Songs of September: 10 songs that capture the transition from summer to autumn
The transition from summer to autumn can be an uncomfortable one. All of a sudden, the sun is hidden away by an ever-increasing number of clouds, the days are getting shorter while the ground turns muddier. It’s a change that few people consider to be a welcome one, but there are some simple ways to soothe it, whether it’s via cosy films or scratchy records that ease the harshness of the cold air.
Certain genres and artists just come into their own in autumn. Familiar folk classics can provide the perfect sonic accompaniment for wholesome nights in, while fuzzy shoegaze sounds even better with crunchy leaves underfoot. Warm, wistful guitar music can serve to soften the changing of the seasons, while heavier, blurrier soundscapes provide an opportunity to lean into it.
Particular albums come into rotation each time September strikes. For shoegazers, it might be seminal releases like Loveless and Souvlaki, while those looking for something cosier might revert to their trusty indie folk records, to Alvvays and to Adrianne Lenker, to get them through the harsher months. But a new addition to dependable listening habits can never go amiss.
If you’re looking to bulk up your autumn playlist beyond those all-too-familiar albums, we’ve curated a list of our favourite tracks that capture and cushion the transition from summer to autumn. From modern guitar masters like Mary in the Junkyard to old favourites like Pavement and Yo La Tengo, find our full list of songs below.
10 songs that capture seasonal transition:
‘Ghost’ by Mary in the Junkyard
There’s something wispy about Mary in the Junkyard’s music and something intrinsically autumnal. Whether it’s the honeyed vocals of Clari Freeman-Taylor, the guitars that seem to twiddle their thumbs just beneath, or the crisp contributions of David Addison from behind the drum kit, their sound is primed for play during the colder months. Take ‘ghost’ as just one example of their suitability to September.
Buzzy twangs and biting drums provide a fuzzy soundtrack that sits somewhere between indie rock and shoegaze, two genres that come into their own between September and November. Sitting just atop, Freeman-Taylor sings of pretty people smoking in the kitchen, of rainy day tales and fear of change. Every line feels like autumn, particularly the idea that all she can do is “howl”.
‘The Best Tears of Your Life’ by English Teacher
Many people will lead you to believe that your uni years or your early 20s should be the best of your life, and those same people might lead you to believe that summer should be the best time of year. There’s a tendency to look back on both of these periods with rose-tinted glasses, or with bitterness towards the unrealised expectations of that time. On ‘The Best Tears of Your Life’, English Teacher singer Lily Fontaine falls into that trap.
“They said these would be the best years of your life,” she sings through autotune, over meticulously placed drums and twinkling keys. She meditates on comfort zones and chlorine tanks, longing to return to something that wasn’t all that great in the first place, knowing that she can’t go back. With just one listen, it’s easy to see why they took home the Mercury Prize a couple of weeks back.
‘Superstar Watcher’ by Yo La Tengo
With their cosy (but never over-comfortable) mix of shoegaze and noisy indie, Yo La Tengo are a truly essential autumn artist. Every playlist that seeks to soundtrack the run up to Christmas should be filled to the brim with their warm, fuzzy sound, but we’ve limited our picks from their discography to just the one: ‘Superstar-Watcher’ from their 1993 album Painful.
‘Superstar-Watcher’ doesn’t necessarily capture the transition from summer to autumn in its lyrics. In fact, the vocals on the track are buried completely under the instrumentation, almost indistinguishable. But Yo La Tengo don’t pile torrents of noise on top, merely reflective guitar twangs and gently droning tones. It’s a song that will lull you into the quiet of autumn.
‘Range Life’ by Pavement
Like Yo La Tengo, Pavement are another essential band for the upcoming season. For some reason, indie rock from the 1990s feels the most at home as the leaves turn brown and staying on the sofa becomes more appealing than a pint at the pub. There’s something about those slacker strums and strange lyrics that becomes all the more appealing post-summer.
‘Range Life’ might not be quite as iconic as ‘Harness Your Hopes’ – nor as indecipherable lyrically – but it’s the perfect song to take you from summer to autumn. It’s about settling down, and accepting the need to. “After the glow, the scene, the stage,” Stephen Malmus sings, “The sad, talk becomes slow.” He’s probably not talking about autumn, but he could be.
