There's one thing the years 2023, 2024, and now 2025 have in common: hit songs from Lil Tecca that defrost the spring and make summer a vibe. One of the best feelings in the world is driving in the summer with your windows down and music blasting. Lil Tecca delivers music that shakes your speakers and makes your summer drives much more memorable. The rapper, from Queens, New York, has been collecting fame from his hit singles and albums.

In 2023, Lil Tecca released his song “500lbs,” which became an immediate success as it took over social media and radio stations. The song, which has almost 600 million listens on Spotify now, became a staple of Tecca’s discography with its catchy chorus and addictive beat. His album, TEC, which was released a few months later, was on the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks! 2024 was the year he dropped his album, Plan A. It featured various replayable songs such as “NUMBER 2,” “TASTE,” “BAD TIME,” and “120.” The album took over the charts the week of its release and was highly regarded by his fans.

2025 brought a new era of Tecca: the DOPAMINE era. Headed by his March release of the single, “Dark Thoughts,” which received over 3,000,000 streams on its first day, Tecca began his DOPAMINE debut. “Dark Thoughts” was followed by his single “OWA OWA,” which was released two months later in May and accumulated 46 million streams on Spotify in a month. After dropping those two singles, he released his album, DOPAMINE, which featured “Dark Thoughts,” “OWA OWA,” and fifteen other new songs. As a rap and trap enthusiast, let me share what Tecca had to say about DOPAMINE, break down the tracks, and answer if Tecca truly did “save the summer.”

What did Tecca think about DOPAMINE?

In an interview with Spotify, Tecca said, “Dopamine is the neurotransmitter of pleasure. I wanted this album to be all about my favorite songs—my favorite feelings.” In line with his hopes, the album definitely has some potential to fire that neurotransmitter. In an interview with The Rolling Stone, Tecca said, “Basically, everything before [DOPAMINE], I was kind of learning the game,” signifying the precision and practice it took to perfect the album. Alright, enough skipping around it; let’s get to the juicy stuff: the songs.

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DOPAMINE’s Tracks: Broken Down and My Ranking

My Top Five:

1. Half The Plot (9.8/10)

“Half The Plot” is an upbeat song with a beat that won’t stop replaying in my head. The chorus is addictive, and it is the star of the album for me. I can’t listen to it without bobbing my head and turning up the music all the way.

2. Dark Thoughts (9.7/10)

“Dark Thoughts” just sounds like summer. The piano snippets in the song bring the beat together, and the unique short sound clips added in put “Dark Thoughts” in DOPAMINE’s top five. The song made it immediately to my playlist after the first listen.

3. Irish Goodbye (9.6/10)

“Irish Goodbye” is one of the most underrated songs on the album. Its rivals, “Dark Thoughts,” for second place with its danceable instrumentals and smooth-sounding lyrics. This song is much lighter on the autotune compared to some of the other songs on the album and reminds me of some of my favorite songs off of Tecca’s previous albums.

4. Boys Don’t Cry (9.4/10)

This hype song symbolizes Tecca’s gift for making loopable trap songs. “Boys Don’t Cry” is one of the fan favorites off the album, and its popularity is completely deserved. When I play this in my car, the speakers are always buzzing since it’s impossible to resist the urge to blast the track.

5. Favorite Lie (9.3/10)

For this song, Tecca switches up the vibe and delivers a slower, pop/R&B-influenced rap song. This song is groovy and so fun to sing along with. The end of the song, which features a snippet resembling a satirical intermission from the radio stations on the popular game series, Grand Theft Auto, brings the song together with a satisfying close that fits perfectly with the vibe of the album.

I would rank the rest of the songs as such:

6. On Your Own (9.1/10)

7. OWA OWA (9/10)

8. Hollywood (8.8/10)

9. The Truth (8.6/10)

10. Tic Tac Toe (with Ken Carson) (8.4/10)

11. X Factor (8.4/10)

12. Don’t Rush (8.2/10)

13. Sure Of It (8.1/10)

14. Malibu’s Most Wanted (8/10)

15. Wake Up (8/10)

16. One Night (7.8/10)

17. LYK (7.7/10)

So, did Tecca “save the summer?”

The short answer: yes. The long answer: with his captivating beats, loopable tracks, and irresistible choruses, Tecca did more than just save the summer—he revived the trap genre and gave us all the perfect album to jam to in the summer with our windows down. Its transitions between all fifteen of its new songs make you feel like you’re surfing through the summer seamlessly with your personal theme music.

DOPAMINE is truly a necessity for the summer 2025 starter pack and is a must-listen for everyone, rap lovers and casual listeners alike. So, tune into “DOPAMINE FM,” as Tecca coins in “Favorite Lie,” and feel those neurotransmitters fire.