@Emily Rabbitt

The tracks you can’t get enough of lately, all in one place.

Legend has it Simon Cowell only took 10 minutes to decide to bring then-teenaged contestants Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne together to form a boy band on The X Factor UK in July 2010. And yet, no one could’ve predicted what would follow. One Direction became total global superstars with ubiquitous pop-rock hits—from the playful power pop of 2011’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” the group’s first single, to the rootsy “History” in 2015, the group’s last. In their short five-year career, One Direction became the biggest act on the planet all while challenging traditional boy-band tropes. They didn’t dance. They had tattoos. They co-wrote their songs. They traversed a multitude of musical territories, from the bubblegum of “Live While We’re Young” and “Best Song Ever” (a modern-day “Baba O’Riley”) and the midtempo folk balladry of “Little Things” to the 1980s piano rock of “Steal My Girl” and the serotonin-releasing, pitch-perfect harmonies of, well, their entire discography. Dive in here.

Early on, The Beach Boys represented America's best challenge to the beat groups from across the pond, rivaling The Beatles and The Rolling Stones at the height of their popularity. The group, featuring the brotherly genius of Dennis, Carl, and Brian Wilson, were also responsible for some of the world's greatest songs and most thrilling sonics, first as a sing-along surf-rock combo, and, later, as a culture-shifting force of nature. Their ear-bending productions, brilliantly sweet harmonies, and countless ache-filled moments, from Surfin' Safari to Pet Sounds to Holland, will have you at their mercy.

From uplifting anthems to heartrending ballads, here’s a playlist capturing the best of contemporary pop: bright, clean, fun, and familiar. Because it just feels good. We regularly update these tunes, so if you like something you hear, add it to your library.