I see a lot of parallels between spring and fall; they are the in-between seasons of two extremes. The mosquito bites are still uncomfortable, the walks are always endless, and the heat is treacherous. Fall is different in a way that is refreshing. Temperatures drop, academic validation is on the rise and I start collecting memories of the way golden leaves look before the trees are stripped bare again. In a way I’m thankful for it all the same, so here are ten songs that encapsulate the autumn mood.
Cowboy– Kid Bloom
Cowboy feels so intensely fitting to the time and place. It perfectly captures the city-meets-country nature of Austin and the longing for autumnal rebirth– to run away and become something new.
Halloween– Novo Amor
It would be unfair of me to not include a song that mentions the greatest college holiday. This song represents being reckless and messy and longing to be understood, which is such a universal struggle.
TwentyTwo– Thea
Recently I have been thinking a lot about turning twenty at the end of the season and this song represents the physical nature of being young and stumbling through every unknown that’s waiting around the corner. It’s yearning for experience, for a hand to hold, to not be scared anymore.
Anthony Kiedis– Remi Wolf
I have an unhealthy obsession with this song and that is the sole reason it is making the playlist. There is nothing better than screaming the chorus with my roommates at 10:00 p.m. while we fight with a mountain of homework– gearing up for gruesome fall midterms.
Something in the Orange– Zach Bryan
Hearing this song as a UT student born and raised in Texas just makes the nostalgia so much greater. This song reminds me of game days where the streets are littered with seas of burnt orange, the smell of cinnamon, grocery store pumpkins, and the inevitable heartbreak that comes when fall turns into winter.
Don’t Know Why– Nora Jones
This song has hit me like a truck ever since I was a kid. Before I deleted Hinge, it was displayed almost proudly as my “cry in the shower song” which is just about as real as I can be on a dating app. Nora Jones’ voice is so reminiscent of autumn and yearning.
In The Kitchen– Reneé Rapp
Brought to us by the actress who portrays my favorite character on the HBO Max hit– The Sex Lives of College Girls, In The Kitchen is nothing short of a masterpiece. Not only is the singing phenomenal, but the songwriting pulls on something deep in my chest. The modern representation of heartbreak is too real.
Stick Season– Noah Kahan
If we want to reflect on longing and autumn and growing up and growing out of ourselves, this is the way to do it. “I’ll drink alcohol till my friends come home for Christmas,” is one of the rawest portrayals of being on the cusp of adulthood and leaving people behind.
No Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)– Orion Sun
This song is beautiful and haunted and suits the season so perfectly that it speaks for itself.
all my ghosts– Lizzie McAlpine
When I listen to this song it takes me to the freshness of last fall when I had my first taste of freedom, being away from home and in a new city with new people. It makes me think about meeting my best friends and walking to the 7/11 on Guad to get a fountain Diet Coke.