As the weather in Fresno finally cools down, and we break out our sweaters and long-sleeved shirts, it’s the perfect time to revisit fall classics.
There’s something about the crisp air, changing leaves and midterms being behind us that makes me want to listen to the perfect music to reset for the season, and I’ve put together my top picks of new and old favorites to help Fresno State students get through these last few weeks of the fall semester.
10. “Being Funny In A Foreign Language” by The 1975
“Being Funny In A Foreign Language”, released Oct. 14, 2022, is a pop-inspired folk rock album. It is highly regarded as The 1975’s most solid work, with Rolling Stone’s Maura Johnston writing in a review that the album has repositioned the band at the forefront of 2020s pop-rock, “The duality [of its lyrics and sound] has helped make The 1975 one of the last decade’s most exciting rock bands on record.”
I love this album because it mixes the electropop genre with deep & reflective lyrics, which is one of my favorite ways to play with the sound.
The songs on “Being Funny In A Foreign Language” feel like they were made for the autumn season, particularly “Part Of The Band”, “Wintering”, “Happiness”, and my personal favorite, “About You.”
9. “Fleetwood Mac” (1975) by Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac’s second self-titled album, also known as the “White Album,” is the band’s 10th studio album. Released July 11, 1975, the album is characterized by soft rock and folk sounds.
I grew up listening to this type of music because of my dad. Rock and folk music has always held a special place in my heart because of how much he loved it. “Fleetwood Mac” is especially a good one to me, because of how often I heard it playing around the house during my childhood. Some of my favorite songs off this album include “Landslide”, with vocals by Stevie Nicks, “Blue Letter”, and “Monday Morning”.
8. “Sling” by Clairo
“Sling”, Clairo’s second album, was released on July 16, 2021, and debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard 200. Rolling Stone’s Jonathan Bernstein described the album’s folk-inspired pop as, “a concept album about aging and feeling older than you ought to.”
I’ve been a Clairo fan ever since her first album “Immunity” was released in 2019, and “Sling” is an incredibly strong follow-up. Listening to this album just takes me back to my first in-person year at community college after the pandemic.
The most notable songs throughout the album include “Just For Today”, “Bambi”, and the lead single, “Blouse”.
7. “Lungs (Deluxe Edition)” by Florence + The Machine
“Lungs”, the debut album by Florence + The Machine, was released on July 3, 2009. This album represents the popularity of indie rock at the time. “Lungs” is most known for the songs “Dog Days Are Over” and “Kiss With A Fist”, both of which explore themes of toxic relationships and emotional abuse.
“Lungs” is special to me because of the general nature aesthetic. It is perfect for the fall due to its connection through the album imagery, with its color palette of greens, reds, and browns, and the big flowy dresses Florence wears on the album photoshoot.
6. “Pure Heroine” by Lorde
Lorde’s debut album, “Pure Heroine”, is an alt-pop electronica album that was released on Sept. 27, 2013. The album is best known for “Royals” and “Glory and Gore”, though my favorites from the tracklist include “A World Alone”, “White Teeth Teens”, and “Ribs”. The three songs are filled with lyrical themes centered around the loneliness of becoming famous very quickly, the end of adolescence and teenage cliques.
These themes are especially notable considering how young Lorde was when Pure Heroine was released, as the album’s content showed a lot of personal reflection for a 16-year-old.
5. “The Secret of Us” by Gracie Abrams
“The Secret of Us” was released on June 21, 2024. As the sophomore album by Abrams, “The Secret of Us” builds off of the themes of her previous album, “Good Riddance,” and is said to showcase her growth.
Abrams described the album to ELLE magazine as having felt like when you run home to gossip to your best friend about the night.
“I hope that energy is felt when they belong to everyone else,” Abrams said.
To me, this is a prominent message throughout the album and my favorite songs. The emotional lyrics paired with the gentle production, done by Aaron Dessner, just screams ‘fall’ to me. This album just might make me forgive her dad for what he did to Star Wars.
The songs that feel the most like fall to me are “Close To You”, “Free Now”, “I Knew It, I Know You,” “us (Feat. Taylor Swift)”, and “Risk”.
