Julia Cumming's sad girl summer playlist

Saint Laurent’s resident cool girl Julia Cumming spends half her time looking morose on the runway and the other half thrashing a bass around and screeching into the mic as the front woman of scuzzy psych-punk band Sunflower Bean. And as Hedi Slimane’s Paris Sessions campaign for AW15 recently revealed, the Brooklyn teen smashed both worlds together when she posed in punk-inspired knits, ripped tights and a leather skirt, looking as if CBGBs-era Debbie Harry had just landed on the left bank Parisian streets. To celebrate the moody, sun-drenched feel of the campaign, we decided to get Julia Cumming to talk us through her ultimate all-girl selection of melancholic rock ‘n’ roll tracks to soak up that summertime sadness.

FLEETWOOD MAC – "WALK A THIN LINE"

"This one's a great breakup song. Or maybe a "healing" song would be a better way to describe it. If I'm ever walking alone in New York, or taking the subway, and I listen to this song, I will 9/10 times shed a tear."

NICO – "THESE DAYS"

"What is there to even say about this one? It's to die for. Even though it's a Jackson Browne song originally, the production on this track and her vocal take is completely out of this world. It's also a tearjerker."

JONI MITCHELL – "CALIFORNIA"

"My favourite performance of this song is from this BBC session, because you can really hear her voice, and it sounds almost supernatural – it gives me chills. Also, being from New York, I like to think about California and what it'd be like to hang out with Joni in the seventies or ever. Would I hug her? Would I be a dork? These are questions I don't have the answers to."

CAROLE KING – "HE'S A BAD BOY"

"This track from 1963 is an early one in Carole's career as a songwriter, but it's so cool. I just love the way it shuffles along, and the lyrics are classic. "Don't it kind of break your heart, don't it make you sad, when the boy you loved so much turns out to be so bad?" It does break my heart, Carole! It does make me sad."

EMPRESS OF – "NO MEANS NO"

"This song is one of my absolute favourites right now. Empress Of is a total boss songwriter, producer and performer. She's super inspirational. And this song is definitely empowering because no does mean no."

BEACH HOUSE – "TAKE CARE"

"Another song to cry to. Maybe I have a problem? I think I cry too much."

MR. TWIN SISTER – "LADY DAYDREAM"

"This is such a Gorgeous song. I love Mr. Twin Sister and I'm so excited for the new music they've put out. One of my all-time favourite lyrics is in this song: "Even though I'm losing, doesn't make me a loser." The chorus on the guitar is killer too."

HEAVEN'S GATE – DRONE

"Heaven's Gate is one of the best bands in NYC. I wish they would play out more live. This record is almost impossible to find online, but it's great for blaring in the car when your car is old and the speakers are really blown out. Or I guess when the speakers are ok too. Anytime, basically."

KATE NASH – "NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE GIRL"

"Kate is a very old friend of mine and I went on tour with her a few times with my old band. At this point I consider her family. This song is a perfect example of what she's stood for her whole career; women making music is not ever a genre, or something to be fetishized or looked down upon."

THE WAITRESSES – "I KNOW WHAT BOYS LIKE"

"This is a classic. Patty Donahue is untouchable in this music video. I've never seen anything quite like it – the sassy-yet-deadpan delivery is something I may never perfectly achieve. But that's okay cause I can watch this video as much as I want on the internet. Plus, The Waitresses are from Akron, Ohio, where one of my other favorite bands Devo are from, so I'm thinking Akron may have some special sauce?"