As the summer season comes to a close and fall begins,
students often find themselves thrust from the carefree
warm summer days into colder damp fall evenings. To
help transition to these colder quiet days we have created
the perfect moody fall playlist to study with, take a
walk with while admiring the fall foliage, or
snuggle up to with a warm drink and a
good book. Scan the QR code below to
get the full playlist.

“august” by Taylor Swift
The eighth track on Taylor Swift’s
eighth studio album, “folklore,”
“august” has become one of my
favorite fall songs to put on as we
enter the new season. The song sends
me back to the nostalgia of summer:
watching the sunset, driving around,
getting ice cream with friends, or sitting
by the campfire. The song is filled with contrast, as it has
a relatively fast paced rhythm, accompanied by Swift’s
soothing vocals and instrumental track. It is also sequential
to the album’s love triangle trilogy. My favorite line from
the song is, “Remember when I pulled up and said, ‘Get
in the car’ / And then canceled my plans just in case you’d
call? / Back when I was livin’ for the hope of it all, for the
hope of it all,” which contributes to the song’s intended
meaning, as it reflects on a characterized summer fling
that couldn’t be further developed. This sentiment is also
reflected in the other songs in the trilogy, “cardigan” and
“betty,” and further adds to the album’s concept as fictional,
as opposed to Swift’s autobiographical style seen prior.
Whether you’re a “Swiftie” or not, this song will transport
you into a euphoric daydream walk along the shore.

“Open Season” by High Highs
“Open Season” is the title track from Australian indie
rock band High Highs’ album “Open Season,” released
in 2013. When I hear this song, I picture myself winding
down after a long school day, and watching the leaves fall
from my window, due to the acoustic strumming in the
instrumental track. The song is slow and simple, but it
holds a powerful meaning underneath its soft, acoustic, and
composed structure. The song “Open Season” portrays a
person letting go of their resentful feelings that are holding
them back in life. The lyrics “get on your knees in the fire
/ you can leave it all in your mind” advise the audience
to take control of their thoughts and face their fears. I’d
recommend “Open Season” if you want to listen to a laid-
back song this fall.

“Not Strong Enough” by boygenius
“Not Strong Enough” is a song by American
indie folk rock supergroup boygenius,
consisting of artists Phoebe Bridgers,
Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus.
“Not Strong Enough” is the sixth
track on boygenius’s debut studio
album, “the record,” released a
year ago. This song, which layers
a composition of indie and rock
throughout, perfectly encapsulates
traveling and observing the fall
scenery. The song demonstrates the
evolution of finding yourself and your
true identity, which is reflected through
the undertones of vulnerability in the
lyrics. My favorite line would have to be, “Always
an angel, never a god,” because it sums up
the song as a whole, with the message
pertaining to women continuously
feeling like they are not good enough,
by being dehumanized as angels
collated to men as gods. The song
features a beautiful vocal blend
between the three musicians and
is accompanied by a music video
exploring the group’s friendship.

“Maine” by Noah Kahan
“Maine” is a song by indie rock artist
Noah Kahan on his EP “Cape Elizabeth.”
The song has recently been rerecorded on Kahan’s
new “Live from Fenway Park” album with new
instruments and vocals that bring the song to a new level.
“Maine” is a song about looking back on simple times in
life and reflecting on one’s personal growth through time.
Kahan perfectly depicts the feeling of being in love with
places and people, and how it feels to miss them as one
grows up and moves away, leaving their memories behind.
In the lyrics, “used to sing along to church bells on Sundays,
can you even hear them from the subway now,” he recalls
how everything in his life — including the sounds — has
changed. The song has such a beautiful melody that reminds
me of the music that plays at the end of a rom-com. This
is the perfect song to save for one of the last warm days of
summer when you’re sitting by the water and just enjoying
the scenery.

“Second Chances” by Gregory Alan Isakov
“Second Chances” is a song by Gregory Alan Isakov on
his album “The Weatherman.” “Second Chances” brings
me such nostalgia of childhood memories and happiness.
The song is relaxed and smooth but with powerful vocals
and lyrics. The best part of the song is the chorus, where
Isakov sings, “If it weren’t for second chances we’d all be
alone.” I feel that this line so powerfully portrays the ups
and downs of a relationship, and really prompts a moment
of reflection for how far we’ve come as individuals. This is
a feel good song that makes me feel so calm and centered.
Anytime I listen to it, I feel like I’m the main character in
a Greta Gerwig movie because the style is very similar to
the outros of her films.

“For Emma” by Bon Iver
“For Emma” by Bon Iver is an upbeat song that captures
the vibe of warmer fall days when the trees
are fully orange. The song is on Bon Iver’s
EP “For Emma, Forever Ago” and centers
around a failed relationship with a past
partner; while the relationship had gone
well in the beginning, it was time for it to
end and for the former partner to “go find
another lover.” The song is classic Bon Iver
with beautiful vocals and instrumentals
that create a sense of peaceful solitude.
If you want to listen to calm background
music while studying or reading a book,
this is the perfect song for you.

Phineas McCulloch's Work