Fall Playlist
Written by Elisa Diaz. Graphic by Miha Palancha.
Fall is a time of reflection, a push from nature into the next chapter. My first quarter has been one of success, failure, homesickness, exhilaration, and a major life change condensed into ten weeks.
It has been a journey, and as every hero’s journey goes, this playlist has its ups and downs. It twists and turns with you. You, the protagonist, travel across numerous genres and hear the tales of artists.
Therefore, while fall is the season of russet leaves, pumpkin spice, costumes and spooky decor; it is above all a season of change. A step into something new.
- Prelude (Over the Garden Wall) – Over The Garden Wall & The Blasting Company
Every good soundtrack (or in our case, playlist) starts with a prelude. After a friend recommended the soundtrack to me, I was inspired to watch “Over the Garden Wall,” a beautiful animated series about two brothers trying to find their way home. It is the perfect comfort show for settling into fall and the new quarter. I selected this song as the introduction to welcome you in without the weight of lyrics.
- Coffee for Dinner – Orion Sun
“Crossing state lines, hoping I could feel something,” is a lyric many of us college students can relate to. A song about remembering the past and the people who were part of it. This song is a calm reminder of what it is to be human and how we handle change. It affects us, our choices, and how we either avoid it or crave it. A strong blend of indie and R&B to consume during late-night thoughts, creating different versions of past moments.
- Nice To Each Other – Olivia Dean
A favorite of mine from Olivia Dean’s album “The Art of Loving,” one of the best albums to listen to during the fall season, especially while driving. I love this song because of its story: it encapsulates the experience of having feelings for someone, but wanting to avoid the expectations that come with being in a relationship. She defines this scenario perfectly with the term “classic stuff,” her way of describing the patterns in every relationship that become tedious, saying instead of doing.
- Long Walk Home – Scenic Route to Alaska
Another recommendation from a friend: the track has a driving rhythm that feels as if the drums and guitar are crying out with the singer. An anthem about reflection and overthinking, with a slight touch of comparison. Through the use of repetition, the lyrics drill the writer’s rumination into the listener’s brain in a beautiful, aching way. This song forces you to feel it all.
- Moonlight – KAWALA
KAWALA has a way of giving the listener a sense of tranquility. The perfect band to listen to on the way to class, with their pairing of melancholy lyrics and energetic arrangements. Their music feels like the calm after the storm, when everything is settling back into place. If you find walking in crowds or piling into the bus overwhelming, playing this song will make it all disappear.
- Oblivion – Grimes
From the album “Visions,” this track was Grimes’ way of empowering herself after experiencing assault. Instead of making a purely dispiriting song, she made her fears of walking alone at night into a playful, comforting song. A soft anthem of resistance, turning pain into a thing of beauty. This mix of electronic beats with soft piano serves as the ideal transition into the rest of the playlist.
- Boogieman – Childish Gambino
A spooky title is required in a fall playlist, but its name carries a much heavier meaning than one would realize. Childish Gambino’s greatest skill is creating lively tracks with powerful meanings. Pay attention to the lyrics: “But if he’s scared of me, how can we be free?” If you have the time, research the meaning of the word “boogie” in the United States. Learn the history of it, then listen to this song again, and watch how you hear it in a whole new way.
- Strike Me Down From Heaven – Wasia Project
From their new album “Nocturne,” the brother and sister duo (William Gao and Olivia Hardy) show the power of being classically trained musicians. Their greatest ability is how they are able to gut-punch the listener, whether through their lyrics or their instrumentation. The best example of this is the section of the song with the lyrics, “Strike me down from heaven, God, so I can believe again.” This part of the song always creates goosebumps.
- Psycho Killer – Talking Heads
Had to have another eerie song, and what better to pick than “Talking Heads” in their prime (i.e., before the group drama, a fun thing to research whenever you’re bored). When I was little, I would daydream scenarios and pretend to be the main character in the film. And whether you’re imagining running in a horror film or being a vigilante, this is the song for escaping into your own little world.
- Autumn In New York – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
A classic, “Autumn in New York” is the feeling of November enclosed in five minutes of honeyed voices. A song about homesickness, feeling as if the place you love is no longer yours. Fitzgerald and Armstrong’s soft tones pair together perfectly in this beautiful tribute to the city of New York.
- Fall In Love With A Girl (feat. Orla Gartland) – Cavetown
The sweetest reality check, this track speaks of the heartful possibilities that can happen after moving on.
The song almost feels like a tease, with Cavetown and Orla Gartland’s voices being a soft welcome into a new chapter. It is a message to pick yourself up, preventing the past from holding onto you and affecting your chance at happiness.
- My Love Mine All Mine – Mitski
No one can compare to Mitski and her ability to put listeners in a trance with her voice. I selected this song because of its significance: everything we have is temporary except for our love. Our ability to love, our devotion to it, stays with us forever. And to make it even more impactful, Mitski is asking for the moon to take her love when she dies, and shine it on her loved ones so they may have it forever. And I truly believe our ability to love and show love, is the greatest mark we can leave on Earth.
- Wildfire – Wasia Project
Yes, there are two “Wasia Project” songs; I need everyone to listen to their new album. My favorite track on it, “Wildfire,” truly represents the feelings that burn within your chest when the one you love does not understand you. Olivia’s voice has this capability to make the listener feel every ounce of pain within the lyrics. The repetition of the final lyrics sung by both Olivia and her brother is the perfect closing to the song: “Come back, it’s all in my head. Fight back, we’ll try it again.”
- Everywhere and Everything – Noah Kahan & Gracie Abrams
It is a Spotify requirement to include at least one Noah Kahan song in a fall playlist. Jokes aside, this track is a powerful declaration of love, an expansion of the words “til death do us part.” And when Noah and Gracie Abrams sing together, it feels like a flashback scene in a movie, where you see everything the characters have been through to make it where they are. This song is an exhale, a release of all the tension before the final song.
- Too Small For This World – Mandelbro
The end of the journey, a song that would perfectly fit the end of almost every coming of age film. The lyrics with the drums flow perfectly in this plea for answers, expressing different phases of understanding our place in the world. The main reason I selected this song was for its ending, the final loud cries of, “I’m too small for this world,” bleeding into the drums, while some take it as a sad, painful ending, in reality it is ending in acceptance. We are all simply atoms, the dust of stars coming together at the right place, the right time, to create the art that is our existence.
Listen to the playlist here!
