Autumn isn’t an easy season–especially for writers and musicians.  I am both. I like to think I invented the feeling of “seasonal-nostalgia.” For some reason when the leaves change color and school starts I am overcome with a spew of melancholy longing for my “youth.”  I’m only eighteen.

Maybe it’s a side effect from moving to a completely different part of the country, but time and time again every autumn it strikes me down with intense emotionalism that can only be coped with through music. Isn’t that the case with most things in life?

 For example, my best friend only listens to Grouplove in the winter with psychopathic commitment. People seem to pair up music and seasons all the time. Spend five minutes on the Tumblr “playlist” tag and you’ll see what I mean. We all pair up songs and seasons like fine wine and dining.

Personally, my experience leads me to believe that there is no back to school soundtrack quite like the perfect mix of alternative folk, soft punk, and RnB. So from my headphones to you, here are the five grooviest tunes to help you “fall into Autumn.” 

• Hide- Rainbow Kitten Surprise

I can’t begin to think of songs that highlight the intricate mix of autumn emotion without at least mentioning Rainbow Kitten Surprise once. “Hide” was released as the eighth track on their newest album, How to: Friend, Love, Freefall dropped in April 2018. Buried under other unsurprisingly powerful experimental tracks, “Hide” explores a deeper side of lead vocalist Sam Melo’s subconscious. The song illustrates a gay narrative as the speaker deals with falling in love, coming out, and the fear that comes with having queer romance in any form. It is truly an achillean journey more than anything else and I highly suggest it.

Pairs best with: driving down the interstate while it’s raining.

• Capable- The Wild Reeds

When I first heard “Capable” I totally freaked out. I noted, because how could you not, the cool scratchy sounding electric introduction, but did so without feeling particularly pulled. But the next ten seconds completely changed that for me. The vocals are introduced almost naked and fall into the hazy vibrational tone of the beginning instrumentals and the soft build of light percussion. Though the vocals match perfectly within the warm tones the song establishes, it adds an entire new layer to the music. The end of the first line ends powerfully with: “Bite your pencil harder than you were planning to,” and initiates the introduction of the other main backing instruments in the track. 

    With a clean reverbed guitar, high pitched bassline, and lyrics more prose poetry than anything, “Capable” encompasses every hopeful gem of the young adult experience with more poignant regard than I could deliver to you. Just listen.

Pairs best with: reminiscing about a lost lover and drinking “cider.”

• Hands Down- The Greeting Committee

This song has everything you could ever want out of a track: guitar riffs in what I have deemed “the happy octave,” dramatic pauses, an upbeat tambourine, groovy basslines, thoughtful lyrics, and an impossible-not-to-dance-to chorus. What I love about this song is the way it is unashamedly happy, there are no contradictions or failed attempts at angst. This is a happy song, but doesn’t leave a two dimensional trace, so with impact and positivity this was an instant favorite of mine. Still don’t see it? I submit to you, the breakdown. I am obsessed with this bridge, it’s a layered combination of many different feelings and tones that comes together seamlessly. It’s sensitivity, it’s naivete, it’s a picture of big-hearted music. The best part of this song is that you can feel kindness seeping out of every second. 

Pairs best with: making a leaf pile while simultaneously having a dance party.

• Blue Slide Park- Mac Miller

I think as a generation we have all agreed that Mac Miller was one of the best things to come out of 2000’s hip hop. “Blue Slide Park,” an older track from the late legend, encompasses an odd contrast of sophisticated innocence. In the song Miller masters something of a playful maturity, weaving between thoughtful recollections of youth and shameless flexing and in doing so he finds a flawless equilibrium of the young-adult experience. The track dropped in 2011 and feels vintage, but not dated. There are definitive allusions to classic rap groups but it still feels new aged, or just simply, new. The entire song is undoubtedly upbeat and catchy, but it still remains listenable and built around a slower tempo. It’s fun but it’s not abrasive. Another perfect paradox from the man himself.

Pairs best with: Walking from J all the way to E.

• Clean Jeans- Remember Sports

Okay, listen. I can’t make a fall playlist without putting at least one true rocker on the list, and I saved the killer for last. I mean just look at the cover- it’s as DIY Punk as it gets. But this song doesn’t arrive here without reason, in fact I have talked to multiple musicians (admittedly punk musicians, bias noted) who agree that this tune may just be the perfect representation of the fall season, and all it’s tricks and turns. 

    The song is a narrative, cynical and poetically under-simplified. Unlike “Blue Slide Park,” this is hands-down the most abrasive song on this list. With gritty rhythm guitar, aggressive snare driven percussion, and admittedly angsty vocals, this song is a clear masterpiece of the genre. Two minutes packed with depressive-almost-adult tendencies wrapped in a mosh-able beat. What’s not to like? Just the line, “I could be at Crossfit, like you, but I’d rather be dead,” is museum worthy in itself. I tried to make music as cool as this hit for like, two years, and it didn’t work. Unreplicable genius. Give this one a listen and tell us what you think, do you have enough teen rebellion for this DIY classic? 

    Pairs best with: Doing your economics homework and pretending you’re hardcore.