, “Get Lucky” and “Blurred Lines” make prominent appearances.
Noticeably absent from the mashup are Miley Cyrus and Mariah Carey, whose singles (“We Can’t Stop” and “Beautiful,” respectively), have been hugely popular this summer, too. It would have been great to hear them mixed in along with the other infectious tracks. Perhaps we can look forward to a “SummerMash ’13 Part II” in August? I hope so.
