Autumn is arguably the most comforting season. There is so much serenity in the changing of the leaves, remedying the slight chill in the air with a soft sweater, and sipping warm pumpkin spiced lattes. The autumnal atmosphere, especially in the Northeast, is such an appeasing feeling: one that is perfectly conveyed through music.
Interested in embracing some autumn vibes? Here are the six most sonically autumn albums that should make their way onto your Airbuds this fall.
Listen along here: https://spotify.link/CGOB9PhfwDb
6) Sing To Me Instead by Ben Platt
Ben Platt’s soulful voice is a warm hug on a cold day. The pure piano that is the highlight of every track instills warmth in the soul of the listener, especially the opening chords of the album on “Bad Habit.” Songs such as “Grow As We Go” and “Ease My Mind” have such a calming message and tone that expertly convey the serenity a beautiful autumn day brings. Platt uses crisp riffs as a vocal technique that mimic the crisp autumn leaves.
5) Tapestry by Carole King
A 1970s ballad blueprint, Tapestry, personifies the perfect Pinterest autumn we all strive for. “Where You Lead,” now so closely associated with Gilmore Girls, embodies the coffee craze and crunchy leaves, and the promise and excitement each fall brings. The most upbeat tracks on the album, “I Feel The Earth Move” and “It’s Too Late” are written in G Minor and A Minor, respectively; the absence of a major key signature give the songs the autumnal feel we know and love.
4) Boys Of Faith by Zach Bryan
Folk-country EP Boys of Faith expertly incorporates elements from each genre, giving the dual sensation of the classic-country boating August day and the folk-cozy autumn. The subtle horns that bolster the melody in “Deep Satin” feel like the first chilly nights of the new school year. Closing track “Pain, Sweet, Pain” features sounds of the guitar, fiddle, and banjo that expertly transfer the contentment autumn brings.
3) How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? by Big Red Machine
The sophomore album of the joined forces of Aaron Vernon (best known for being Taylor Swift’s producer) and Justin Vernon (A.K.A. Bon Iver) display autumnal energy through the alternative synth sounds, layered with spooky, flat-ridden key signatures. The hushed vocals combined with folksy guitar riffs in between lines in “The Ghost of Cincinnati” embody the feeling of Halloween approaching. The use of trumpets on “Phoenix” and cello on “Hoping Then” sonically convey the natural decay that happens in the fall, and how things start to naturally slow down.
2) Red (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift
Swift’s most autumnal album, the tracks from Red encapsulate the progression of autumn. The country influences on the majority of Red’s tracks give it an easily identifiable autumn essence. Songs like “State Of Grace,” “Holy Ground,” and title track “Red” convey early September’s hope for the upcoming season, while “The Last Time,” “Sad Beautiful Tragic,” and “All Too Well” exemplify November’s transition to winter. Famed track “All Too Well” specifically uses autumnal imagery and symbols, such as a scarf, and sets the scene with “Autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place.” It’s no shocker an alternate version of the track is entitled a “Sad Girl Autumn Version.” Swift herself sums up her album’s sonic cohesion with the season best in title track “Red”: “Like the colors in autumn, so bright, just before they lose it all.”
1) Stick Season by Noah Kahan
Stick Season is the very best propaganda for a Northeastern autumn. The most prominent sonic presence on this album is the mandolin, giving the songs like “All My Love” and “New Perspective” a folksy, comforting, and ultimately familiar feel. Bonus track “Paul Revere” exemplifies the end of autumn and transition into the winter with its haunting bridge and accidentals in the hook of the song. The second half of the bonus track “Your Needs, My Needs” expertly reminds listeners of the heavy atmosphere the first dark winter nights bring. The climax during the progression for verse to chorus on opening track “Northern Attitude” is the epitome of all the warm feelings associated with autumn, not to mention the message of the song is about growing up with northeastern falls and winters. The title track of the album, “Stick Season,” exemplifies just that – the season of the sticks, or the time of year after the last leaves have fallen and before measurable snow.