My friends, autumn is here. There are endless special things about this time of year. My cute, comfy jacket is finally in rotation, and morning coffee is always different when there’s a touch of chill (and nostalgia) in the air. Knowing that the childish fun of Halloween is just around the corner, it’s hard to get discouraged.
For me, autumn is also synonymous with a little adventure. Living in New York City has its perks, but being close to nature isn’t one of them. I grew up in the Midwest. There, vast plains and vast horizons were the criteria of my growth. Loved being outdoors, especially when the leaves started to change. So as soon as midsummer hits, we start planning a leafy vacation for the season ahead: next weekend her husband and I head to the Adirondack Mountains. There you’ll hike, enjoy the charming cabins, and visit a brewery she or he two. We’re also planning a leaf-peeping road trip in the last week of October. Start in the Poconos, Pennsylvania, head to the Finger Lakes region of central New York, and end in the Catskills of eastern New York.
Through high school and college, my best friend and I burned mix CDs each season, but eventually transitioned to digital playlists. Did. I’ve put a bunch of them together in a “Fall Tunes” folder that lovingly houses old playlists with names like “August Chill,” “Back to Skool,” and “Autumn Out East.” (We were so cool, weren’t we?) Hearing their songs again this week evoked so many emotions.
We picked some of the greatest hits from that folder, as well as some new discoveries, to curate the playlist below. It offers everything from Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” (very witchy vibes) to Japanese Breakfast’s “Posing for Cars” (a great guitar solo that drowns all your senses). And yes, we added Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Because no fall playlist is complete without some spooky ’70s rock classics. We hope you enjoy these songs on a moody autumn afternoon.
Full playlist:
- “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac
- “The Confusion Is Mine” by Vance Joy
- ‘New Slang’ by The Shins
- “Call me in the afternoon” by Half Moon Run
- ‘If I Ever Feel Better’ by Phoenix
- “Right Down the Line” by Jerry Rafferty
- “Can’t Fight” by Lianne La Havas
- Halcinogenics Matt Mason feat. Lana Del Rey
- The darling of real estate
- Bon Iver “For Emma”
- “September” Ayoni
- “Ophelia” by The Luminaries
- “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult
- “Full Moon” by Black Ghost
- “One Man Wrecking Machine” by Gaster
- Phantogram “When I was little”
- Fleet Fox’s “White Winter Hymnal”
- “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star
- ‘Rosyln’ by Bon Iver and St. Vincent
- Japanese Breakfast “Car Pose”
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