By Silvana Smith | Alumni Contributor
Hot Girl Summer is over. The leaves have fallen, the Bath and Body Works candles are lit, and pumpkin spiced lattes are here. Spooky season is among us.
Aside from the changing weather and the uptick in seasonal marketing campaigns, Autumn is also a special time for all the emotional kids out there. What’s spookier than facing your own emotions?
Music-wise, I like to let the cold weather reflect my emotions and adjust my Spotify choices according. I’ve always found Autumn to be the season for acoustics songs, power chords, and staring out of windows with headphones. A time to appreciate sad girl (or sad boi) lyrics, nostalgia, and music videos with fall aesthetics.
So in the name of curation, I have decided to compile some songs that I feel align with the season, and help you appreciate those fall vibes outside as the leaves fall on your walk home. Here you’ll find a variety of genres ranging from 2000’s emo, pop punk, and indie rock, to alt-fem pop, folk, and lo-fi tunes.
With that in mind, here is my little collection of song picks for the season (some old, some new) that hopefully will get you into the mood. Enjoy <3 Also mercury hits retrograde October 31st, so if that doesn’t get you in the spooky mood, I don’t know what will.
it’s almost halloween - panic! @ the disco
A classic. Anyone with a YouTube account back in 2008 will remember this iconic bop where the band Panic! At the Disco released a halloween song with a music video akin to that of a middle school video project, complete with cheap costumes and its own dance moves. Recorded and shot while on tour, both the song and video have a nostalgic, low-fi quality to it and (according to the drummer) some parts of the song were even recorded in a locker room. With all the high production value of a lot of today’s music industry, it’s nice to look back on a song that’s just a bunch of friends jamming out together and not taking themselves too seriously. The lighthearted, late 60’s style tune is a fun way to get into the spooky spirit and reminisce of simpler, Obama-era times. More than a decade later, it’s still remains a cult classic for fans and (in my opinion) is worth the rewatch every October.
lucy - soccer mommy
Flash forward 11 years and we have the latest release from Soccer Mommy, just in time for spooky season. Along with some already haunting guitar riffs, the lyrics delve into a complex relationship with none other than Lucifer himself, affectionately referred to as Lucy. Grappling with temptation and deceiving looks, the record is apt for a season full of vices. It’s a perfect listen for when the nights get longer and you find yourself succumbing to the darkness (especially during that scorpio season right?)
all the good girls go to hell - billie eilish
“My lucifer is lonely.” Talking about succumbing to evil, the 5th track off of Billie Eilish’s debut album also shares the perfect spooky vibe to be included on this playlist. Groovy and haunting at the same time, the song serves as a reminder that maybe, sometimes, it’s okay for someone to “want the devil on her team,” and embrace her dark side. My favorite version of this single is the acoustic performance on the Howard Stern show, and may I say her vocals are *chef’s kiss*. Bonus track: the acoustic version of Bury a Friend is also a great track for any and all spooky listening sessions.
humming - turnover
Let’s move on to something a little less spooky and a little more autumnal. Humming is a song that always makes me feel nostalgic for fall and my first pick whenever I’m on the road or have a chance to watch some foliage from a car window. The guitar tones and lyrics feel extremely nostalgic, while the soft vocals put me in the perfect reflective mood.
“Carelessly you pass the hours, humming songs you heard when you were young,” and other lyrics put me at ease and remind me of all the schoolhouse memories that fall always makes me recall. The dreamy sounding track reminds you that even when times get dark, someone will be there to help you “make it out alive.”
cheek - mooseblood
“You’re my favorite when you’re smoking on the pavement
And you’ve got your collar up
You’re talking too much and god damn it’s cold”
One of my all time favorite songs in general, this song reminds me of a lot of my college days walking around campus in the fall. Especially during this time of year, it can be really easy to want to cuddle up next to a laptop and sulk whenever that seasonal depression hits, but moody tracks like this are able to feel cathartic and hopeful at the same time. This song reminds me that even when the weather gets cold, you can still feel a spark with someone.
you can’t eat cats kevin - mom jeans
Speaking of cuddling up next to a laptop, sometimes vegging out during an Office marathon is actually just what the doctor ordered to de-stress. The title (and much else off the 2018 Mom Jeans album Puppy Love) is an homage to The Office, season 9 episode 1. The lyrics really hit the spot with
“Let's just smoke a bowl and talk about this later
I just wanna watch The Office and turn in early
Tomorrow morning is a whole new fucking problem
And I just might not survive the night
If you can't find the time to be nice to me
(BE NICE TO ME!)”
Especially considering mercury in retrograde, it can be easy for people to get on your nerves this time of year and sometimes it is best just to watch some netflix and let the annoyances of the day roll off your back. At least until morning.
carry - microwave (bad dreams)
Carry is a slightly darker track, with lyrics to match. Everybody’s got baggage that they carry with them everyday. As the days get shorter, sometimes that baggage can feel heavier than usual. I highly recommend everything Microwave does, but I especially appreciate their lyricism. This song is particularly sinister and eerie, and perfect for those long emo nights. “Do you murder me in your lucid dreams? Oh god, I hope you do”
heathens - boston manor
Heathens by twenty one pilots has been one of my favorite spooky songs since its release, but Boston Manor’s cover off of Fearless Records’ Punk Goes Pop collection adds a slightly darker edge to the record. With more traditional punk instrumentation and added screaming vocals, the track touches on how you don’t always know the weird, dark things going on underneath the surface of the people around you. However, the oddly unifying community that comes with being an outcast and failing to subscribe to societal norms has always been a pillar of emo music culture and I like how this song fits nicely within that niche.
