That’s hot! How to make a summer hit

Summer demands its own tunes, from J Balvin to the Rhythm Method. Here’s our five-point guide to how to make the biggest track of the season1. Bring the beat back!
With serotonin vocals and synths that sound like getting a head massage at Glastonbury at 3am, Ariana Grande’s No Tears Left to Cry was already shaping up to be one of the songs of the year. But what makes it a summer smash is that drum pattern. I’m no musicologist, but I think you can roughly describe it as “h