4. “Punisher” by Phoebe Bridgers
“Punisher” by Phoebe Bridgers, released on June 18, 2020, explores themes of escapism, grief and the inevitability of endings. Similar to other albums on this list, “Punisher” is an indie folk album with influences from the rock genre.
Bridgers is unique with her lyricism, using musical motifs of the apocalypse to build up the tension in her song “I Know The End”. She also uses the common tradition of dressing up (or hiding yourself) in masks and costumes in the lyrics of the song “Halloween” to explore a strained relationship.
This one is on the list despite being a more ‘basic’ answer (I mean, who isn’t a Phoebe Bridgers fan in 2024?) because of the production on the album; I think the album’s haunting melodies and lyrics match the fall energy perfectly.
3. “Take This To Your Grave” by Fall Out Boy
Getting to the top three on this list, Fall Out Boy’s “Take This To Your Grave”, released on May 6, 2003, is another favorite of mine. The album is Fall Out Boy’s debut studio album in the pop punk genre.
In songs like “Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy”, “The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes”, and “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago”, the band explores the heartbreak and disillusionment of relationships.
Pete Wentz’s vocals paired with Patrick Stump’s lyrics, and this album as a whole, was noted by Rolling Stone to be number 5 on the 50 top greatest pop-punk albums. VICE described the album as, “Under-appreciated on first release… [but] now considered a mainstay of the genre.”
As number three on the list, I wanted to bring a more energetic album to the top. I’ve always been a huge pop-punk fan, from Blink-182 all the way to Neck Deep and State Champs, but my love for the genre all started with Fall Out Boy when I was in high school.
2. “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan
“Stick Season” is the third studio album by Noah Kahan, released on Oct. 14, 2022. This album is particularly one of my favorites on this list, which is why it’s ranked so high. Focused on Kahan’s experience growing up in Vermont, “Stick Season” shines a light on the regret of what hes had to sacrifice to move on from the small town life.
Some of my favorite songs off of this album include “Homesick,” “Orange Juice,” and “All My Love”. The album explores the fear of being mentally stuck in your hometown, leaving behind a troubled past of alcoholism and the longing for a romantic love that lasts forever.
These last two on the list are much more acoustic than some of the rest, and I tie “Stick Season” to the changing of the seasons. I went through some big changes in my life during the fall, so I relate to this album deeply, despite my problems not being quite the same.
I would consider listening to this album during a quiet, solo walk; perfect for the chance to get introspective on life.
1. “evermore (deluxe version)” by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s “evermore” album is her second surprise album, released mid-pandemic on Dec. 11, 2020. “evermore” is characterized as a group of songs that were spontaneously born from the continued collaboration between Swift and Aaron Dessner after the earlier release of “evermore”’s sister album, “folklore”.
“…We didn’t need to talk much about structure or ideas or anything — it was just this weird avalanche.” Dessner said.
This album is my favorite on the list, taking the number one spot above all the rest. Throughout “evermore”, Swift delivers her signature storytelling through the lyrics of songs like “closure,” “long story short,” “coney island,” and “‘tis the damn season.”
She explores themes of reflecting on endings in “closure,” the ‘safe place’ of Swift’s then-relationship in “long story short,” the concept of an unequal relationship in “coney island,” and the fictional story of a short-lived rekindled romance with a past flame in “‘tis the damn season”.
I think “evermore” brings something very special to my fall season. I got into Taylor Swift when I was around 10 or 11, so while I was a bit too young to understand some of the themes in her music then, I’ve since been given the chance to relate her words to my life and experiences growing up.
Her music and her lyrics just make me feel understood in a way almost no other artist can, and I think that’s really magical.
Okay, so why should you listen to these songs?
To me, the fall season is all about new starts. While a lot of these albums aren’t new for this year, I think these iconic albums are the perfect match for that “fresh start” vibe.
Whether you’re looking for new music you’ve never heard of, or rediscovering albums you stopped listening to in the past, the list of music I’ve put together are all easily accessible on most streaming platforms. Plus, with Record Store Day coming up, music lovers might just find new additions for their collections from this list.
