Usually, in order to navigate through a British summer with a small sense of joy and optimism intact, the country is forced to don a sort of collective delusion over the weather. After all, if we let a bit of cloudy drizzle, the occasional gust of wind, and the odd bout of thunder and lightning ruin a good barbecue, we'd never have one at all.

Check out our ultimate summer playlist of the best songs of 2015 so far below

Over the past few days, though, something confusing and unnerving has happened. It's been actually, properly hot.

It has its downsides of course - most of us were on one of those "pizza oven" tube journeys yesterday, genuinely concerned we might melt into our fellow commuters to form one shapeless mass - but it also means that the picnics in the park, trips to the outdoor pool, and your elderly neighbour sunbathing topless on your shared roof, are actually varying degress of appropriate.

To celebrate this rare phenomenon, we've put together a playlist of the best songs of 2015 so far - designed to fit perfectly with the summer activity you've rushed into existence while the weather holds out.

Whether you're surrounded by a group of friends or (and, let's face it, this is sometimes preferable) lying in the grass by yourself wearing a pair of really good headphones, these are the songs you should be listening to.