Windows down, Spotify or car radio on, those early-hours drives after a night out with friends: some of summer’s happiest moments happen behind the wheel. And then that song comes on…and the drive suddenly becomes a bop or a flop. It’s tormentone time.
Tormentone is the term used for a song, phrase, joke or idea that becomes massively popular through constant repetition in the media. Its origins are self-explanatory: tormento (torment), suggesting something so overplayed it borders on exhausting. It’s most commonly used for music, especially, yes, catchy “summer hits” that are played everywhere on loop. More broadly, it can describe any obsessive thought, recurring issue or something (or someone) that feels persistently repetitive.
Last year, there was almost a panic (at the disco) as no true tormentone managed to break through. Fragmented listening habits, an endless stream of new releases and growing fatigue with the familiar pop-reggaeton formula meant no single track could dominate the cultural conversation. With streaming audiences increasingly spread across different genres and artists, the shared, radio-driven experience that once turned a track into the soundtrack of an entire summer seemed to be fading, replaced by a rapid cycle of monthly hits. For a moment in 2026, we were left wondering whether the tormentone was dead, merely dormant or—bear with me for the amateur psychology—we had all become too fatigued by the heaviness of the world to wade into the shallow waters of such tunes.
But now, with summer 2026 heating up our lives, the agony has returned to dominate the airwaves and haunt our humming-out-loud existence. Canzone Estiva by Savona-born singer-songwriter Annalisa is a glossy, self-aware dance-pop anthem that embraces all the hallmarks of the Italian summer hit while gently poking fun at them. Catchy (obviously), ironic and impeccably produced, it feels like a tormentone about the very idea of a tormentone. Then there’s Al Mio Paese by Serena Brancale, Levante and DELIA, a sun-drenched folk-pop anthem that turns homesickness into celebration, weaving together Southern Italian rhythms, memories and a deep sense of belonging. Elsewhere, Bossa Nostra by Gaia Gozzi is a luminous blend of Brazilian rhythms and contemporary pop, turning a story of longing and emotional distance into something sensual and irresistibly danceable. It captures the bittersweet feeling of loving someone who still feels close even when they’re slipping away. KAROL G and Manu Chao’s Latin-pop Viajando por el mundo gets hips moving with its travel-anthem energy, even slipping in a nod to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Jovanotti fans are leaning into Buon vento, the Roman singer-songwriter’s summer collaboration with Alfa, while Angelina Mango’s Canto d’Amore (featuring Marco Mengoni) is a soaring Mediterranean-infused pop anthem that turns human fragility into something shared.
The tormentone is back—and it’s as irresistible as it is exasperating.
With thanks to Valeria Raniolo + Melissa Perpunja for contributing
