Pleaser’s Picks: The Quintessential Fall Album
Fall is quickly coming to an end, but these albums kept Pleaser cozy all season
Autumn has a sonic root. Summer releases are bright, fast, and if it’s 2024, ushering in the return of going to the club just as you are. But when the leaves start turning and Gilmore Girls hits Netflix’s top 10, the jam sesh starts to feel a little too energetic. You’ll notice that among Pleaser staff, autumn’s quintessential sound is chill, melancholic, even pastoral. Sure, these albums have their car-ride karaoke moments. But mostly, we all wanna get ready to hibernate in our playlists this season.
From pop to indie to ‘60s folk rock, these are the albums Pleaser’s music obsessed name our autumnal top-tiers:
Tori’s Pick: Norman Fucking Rockwell by Lana Del Ray
NFR was the backtrack of autumn 2019 — at once the worst season of my life and also the last time I can recall those months actually feeling like fall. I walked back to my dorm in the dark at 6 p.m., the ground wet and orange, to “Venice Bitch” and “Cinnamon Girl.” My early teens were defined by Born to Die, and NFR gave me the last sad girl fall before my 20s. The album is, to me, the closest a Lana album had felt to her first in the years since, which came with a bittersweet nostalgia I’ll forever associate with it. Now, when a chill hits all I want to hear is these airy vocals, acoustic and piano driven melodies, and most importantly: songs that last from over four minutes to over nine, dragging on like slow loss of sunlight.
Kaitlyn’s Pick: Red (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift
It might never get truly cold in the fall/winter where I live, but as soon as I feel the slightest crisp of fall air, Red is blasting through my headphones. The album opens with arguably one of the best opening tracks of all time, “State of Grace.” As soon as the iconic guitar intro starts, I am drinking a chai latte and walking amongst imaginary fall colored leaves. This album carries the listener through the ups-and-downs of being in your early 20s, which seems perfectly backdropped by the autumnal signs that the year is coming to a close.
Mya’s Pick: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel
I happened upon Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme in the discount bin of my local record store and it has been a staple of my annual fall playlist ever since. The album is nothing short of cinematic with vivid lyricism and beautiful acoustic instrumentation that transforms every song into a landscape. It’s hard to imagine “Scarborough Fair” without the chiming Dorian modalities and harpsichord, or “Homeward Bound” without the melancholic harmonies and intimate finger-plucked guitars. Even the album’s satirical folk rock moments such as “The Big Bright Green Pleasure” or “A Simple Desultory Philippic” never overshadow the album’s raw acoustic power. Timeless from concept to form, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme will transport you into that autumnal forest of a Scarborough Fair no matter when or where you listen to it.
Alyssa’s Pick: Melophobia by Cage the Elephant
Maybe it’s because of my inexplicable, withstanding association between early 2010s Tumblr and the death of summer, or because I can’t pry Cage the Elephant’s “Cigarette Daydreams” from the grips of my teenage self. “Melophobia” stands for fear of music, yet the fall was often when music became a lifeline for her. I think I always liked the juxtaposition –– Matt Shultz’s inner conflict as a mirror for my own. Moving through September –– arguably an alternative New Year –– as a contradiction. Something in the air shifts around October, and I’m reminded of listening to Melophobia, along with AM, The 1975 and I Love You. Melophobia falls in a sweet spot in Cage the Elephant’s discography, and its swift groove is never quite replicated by the Kentucky band as they returned to heavier rock influences on Social Cues. And, of course, it was released in October, allowing spookier tracks like “Black Widow” to shine.
Nia’s Pick: Blonde by Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean’s always-earnest but deeply mysterious emotional range is perfect for a season that is all about transition. Blonde is a masterclass on duality and transformation, most famously marked by the song “Nights.” At the exact midpoint of the album, the track abruptly switches from a bright guitar-forward caper through Ocean’s fast-paced life to a solemn retrospective about how “every night f*cks every day up / every day patches the night up.” You can find many dualisms in Blonde (day and night, shadow and sun, “Pink + White”) and they all point to the simultaneous sorrow and wonder of modern, often urban, life. Blonde is an autumn album for the city-stricken — for those who live in places where the shadows grow long under a low-hanging sun.
Maddie’s Pick: Harry Styles by Harry Styles
Harry Styles’ self-titled debut album is the perfect soundtrack for those chilly autumn days, with its mix of warm acoustic vibes and introspective lyrics that capture the reflective mood of the season. Whenever I feel the temperatures drop, this album immediately comes on. My favorites, "Two Ghosts" and "Ever Since New York," embody the album’s nostalgic, earthy, ‘70s-inspired sound, while tracks like "Kiwi" add a burst of rock and roll energy. With its personal touch and completely unique songs, this 10-track album feels intimate and timeless. And if you haven’t heard it on vinyl yet, you’re missing out – it takes the experience to a whole new level.
