3 Cozy Autumn Songs to Enjoy Inside While It’s Still 90 Degrees in September

Yeah, it’s 90 degrees in September in a lot of places right now. We think that’s absolutely bananas, so we’re cooking up some autumn playlists in the lab to get through this heatwave. Is it working? Not sure yet. Still, these are great songs to have on deck when the weather finally takes a chill pill.

“Pale September” by Fiona Apple

“Pale September” appeared on Fiona Apple’s 1996 debut album Tidal, melancholy piano in full force. Apple notes a growing relationship with an almost detached sense of lamentation. Her voice separate from it all while the words drip with memory. And strange minor-key verses that are almost sinister, a sneer despite the beautiful tapestry she weaves.

But then, the chorus glides into place, the transition smooth as silk. And all my armor falling down in a pile at my feet would make an earth-shaking noise. Yet Fiona Apple presents this image with a soft voice, gentle piano. A sweetness that makes one forget that she’s about to go back to that strange hostility in the next verse. Autumn is often a time of reflection, and “Pale September” is suitably inspiring.

“Autumn Town Leaves” by Iron & Wine

Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam) released “Autumn Town Leaves” on his 2018 EP Weed Garden. Its gentleness in the vocals and guitar somewhat mimics the hush of a tree-lined street when all the autumn leaves are falling. The wet smell of earth and mist, the dry rustle of the wind in the trees. “Autumn Town Leaves” is atmospheric even in its simplicity.

Lyrically, it’s almost pastoral. Images of mice in the fields, snakes, dogs, and songbirds help create this world “where the leaves can fall / On either side of the garden wall“. But really, the worldbuilding in this three-minute song falls somewhere between pastoral and suburban. A small town, maybe with a main street, and a lot of farmland spread out beyond. What “Autumn Town Leaves” really does is prove that fully-realized settings can exist without a huge production.

“Wolf” by First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit released “Wolf” on their 2012 album The Lion’s Roar. This track goes a little beyond a cozy autumn song and touches on a more adventurous element. There’s something distinctly wild about this song, obviously. But it’s more than the title and lyrics. It’s in the vocals, the percussion, the entire composition.

Here’s a song that wants you to wander in the woods in the heart of autumn, when the air is crisp and alive. Maybe “Wolf” won’t satisfy that cozy, indoor, fireplace aspect of autumn. But it might be the inspiration for getting out in nature when the weather finally does turn. For now, indoor listening and daydreaming about the woods will have to do.

Photo by Andrew Benge/Redferns via Getty Images

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