grand theft autumn- fall out boy
Turning the clocks back (daylights savings pun) to early 2000’s emo, it wouldn’t be an Autumn playlist without this iconic Fall Out Boy song. Straight from their early days of unrequited love, this track from 2003 will resonate with any kid who feels stuck in their hometown. The song is also accompanied by an equally classic cold weather music video from before the rise and fall of emo boys wearing skinny jeans. This throwback track will be perfect for anyone who’s single and pining during this cuffing season.
monster - paramore
From one of the darkest music videos Paramore have ever done, Monster was a song born out of a somewhat turbulent time in their career where band members were lost and bridges were burned. Anyone who’s got some inner rage will find themselves singing along to the angsty lyrics. Although starbucks ads might have you believe fall is a time to be warm and cozy, that’s not always the case. Heartbreak happens and friendship fall apart, but what’s a better way to keep warm than burning a few bridges? “Now that you’re gone, the world is ours”
Bonus Tracks: Twilight’s Decode along with it’s woodsy music video will always be an emo fall staple as well as their older track Conspiracy. Also: props to Hayley for sporting neon roots in the music video before Billie Eilish made it cool
sleep paralysis - bad suns
Anyone one who has experienced sleep paralysis will know how truly terrifying it can be, even when you know it’s not real. The lyrics and dark instrumentals perfectly capture that spiraling feeling. Sometimes, however much we try to repress out fear and feelings, our body has a way of bringing them to the surface of our consciousness. Bad dreams, scary dreams, or even just trippy ones can leave you spooked for the rest of the day, haunting your thoughts.
Side note: As someone who’s seen this song performed live, Bad Suns gives phenomenal performance and usually jumps into the crowd during the chorus. 10/10 would recommend catching one of their shows.
glasgow - catfish and the bottlemen
Let’s be honest. As we see people around us coupling up for the spooky season, some of us can’t help but think there’s nothing scarier than falling in love, or worse; commitment. However, even if we hate to admit it, autumn is a pretty romantic time. Taking shelter from the cold in each other, sipping mulled wine to keep warm. Glasgow is a simple, sweet acoustic song about falling in love with a girl and a city. Without being cliche, the song does the cold months justice and delivers a raw and nostalgic melody, fit to warm any skeptic’s heart.
killer - phoebe bridgers
As the playlist comes to a somber close, this ballad off Phoebe’s Stranger in the Alps album is a bittersweet song about finding yourself in love. Or as Phoebe inroduced it once at her NPR Tiny Desk Concert, “this song is about murder.” It can be scary to be vulnerable and to open ourselves up, especially in a relationship. When all is said and done, sometimes it’s what’s inside of us that scares us the most, not any bad dream we’ve had or monster under the bed. This song is largely about recognizing the damaged and destructive parts of ourselves, and feeling defeated in the inability to change them. But on that melancholic note, I’ll end this playlist in the same way she pulls the plug and ask you to “know that I’ve burned every playlist, and given all my love.”
So there you have it; all 13 of my spookiest, most emotional picks for this autumn season. So go forth, soak up the season, and feel all the emotions you want. Rise emo girl autumn. Feel free to check out the full list on spotify, including all bonus tracks and honorable mentions (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3R9HFBNT1CCGjPdFaC3yls?si=HYSdsYPJSNGkF4WvyB7wUg). Stay Spooky.
Honorable mentions:
Mercury retrograde
Cemetery - say anything, chia-like, church channel, spidersong, death for my birthday, i love you more than i hate my period
Zombie- cranberries
Fob - we were doomed from the start, caffeine cold
Jobless monday mitksi
Pmore - franklin? Classic hometown song,
Skin and bones - motion city, the future freaks me out
No good - knuckle puck
Ghostin - ari
Uncomfortably numb - americ anfootball
Honest mistake - handsome ghost
Someone Somewhere somehow - super whatevr
Neon gravestones - twenty one pilots
Using - sorority noise
Right choice - can’t swim
Shaylee, shanel - hot mulligan
Stone - born without bones
Fine, great - modern baseball
Katherin with a k - super whatevr
Motion sickness - phoebe
Creep- radiohead
Mcr - mama, dead!,
I put a spell on you - screamin’ jay hawkins
The (after) life of the party - fall out boy, twin skeletons
Panix- let’s kill tonight, nearly witches
Twenty one pilots-cancer
Idk how - choke
mcr- ghost of you/ im not okay/helena
nightmare - halsey
Teenagers? Mcr, vampires will never hurt you
Conspiracy paramore misguided ghosts, monster, decode, i caught my self, turn it off
Mara and me - say anything, cemetery
When i get home you are so dead - mayday parade, black cat
All over you - spill canvas
Losing fight - movements, nineteen
Blonde hair, black lungs - sorority noise
Cardiac arrest - bad suns , sleep paralysis, how am i not myself, maybe we’re meant to be alone, transpose
if it makes you happy - michael cera palin
i got drunk - miya folick, (scary letting someone know you like them)
call off the bells - the early november
nightmare - halsey
figuring it out - swmrs (future is scary)
clairvoyant - the story so far