ALBUMS THAT FEEL LIKE FALL

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The air is crisp, orange leaves crunch under my feet, and a light breeze wraps around me in my snug sweater. I can already taste the freshly baked pumpkin bread waiting at home as I curl up under a blanket to watch Harry Potter.

Or at least— that’s the reality I hope for. In Texas, we don’t really have a true autumn. Even in October, you can walk out in shorts and a tank top and still find pools of sweat gathered in every fold of your body. Since the weather refuses to cooperate, I turn to music to transport me. Here are albums that scream fall to me and are on repeat this season.

I know y’all are obsessed with Tucker bringing out a different Sally whenever he performs “Sally, When the Wine Runs out.” However, the rest of his album, Kansas Anymore, deserves just as much love. The album blends folk-tinged warmth with lyrics steeped in heartbreak and homesickness. It contains songs like “Superglue” that are hopeful and a melody to skip along to, while there are ballads that run deep like “Something, Someday, Somehow.” Whether you’re driving during golden hour or doing homework with a pumpkin spice candle, there’s something for everyone.

Ready for your Sad Girl Autumn? Lizzy McAlpine has you covered. Older (And Wiser) is a perfect indie folk album that screams melancholy. Her lyricism is raw, poetic, and utterly disarming—you can almost feel the pages of her journal turning. McAlpine’s most popular song from this album is “Spring Into Summer,” but my personal favorites are “All Falls Down” and “The Elevator.” Perfect for a long mental health walk. This is an album that makes the world slow down for a while.

I listened to Olivia Dean’s album in preparation for her performance at ACL and fell in love with her smooth, warm vocals. The Art of Loving opens with the gentle sound of birds chirping before gliding into velvety, jazz-inspired tracks that feel timeless. Every song feels like a single in its own right and tells a cohesive story of tenderness and self-growth. This is an album perfect to listen to on your morning commute or while doing your chores on a Sunday.

I fear, I did not hop on the Strokes train until last year, but I have been obsessed ever since. Compared to their older work that screams reckless youth, The New Abnormal trades some of that grit for introspective, painfully candid lyrics. Musically, the album has some elements of disco pop, guitar riffs, and outtakes of studio chatter dispersed throughout that make it feel intimate and alive. It’s the rare record that fits any mood, whether you’re taking a long walk, nursing a hangover after a night out, or walking to the grocery store on a Sunday morning.

While I still navigate towards classics such as Folklore or the Harry Potter soundtrack for fall, these albums have been a godsend in recent times as I yearn for the Texas weather to finally cool down. For a more varied soundtrack, of course, I have a perfectly curated autumn playlist if you’re interested. Happy listening and may your pumpkin bread always rise!