‘Tugboat’ by Galaxie 500
Fuzziness is an essential quality to seek out in any song you’re thinking of adding to your autumnal playlists, and few bands do it better than Galaxie 500. Before shoegaze came into its own in the 1990s, the American indie rockers created a similar, but slightly softer ambience with echoing guitars and airy vocals. They never achieved the same acclaim as those that followed, but not for a lack of quality.
‘Tugboat’, one of their slightly more well-known songs, demonstrates just how adept Galaxie 500 were at creating autumn-friendly collages of sonic fuzz. Singer Dean Wareham declares his desire to be on the water rather than making small talk at parties or debating presidential elections. “I just wanna be your tugboat captain,” he shrugs, before repeating the words, “It’s a place I’d like to be, it’s a place I’d be happy.” Repetitive and dreamy, it’s the perfect autumnal track.
‘Anything’ by Adrianne Lenker
Cuffing season might be approaching, but Adrianne Lenker certainly won’t be partaking. In between its brutal imagery of shotguns and dog bites, Lenker pens one of the most gorgeous love songs in modern memory on ‘Anything’, as well as an autumn staple. Instrumentally, there are glimpses of summer in the shimmery guitars and sweet vocals, each easing the transition to the colder months.
The song finds Lenker settling into mundanity and into her relationship, shrugging off ideas of ownership in favour of simple, sweet love. “I don’t wanna be the owner of your fantasy,” she sings, “I just wanna be a part of your family.” It’s the kind of song you’d stick on the record player while drinking a glass of wine with your partner, thanking God that you’re safe inside with them rather than out in the rain.
‘Where You Lead’ by Carole King
As soon as September arrives, there’s always a bit of confusion about whether it’s too early to turn on the heating—or even worse—how to transition your wardrobe from summer to one suited for cooler weather. Before long, the craving for a hot chocolate hits, and you realise that Netflix has the perfect solution for this in-between season: it’s time for an overdue rewatch of Gilmore Girls.
While Carole King’s classic ‘Where You Lead‘ was released long before the show came out, the song carries a nostalgic aura that feels just right for those days when the sun sets a little earlier and morning coffee shops are more inviting than evening beer gardens. Interestingly, the song actually lacks a lot of the poetic songwriting technique King employed in her other work, but its simplicity and melodic catchiness make for the ideal track for that strangely endearing transition into the colder months.
‘Never Let Me Go’ – Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine’s ‘Never Let Me Go’ might be an unconventional choice, but it’s the perfect autumn track with its atmospheric opening and midnight imagery. The lyrics, “Looking up from underneath / Fractured moonlight on the sea,” evoke a scene ideal for those wistful evenings when the moon casts its knowing light on everything around.
Florence Welch has mastered the art of creating oceanic, grandiose songs, with each one feeling like plunging into a vast sea of emotions and existential reflections. Summer rarely leaves room for deep introspection, but a song like ‘Never Let Me Go’ leads you into those contemplative spaces—like wandering through a landscape of fallen autumn leaves.
‘Fade Into You’ – Mazzy Star
Maybe it’s the inherent gloominess it exudes or the melancholy atmosphere generated in the vocals, but Mazzy Star seemed to hit the nail on the head with quintessential autumnal tracks when they released ‘Fade Into You’. The wistful guitar, the slow, sensual vocals, and the lyrics filled with longing seem to accompany those colder days well, creating the perfect backdrop for curling up with a warm drink and reflecting on the fleeting moments of beauty and nostalgia that autumn brings.
Beyond its obvious appeal, ‘Fade Into You’ is one of the most timeless songs ever made, its warm, contemplative arms creating an atmosphere where you can fully embrace the bittersweet beauty of those gloomier moments. It’s no wonder this track has been used in various films and television shows, as it also carries a certain cinematic quality for those more intimate scenes or ones where two characters flit off pining for one another.
‘There She Goes’ – The La’s
A more upbeat entry, ‘There She Goes’ not only seems the perfect autumnal song but it encourages joy and perseverance during a time when all of the joyful spirit of summer suddenly vanishes. With its themes of transition and movement, the song also captures the universal experience of adjustment, making it a fitting backdrop for the changing of the seasons.
Better yet, the song physically captures the feeling of walking with purpose through falling leaves and cooler air, the sense of unexpected possibility lurking around the corner at a coffee shop or local record store. It’s full of wonderment, the perfect comfort for those days when mixed emotions start to wander off into despair territory.