Allyson’s Pick: The 1975 by The 1975
It’s 2014 and I’m putting my 80 denier black tights on under my pink floral long-sleeve a-line dress from Forever 21, along with my Chelsea boots because the air is crisp, and the leaves are changing. My Bath & Bodyworks “Mahogany Teakwood” candle is burning, and I’m putting my new vinyl copy of The 1975’s debut album on my blue Crosley suitcase record player I got for Christmas the year before. “Chocolate” had already been a radio hit for a while but I was only just now catching on, releasing myself from the grips of One Direction, feeling a pull to the darker and moodier side of Britpop, to fit my darker and moodier 19-year-old attitude. I wanted to be cool enough to smoke, drink, wear tiny, grungy clothes and go backstage at their shows. I wanted to be that girl he brought on stage to make out with – while also being equally terrified of all those things. So, I settled for listening to this album, even though I could barely make out what Mr. Healy was saying half the time, over and over again, imagining myself as Effy from Skins, being the object of an indie pop/rock star’s desires. That is what screams fall to me.
Lauren’s Pick: The Head And The Heart by The Head And The Heart
This album is so incredibly nostalgic for me. Every single song makes me want to drink a cup of tea and lay in a ray of autumn sunshine and cry but only just a little <3
Anna’s Pick: Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood
Like the perfect fall afternoon, Weyes Blood’s Titanic Rising feels nostalgic, ephemeral, melancholic and hopeful. The album touches on the complicated emotions associated with loneliness, and maybe a slight feeling of impending doom that the end of the world is coming — and yet, it’s always comforting. The opening track “A Lot’s Gonna Change” meets you where you are with the perfect blend of optimism and realism. “Movies” is as bold and cinematic as you would expect, wondering why life never feels like the movies you wish it would. If you’re like me and fall always makes you feel the need to reevaluate your entire life, what got you where you are and where you could possibly be going from here— Titanic Rising is perfect for those reflective, cozy autumn afternoons inside.
Grace’s pick: I’m Green by Mali Velasquez
Apart from this just being one of my favorite albums of all time, I’m Green is rich in emotional urgency, giving in to the grief in a way that almost resembles the subtle change of the weather in late October. The album was released about this time last year, and it’s been a testimony to what it feels like to crash, burn and then start all over again. I’m Green is emotion in its rawest form, narrative-driven and a beautiful album to listen to, start to finish, draped in 50-degree weather and fully submerged in Mali’s folky vocals and indie/rock instrumentation.
Lindsey’s Pick: Orange Blood by Mt. Joy
All three of Mt. Joy’s album scream fall to me, but Orange Blood in particular just oozes the chill autumn vibes. Songs like the title track, or even “Evergreen” and “Phenomenon,” encapsulate the feeling of sitting outside at night in front of a bonfire or watching the leaves fall. I tend to fall into a rut of only listening to more folk-y tunes in the fall and this album is easily my go-to first pick.
Sarah’s Pick: America by America
It was between this and Parachutes by Coldplay, but I decided that could be better slated as a winter album. I haven’t listened to America in a while, but each time I do I’m transported back to my dad’s house: the warm, cozy living room juxtaposed by the brisk air outside. Just listen to the guitar of the opening song “Riverside” and tell me that doesn’t exude autumn? The harmonies, the creative arrangement and the warmth from 1972 analog tape make this the perfect fall album. It was produced by famed Beatles producer George Martin, so you know you’re in for a treat.
Lucy’s Pick: This Is Really Going To Hurt by Flyte
This Is Really Going To Hurt is a no-skip masterpiece; as a whole the album reminds me of crisp sunny days with a chill that rustles the trees. Flyte has a pastoral and choral quality to their lyrics and mixing loosely reminding me of the iconic autumnal staple Fleabag. The lyrics of “Mistress America,” “And I've never prayed before / But if it keeps the devil from your door / I'll kneel down and bruise my knees / On your hard linoleum floor," are so diabolically Connel Waldron from Normal People coded its ridiculous. It’s the perfect album for those grieving from the loss of relationships, are semi-self-loathing, chronically existential and lovers of the appropriate levels of synth in music. P.S. “Under The Skin” is the best song ever created, and I will never change my mind.
Collection edited by Tori D’Amico
