A glance again on defining media of summer season 2025 –

May: freshman nostalgia and contemporary laughs

The summer season started with a much-needed addition to the college-set media canon, which has been scarce since Reneé Rapp left “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”

A24’s “Overcompensating” met, and, for my part, rose above this void.

Creator Benito Skinner performs a caricature of himself as closeted Idaho jock, Benny, who forges a codependent friendship with outsider Carmen and harbors a secret crush on a person.

Fictional Yates University’s social world is strictly segmented, divided between the haves and the have-nots. The sequence’ most poignant moments chronicle how Carmen and Benny grapple with the stress to adapt, reflecting the realities of most college students’ lives.

Skinner, also referred to as superstar impersonator and TikTook comic Benny Drama, packs loads of distinctly Gen Z references in between, from a speaking Megan Fox poster as religious guru and a cameo from Charli XCX herself. 

I seen “Overcompensating” as a eccentric romantic ode — not essentially to first loves, however definitely to first faculty friendships and to freshman yr in all its messy glory.

June: the month of “Addison”

Most individuals my age know Addison Rae as a member of the TikTook hype home, an influencer collective that had its heyday simply earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Five years later, Rae’s debut album, “Addison,” shattered any hesitations I had concerning the former TikTook influencer’s star energy. 

From lead single “Diet Pepsi,” a sultry, nostalgic metaphorical granddaughter to early Lana Del Rey, to “New York,” a Jersey membership minimize that I heard at each venue throughout New York City Pride, “Addison” fed my urge for food for seasonally-appropriate dance pop with an alternate aptitude. 

There are extra contemplative cuts, too — hypnotizing interlude “Lost and Found” sees Rae reflecting on how she’s misplaced and located herself “again and again” all through her early twenties, whereas “Headphones On” is a confessional ode to acceptance and catharsis. I discovered Addison’s emotional tenor surprisingly resonant to my very own life, fueling my conviction {that a} stylized pop woman persona is just not antithetical to thematic depth.

Additionally, dreamy visuals supplied an aptly cinematic backdrop for the “Addison” rollout. Music movies are a dying artwork type — I grew up within the golden days of Vevo-hosted visible albums — however Rae delivers with nods to the early 2000s in hers.

Just like I saved “Brat” on repeat effectively into the autumn final yr, I can’t think about abandoning Addison any time quickly.

The month’s finish introduced Lorde’s “Virgin,” which sees the coming-of-age anthem idol returning to her signature synth-pop sound. It’s gritty, aching and brimming with summertime gloominess, proof that the musicians I liked after I was seventeen are nonetheless simply as thrilling to my 22-year-old ears. 

July: the anti rom-com, “Too Much”

Lena Dunham, the creator and star of the coming-of-age dramedy, “Girls,” premiered a brand new Netflix romantic comedy sequence, “Too Much,” in July.

The new present follows a heartbroken producer as she relocates throughout the pond and falls in love with a singer-songwriter with a troubled previous.

Dunham marketed the sequence as a romantic comedy, however I noticed the 2 predominant characters, Jessica and Felix, as deeply flawed people whose toxicity usually coexists with their likability. It makes for compelling tv, however I didn’t essentially fall head over heels for the pair on the middle. 

Nonetheless, “Too Much” supplied loads of comedic fodder for the summer season’s finish. Just like with “Girls,” the tenderness I felt in the direction of the characters coexisted alongside the cringe-worthiness of their actions.

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