The first real snow just fell, and my melancholia has officially begun. Despite having an alarmingly extended autumn season, I am mourning the fall foliage and the god-forsaken pumpkin spice latte. November is a weird month — not quite winter, but definitely not the fall season we all adore. The wind carries an extra bite to it, forceful with the threat of snow and Starbucks holiday cups are ubiquitous. In that respect, my November playlist very much reflects this strange in-between feeling that I can only describe as a deep yearning for what the world looked like 2 weeks ago and the striking feeling of the impending doom of Winter. Thus, as the barren, snowy branches pervade my peripheral, I write this article, because the in-between moments are worth acknowledgement too.
Here were my top 5 most-played songs of November 2025:
Falling Apart by Slow Pulp
When I hear this song, I am listening to a degree so profound, you couldn’t even come to understand. The decibels vibrate through my vertebrae, as each word forces my body to sway to the rhythm. This song is so beautiful in the way that there’s a peculiar honesty and gentle admission that falling apart isn’t always destruction. In the chaos that is November, and in the faint hum beneath all the static, I’m reminded that even disassembly has its quiet kind of grace.
1979 –Remastered 2012 by The Smashing Pumpkins
Accordingly, as I try to hold onto the remnants of peak Autumn, this song emanates its essence, and thus, was on repeat all November long. The introduction is undeniably groovy and the song has this old-school kick that you just can’t help but hit a shimmy to. 1979 by the Smashing Pumpkins contains this echo of youth, that takes you to another time. I imagine myself walking down the street, golden light flickering through thinning branches, where I am reminded of the years when everything felt both infinite and fleeting.
Dust Bowl by Ethel Cain
Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You released in early August, and since then has quickly climbed the ranks of my most repeated songs. Something I love about Ethel Cain’s music — that is so well executed in this song — is their ability to integrate both softness and power into their music. Melancholy must not always equate to fragility. Sadness can also be anger, and it can also hold power. The breaking point at 3:36 embodies this intense spectrum and capacity of emotion, which I deeply adore.
Dreaming of You by Cigarettes After Sex
This song conjures up something within me that is inexplicable. It’s as if an intense yearning floods my body — bringing a mournful, yet poetically beautiful melancholy. And not to be dramatic but 2:37-3:15 makes me f***ing levitate. It’s long been a staple in my playlist, for good reason — matter of fact, it was my most played song of 2025 according to my Spotify wrapped. In a bird’s-eye vision, I see myself walking downtown, in an all-black outfit, headphones in, sunglasses on, admiring life through the lens of a true romanticist.
Life Goes On by the Sundays
Life Goes On by the Sundays captures a kind of delicate resilience that forces me to my knees every time I listen. I wish I was being dramatic, but this song is so special to me and I hope upon listening, it will hold a special place in your heart as well. Beneath its soft, luminous sound lies a quiet confrontation with impermanence — an acknowledgement that life continues to move forward even as we cling to its fleeting moments. So, accordingly, despite Autumn coming to a close…I must accept that life indeed does go on.
As we move into Winter, I will undoubtedly mourn the Autumn season as I curate my Winter playlist until it feels like a home. Romanticists and yearners alike, below is my Autumn 2025 playlist if you’re feeling nostalgic. And as I bid farewell to the semester and HCCU until the Spring, I wish you all an abundant holiday season!