slice of lime

What makes an autumn album? We all know the classic sounds of Smashing Pumpkins and The Cranberries come to mind and have crowned themselves as the quintessential fall albums. Yet, I find the albums that sit best in the darker months expand beyond their ambience and angst.

My top five albums as we move into the colder months:

Much Love – Microwave

A deeply winter album, it hits its most usage as the days get colder. The angst and thick guitar of these post-punk bands sits well in the dropping temperatures, and sits best with stiff, frozen fingers and long cigarette breaks. The 2016 album makes its way into my rotation as soon as the seasonal depression settles in. From the sadistic hum of “Drown” to the whiny acceptance of “Wrong”, the album is an exploration of what happens to midwest emo boys as they grow up.

These albums tend to hide behind something to avoid the acceptance that Much Love instead leans into. The vulnerability is refreshing, even as vocalist Nathan Hardy admits to being a shitty lover, someone to waste time with, and a slippery slope into being unwanted. All of the self-loathing is backed by thick, alternative drums and bright, twinkling guitars.

If your favorite things to do in the fall are Halloween festivities and taking advantage of the colder weather by skateboarding these albums might be best for you.

The Queen is Dead – The Smiths

Nothing seems to have changed since 1986, because the emotions portrayed in The Smiths’ album as just as relevant today. The album is a quintessential cold weather album for me with its thick guitars and swirling lyrics. A continuation of the post-punk sounds of the time, The Smiths made themselves a household name with their open despair. What is more appropriate for the switch into colder weather?

If your favorite fall activities are leaf peeping and drinking apple cider these might be the albums for you.

Smoke Ring for My Halo – Kurt Vile

Released in 2011 the album significantly increased the exposure of Kurt Vile. The album captures the late night thoughts and airy loneliness that comes with the sun setting at 5 pm. Vile calls it a “general wandering feeling”. The album is lo-fi and raw. It sounds like it could’ve been recorded in a singular room alongside the artists, an encompassing and visceral sound. It is best accompanied with a cup of hot tea in the morning, or next to a rain-streaked window next to a wheat field. Influenced by bands like Pavement and Bruce Springsteen, the twang comes through at times but continues down the guitar-forward indie melodies.

If you favorite fall activities are ruminating and baking everything pumpkin and apple these might be the albums for you.

Decide – Djo

While not the stereotypical autumn album, I promised a range of sounds and I meant it. Released in September 2022, my memory closely associates the beginning changes of color on trees with the synth melodies of Djo’s second album. With songs like “End of Beginning” and “Change” exploring the inevitable change that occurs throughout time, the album fits perfectly into the strange nostalgia that always follows this time of year. There isn’t a single song on this album I would skip, their thrumming bass lines fitting with the autumn vibes for everyone who doesn’t enjoy the more classically melancholy.

If your favorite fall activities include carving pumpkins and feeling the urge to change up your personality these might be the albums for you.