Every year I dread the calendar flipping to NOvember. A month full of dread for me year after year historically. My most life altering events always seem to land in November tangled up with 5:00 PM sunsets, bare trees, skin-piercing Bowling Green wind, final project deadlines, chaos at work, and seasonal depression creeping in.
If you have read my articles over the years, you know how much music means to me, especially when life feels heavy. You probably also know that I make a playlist every month. Looking back through my past November playlists, I’ve noticed certain songs, albums, and artists reappearing through the years. These are the ones that have carried me through every cold chaotic November.
Sling – Clairo
The world seemed to pause the first time I listened to Sling. I was 17 and turned it on while I did my math homework after basketball practice unaware of the impact it would have on me. Sling was not the background music I thought it would be, it is a cozy world you step into. There is a lot of intimacy in this album around subjects like burnout, domesticity, and the weirdness of growing up. One of my favorite albums ever to date, I hold this one especially close in colder months as it always seems to remind me it’s okay to not have everything figured out.
In Rainbows – Radiohead
I fell in love with this album my freshman year of college. In Rainbows feels like standing in the middle of a storm and realizing the chaos is beautiful. In times of uncertainty, this album always feels like a reassuring hug. Every track is unskippable. This album is one of my favorites to listen to from front to back during late nights.
Cigarettes After Sex
Cigarettes After Sex is like a friend who always answers when you call no matter how long it’s been. Full of nostalgia where love and loss blur together as one. Soft, sad, but strangely comforting as their music is a sense of familiarity in dark moments. I wonder how many times I listen to “Apocalypse” every November.
Frank Sinatra
I always love Frank Sinatra, but I love him extra when the weather is cold. I will shamelessly turn on his classics, however this year I find myself getting more into some of his earlier work with the album, In The Wee Small Hours. There’s something about his voice that can make even the gloomiest days feel stylish and cozy.
Absolutely – Dijon
The last two years I have been Dijon obsessed to say the least. Dijon’s new album Baby came out in the summer of this year and I loved it, however there’s a certain nostalgia attached to the album Absolutely when it comes to the weather getting cold. One of my favorite albums ever, and short films, I don’t think I would survive winter without this one. I am extra Dijon centered now as he is actively touring his new album which I will be seeing in December! Cheat code to survive November for sure.
The New Abnormal – The Strokes
My most recent vinyl purchase is The New Abnormal. I love this album all year round, however I feel like there’s a certain split in the songs I listen to in the album based on the time of the year. I would say about October I start listening to “At The Door” and the tracks that follow it, and don’t touch the beginning of the album until about May. “Why Are Sundays So Depressing” was a classic hit in my dorm freshman year.
Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
I believe to know this song is to love this song. One of my favorite songs of all time gets a lot of extra love around the holidays.
Men I Trust
I thought I was so different when I was a sophomore in high school listening to Men I Trust, but I have never really stopped since I started listening. I need the song “Show Me How” injected into my veins. I also love the track “Billie Toppy,” it has such a cool and unique vibe to it. There’s so many great songs in their discography, you just have to have the right taste for it.
Louder Than Bombs – The Smiths
Call me morbid, pale, and insufferable, but I do happen to love The Smiths. In the colder months I feed off of the album Louder Than Bombs. So many of my favorites by them belong to this album. The perfect melancholy album for a melancholy month like November.
Mac Miller
The first chilly breeze of the year sounds like the introduction to the song “Circles.” The album Circles is surprisingly what really got me into Mac Miller, however due to the fact that I discovered him in the winter he will always remind me of the cold. Every album is amazing in its own way, but it isn’t winter without a little Mac Miller.
The Marias
A more recent discovery of mine last year was The Marias. I found them in about July of 2024, and really got into them by November which is really when I believe their time to shine is. Some of my favorites are “Heavy,” “No One Noticed,” “Sienna,” “Little By Little,” “Talk To Her,” and “Back To Me.” Excitingly, the lead singer of The Marias, Marìa Zardoya released her first solo album titled Melt under the name Not For Radio, that is absolutely perfect for November.
Berlioz
Jazz is a necessity on my survival list for November. Berlioz is the perfect blend of classic and new to add some magic to any boring evening studying for finals. I also love to turn them on while cooking. The album open this wall and tracks “deep in it” along with “jazz is for ordinary people” are some classics that myself and many others love.
Among My Swan – Mazzy Star
Now, I love So Tonight That I Might See but I spend much more time with Among My Swan in November. I adore the tracks, “I’ve Been Let Down,” “Roseblood,” “Flowers In December,” and “Cry, Cry.” If you love the popular track “Fade Into You,” all of Among My Swan is worth a try.
Evermore – Taylor Swift
I am so glad I was a sixteen year old girl when Evermore released instead of The Life Of A Show Girl. I remember buying a flannel coat similar to hers before the album was released way before they were a trend every girl was following. The lyrics to this album are so special and relatable. “Ivy” is one of my favorites this year. “Gold Rush” is historically my favorite.