As the seasons change and the weather gets colder, my need to primarily listen to depressing music increases to an intense level. The feeling of walking back from class late in the day and listening to slow music while pretending I’m in a movie is one of my favorite ways to pass the time. Upbeat, fulfilling music in cold weather does not sit well with me and never has.
- “Hard Feelings/Loveless” by Lorde
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For me, Lorde is one of those artists who can write music that feels relatable in every way possible. Her songs feel like she reads people’s journals to come up with her song lyrics, and that’s my favorite part of listening to her.
This song, in particular, has always been a favorite of mine because it blends two “different” songs into one while making each song equally excellent. Her songs are always raw and honest, and they make perfect background music when you are trying to be performative and niche while walking to class.
- “Chasing Midnight” by ROLE MODEL
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ROLE MODEL is one of the few male artists who can depict and encapsulate love and heartbreak in a comfortable way. The entire album, Chuck Timely & The Hourglass, tells a beautiful story of finding someone new after heartbreak, along with all the conflicting feelings and emotions that come with it.
This song feels like it would play in the background of a romance movie montage where the guy realizes he doesn’t have enough time left with the girl. And unfortunately, to be one of those annoying people, he performs this song even better live, and it feels even more soul-crushing.
- “Tolerate It” by Taylor Swift
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Taylor Swift’s lyricism — aside from The Life of a Showgirl — has always been her strongest element across her songs. This song especially showcases her brilliant songwriting, telling a clear and heartbreaking story about a woman’s troubling relationship with her boyfriend.
What makes this song so outstanding to me is how this song, as well as the rest of the songs on this album, weren’t created from personal experience or memories. Swift created an entire fictional world with problems in this song that so many people, including me, could relate to and feel deeply.
This song is one I will never get sick of, no matter how many times it shows up in my 30-hour-long playlist.
- “Drunk, Running” by Lizzy McAlpine
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Every single Lizzy McAlpine song just screams cold weather to me — she has mastered the art of writing sad songs. Similar to the other artists I mentioned, she can write such genuine, heartfelt lyrics that feel like they were taken from a page of her diary.
On top of that, this song in particular has a really beautiful build-up in both the production and the lyrics. Whenever the beat drops in one of her songs, I’m always all the way in; her songs feel like a full-body experience rather than the usual act of simply listening.
This song is the perfect choice for a long drive when you have nothing to do but stare out the window (bonus points if it’s already raining outside).
- “Throughfare” by Ethel Cain
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Nine minutes and twenty-seven seconds of pure perfection. I saved the best song out of the five for last, of course. As someone who recently discovered Ethel Cain and all the lore accumulated across her songs, my only complaint is that I didn’t listen to her sooner.
This song, in particular, tells a heart-wrenching (fictional) story from beginning to end that sounds like something you would only want to listen to in the dead-end of winter.
Ethel Cain is such a strong vocalist that it only enhances the brilliance of her songwriting. I’ve never heard another musical artist put anywhere near the same amount of creativity and time into the background of her songs.
All of her songs center on this massive fictional world and the people she created from scratch, which she continues to develop and expand throughout the songs. There are no other words but perfection to describe her and this song.
What are your go-to cold weather songs?
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