Is Britney's "Make Me" The Song Of The Summer?

2016 has admittedly, been a pretty tough year so far. Thankfully, it's the summer, and with that comes the sweet escapism of beach parties with friends, (really) hot dates with a honey or the opportunity of a well deserved vacation. And all of those events deserve the perfect summer soundtrack songs with which to enjoy yourself to. Every year it feels like there's the one song of the summer which ends up defining your entire experience of the season, and with a handful of tunes in the running it's difficult to tell which one could end up being the song to become that. Though there's been talk of Katy Perry's Olympic anthem "Rise," Drake's "One Dance," and Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling!" becoming everyone's main summer vibe, there's one more which needs to be considered.

Britney Spears new song "Make Me" was released on July 14, and there's no denying that it's an absolute summer jam. But will Britney's new song be the 2016 song of the summer? It actually seems likely, and here's why.Firstly, "Make Me" is insanely catchy. I dare not confess how many times I've already listened to it since it was released (I want to say too many though I wouldn't mean it), but it easily gets better every time I play it. It's Britney at her best, stomping her heel down and demanding that her man stops playing games and just gives in to her seduction. And man, is it seductive. If the summer is currently raising the temperature where you live, then "Make Me" will raise those temperatures to boiling point.

With insanely sexy lyrics like, "I just want you to make me move/ Like it ain't a choice for you, like you got a job to do/ Just want you to raise my roof" and "From the bar to the car, let's take it back to my room/ Igniting the heat of the moment; let the sparks fuse," the song brings unapologetic sex positive vibes worth celebrating. And that's exactly the song that you want to hear whilst getting ready for an important date night or lounging on a deck in a bikini and owning every inch of how great you feel in that moment.

But, all sexiness aside, the song is also just great fun. Like most other recent songs of the summer (think OMI's "Cheerleader" or Walk The Moon's "Shut Up And Dance", which both dominated Summer 2015), "Make Me" is effortlessly uplifting and feels like absolute sunshine. It also has the sort of simple, catchy chorus that makes it feel universal in how easy it is to sing-along to. It's feel good on every level, and that's all that anyone needs from their song of the summer.

When compared with the rest of the current summer anthems, "Make Me" is strikingly different. Whilst Katy Perry's "Rise" might be following the anthemic genius of her hit, "Roar," it also lacks that certain summery appeal of sparkling, fun-times pop music, something which "Make Me" possesses in abundance. And whilst Drake's "One Dance" also definitely possesses this charm, it's also got a bit of a downbeat vibe to it which makes it feel bittersweet. "One Dance" is the sort of song you play to mourn the end of summer, not to begin it, whilst "Make Me" would kick start your summer in the way you wish for it continue: smoldering.

Which leaves us with Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling!," which is rampantly upbeat and an utter gem of vivacious pop perfection. It feels wrong to pit former flames Britney and Justin against one another in a way not seen since JT released the video for "Cry Me A River," but we're here guys and it's happening.

When "Make Me" was released it soon shot to the top of the iTunes charts, completely dethroning "Can't Stop The Feeling!" from it's No. 1 spot. And if that's any indication to go by, then it definitely seems as though Britney's new song could reign victorious as the anthem of the summer. But let's not forget songs like Calvin Harris' "This Is What You Came For" (feat. Rihanna), which is total electronic bliss, or Sia's deliriously peppy "Cheap Thrills," both of which have been topping the iTunes charts for a while now because they possess the sort of heated exuberance that you want to soundtrack vacations, day trips, and impromptu cocktail sessions in the sun.

It remains to be seen whether Britney's "Make Me" will remain at the top of the iTunes charts throughout Summer 2016 or whether it will become the hit that defines it, but it's more than capable and definitely worthy of achieving it. The song is slow, sultry magnificence; laid back without being boring, and uplifting without being saccharine. I don't know how you feel about it, but it's definitely becoming my main summer jam this year.

Images: Giphy