Autumn, without doubt, is my favourite time of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I like all kinds of weather and all the seasons for different reasons but I am most definitely happiest in Autumn. One, it’s my birthday in September which is always fun to plan; and two, the fashions are always infinitely nicer than any other time of year. H&M is a prime example of this: I hate their predictable Spring florals but tend to live in their AW basics.

Autumn truly is the season of the white girl: endless nature/sunset Instagrams, Pumpkin Spice everything, Halloween, pumpkin patches and every shade of puffer jacket imaginable. As Black Friday (and therefore, Thanksgiving) is just round the corner and it becomes socially acceptable to switch into Christmas mode, I thought I’d write a quick summary of my favourite music this Autumn. I spend at least two hours a day on public transport currently, so I basically live in headphones. Hopefully, you won’t find my music taste super basic but even if it you do, oh well.

Autumn Playlist

• Mariners Apartment Complex by Lana Del Rey

Lana herself described this as an ‘end of Summer jam’ so in that sense, it’s pretty seasonal. Jack Antonoff’s production is flawless and musically, it’s a nice change of pace for Lana. Change, one of the closing songs from her most recent album Lust For Life, is quite similar sonically so it makes sense for her to transition away from this era with a similar composition. However, I love Mariners Apartment Complex especially because it’s continuing this newer lyrical narrative for her; no more crying over sugar daddies, Lana is ‘your man’ and revels in her omnipotence during this song.

• R.E.M by Ariana Grande

R.E.M is one of those songs that I just hum endlessly. I do like Ariana but until Sweetner (which is by no means perfect), her production and lyrics frustrated me as she’s so vocally talented but a lot of her earlier music is really formulaic.  R.E.M is actually a Beyoncé-reject from Lemonade but when you compare her demo with Ariana’s version, it’s clear Grande cleverly reworked it to fit her new musical aesthetic. It’s probably the only Pharell-Ari collab on Sweetner that I liked from the get-go (the beat/percussion alone is so well-produced) and it’s definitely an artistic progression.

• Moonlight by XXXTentacion

I’ll be completely honest, I never listened to X while he was alive and it was only when he died that he fully came to my attention. X had a chaotically brief life and after listening to 17 and ? it’s obvious that he had so much potential. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on his music but I like Moonlight because it’s super chill and melodic and it’s possibly the slickest production on ?. Some people don’t like short songs like this but I love looping interludes when I’m doing work, just for background noise.

• STARGAZING by Travis Scott

Travis Scott has 100% had the best 2018 he could have asked for (alongside Drake), with Astroworld being one of the biggest album releases of the year so far. Again, I’m not an expert on his music but I actually took the time to listen to Astroworld from start to finish and it’s just such a well thought-out concept album, I love the abandoned amusement park aesthetic (unlike some of the messier stylistic concepts I’ve heard this year.. Alex Turner, I’m looking at you!). Stargazing is a psychedelic haze featuring typical Travis ad libs every couple of lines (IT’S LIT!1!)  before segueing into a harder hitting flow from the 3 minute mark onwards pretty seamlessly.

• Garden (Say It Like Dat) by SZA

I know a lot of people have opinions on ‘unique’ voices (think Halsey, Khalid: anyone with a trademark ‘affectation’ to their voice) but I just love SZA’s lyrics; they’re so raw and real and create really visceral narratives. Garden is just a really dreamy slow jam with lots of different textures and layers; I also love the audio clip of her mom which comes at the end, discussing respect in relationships. Really though, I could’ve picked any song from CTRL as a highlight. It’s one of my favourite recent albums and something I always go back to.

• It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) by The 1975

Matty described this is ‘as the 1975iest 1975 song since the 1975 debut record’ and to be honest, he isn’t wrong. The 1975 love mixing super bright riffs and synth production with really darkly romantic lyrics and in many ways, It’s Not Living is fairly standard material. The lyrical narrative of the song throws around a passionate love affair with substance abuse and recovery and (pleasantly) collides with a really strong hook and sparkly refrains that have me replaying it constantly. I am biased in the sense that I love The 1975 but this song is just fab. The end.

• Follow My Girl by The Japanese House

I’ve listened to The Japanese House for quite some time, with Face Like Thunder being another favourite of mine. On Follow My Girl, the production is bright and saccharine and Amber’s signature style of stacking vocal tracks flows together perfectly with the standard synth motifs. Follow just has more depth and dimension than her previous work and much like fellow DirtyHit acts, The 1975, her melancholy lyrics jars with exuberant production to create a fun, dance-y sound.

• when the party’s over by Billie Eilish

Again, Billie Eilish is fairly new to me but she’s definitely got my attention. I still can’t believe she’s only 16 because she honestly makes me a) look 5 and b) feel so inadequate because she’s already achieved so much! when the party’s over is just the right amount of sad-girl aesthetic and raw vocals. For a 16 year old, the song is super powerful despite its lullaby-esque softness. Lyrics like ‘let me let you go’ ache with vulnerability and are made even more poignant by Eilish’s whisper-singing.

• Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande

This is the most recent song I’ve added to this playlist but in this case, last is definitely not least. This song is just a big fat mood. When I first listened to it, I was genuinely taken aback to hear her name-drop so many exes but her transparency is super refreshing. The whole sentiment of acknowledging the impact that others have had upon your own self-development, even if they’re no longer in your life, is such a healthy way to process relationships and loss. Thank U, Next works so well because it’s a serenely honest track that showcases Ari’s effortless vocal ability and finally gives the listener some interesting lyrical content.

There is more to this playlist but I just highlighted my favourites to give you a snapshot of what kind of sound I’ve been loving recently (the more synth the better, it seems!). Honourable mentions also include Teenage Fantasy by Jorja Smith, The Moment by Fickle Friends, Venice Bitch by Lana Del Rey and Mine by Bazzi. Thank you so much for reading and happy listening (should you not think my music taste is total trash!!)

Hol xo