Our Favorite Fall Albums

“Brand New Eyes” – Paramore

If any album deserves to be called “fall-coded,” it’s the 2009 Paramore album “Brand New Eyes.”

Hayley Williams’ voice has a sharp, emotional quality that pairs perfectly with the changing of seasons. Songs like “Ignorance” and “Brick by Boring Brick” carry a cathartic punch — the kind of tracks you want to blast while walking under trees with colorful, falling leaves.

Then there are softer moments like “The Only Exception,” which bring a cozy, intimate warmth that feels like curling up inside with a blanket while the world outside turns colder.

And if you weren’t already sold, this album also features “Decode,” Paramore’s contribution to the “Twilight” soundtrack. And there’s really nothing more autumn than that movie — the foggy forests and overcast skies perfectly fit the fall moody energy.

“Brand New Eyes” captures that in-between space that autumn represents — that bittersweet feeling full of growth and reflection. It’s nostalgic, emotional and just dramatic enough to match the season.

Whether you’re reliving your high school Paramore phase or discovering it fresh, this is an album that belongs on every fall playlist.
— Madison Rush

Madison Rush is a fourth-year majoring in public relations. To contact her, email mkr5957@psu.edu.

“evermore” – Taylor Swift

When the air is crisp, the trees are losing their leaves and fall break is slowly creeping up, there’s one perfect album to hit play on, and it’s “evermore.”

More specifically, “evermore” encapsulates the aura of very late fall to early winter, so it’s a great album to listen to on your long drive or flight home for Thanksgiving break.

Though often overlooked and joked about by fans as Swift’s “least favorite album,” “evermore” is an amazing collection of songs.

“evermore” was a surprise release on Dec. 11, 2020, following its sister record “Folklore.”

Aesthetically speaking, “Evermore” has total fall vibes. The album cover features a photo of Swift standing in front of nearly bare trees, wearing an orange and brown plaid coat.

The album contains 15 standard tracks and two deluxe tracks, each representing alternative, indie folk-pop styles.

“evermore” is a somewhat melancholic album, catering to those who may be experiencing their seasonal period of sadness. One thematic lyric is “Gray November, I’ve been down since July” from the title track featuring Bon Iver.

Other lyrics throughout the album also directly mention that late time of year, including “The autumn chill that wakes me up,” “November flush and your flannel cure,” “I’m sure that you’ve got a wife out there, kids and Christmas,” “And soon they’ll have the nerve to deck the halls,” as well as the title and chorus of track four, “’Tis the Damn Season.”

In short, it’s hard to deny that “evermore” is a November-December album, and listening to it during this time of year hits unlike any other.
— Sarah Gavlak

Sarah Gavlak is a fourth-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, please email sng5393@psu.edu.

“You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” – Jim Croce

The strongest component of any fall album is a strong and squeaky acoustic guitar.

Many folk-rock legends like Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor and Jim Croce utilize this element particularly well.

Jim Croce’s 1972 album “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” is an exceptional example of a perfect fall album.

Croce picks the guitar to create the perfect countermelody for his hums and harmonies. A standout track for this feature is “Walkin’ Back to Georgia,” which is also my favorite track on the album.

Croce has a warm voice and is incredible at storytelling, which makes his music ideal for easy listening.

The songs on this album flow together effortlessly.

I have never played “Box #10” without following it up with “A Long Time Ago.” Croce masterfully placed these tracks next to each other on the album, and I don’t believe it is acceptable to ever separate them, given that it is one of the best transitions of any two songs.

I would highly recommend checking out this album before the fall season is over.

My strongest and final argument for this album is that it is only 33 minutes long, which is very manageable.
— Matthew Peters

Matthew Peters is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email mbp5830@psu.edu.

“American Idiot” – Green Day

Released in the fall of 2004, “American Idiot” is one of the most popular albums by Green Day. During their tour last year, at every show, the band played every song from this album in its entirety.

Green Day is a band whose music fits very well with fall. There is something about rock music that just shines in the fall.

The voice of lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, combined with the orchestration, creates songs that have this distinct fall feeling that is hard to explain.

Specific songs like “Are We the Waiting” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends” have a slow nature that fits with the slow pace that fall can bring.

“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” fits especially well in the fall, with the slow and eerie feeling that the song can bring. It fits right in as a song to listen to in October.

The album features some of the most iconic Green Day songs, like “Holiday” and “Jesus of Suburbia,” while also including some underrated hits like “St. Jimmy” and “Extraordinary Girl.”

It is one of Green Day’s strongest from top to bottom and is perfect for the fall season.

Listening to this album while driving up to Penn State and going through the mountains and seeing the leaves change is an unexpectedly incredible experience that all should try.
— Nikolai Wagner

Nikolai Wagner is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To email him, contact njw5648@psu.edu.

“Wild Heart” – Current Joys

One of the best albums to play during the autumn season is “Wild Heart” by Current Joys. The project is an indie, dream-pop collection of coming-of-age songs that was released in 2013.

The songwriting is introspective, with themes of self-discovery and longing for acceptance. The band also uses a good amount of repetition to fully illustrate their emotions.

This is apparent in their most popular song off the album, “New Flesh,” where they describe the inner workings of a teenager’s mind while growing up.

However, the instrumentals are where it shines most, capturing an indescribable yet familiar feeling. The lo-fi guitar riffs and smooth production elements create an incredibly immersive atmosphere for the listener.

“You Broke My Heart” is a great example, spanning seven minutes while building slowly to enhance emotional depth.

Nick Rattigan, the lead singer, incorporates his vocals to enhance the emotional weight of each track as well. His voice often seems echoed or strained, adding to the confessional tone.

Additionally, one of the important aspects of the project is how easily replayable it is. The beats are catchy without feeling overproduced, making each listen sound fresh.

Ultimately, “Wild Heart” offers a tender, melancholic and deeply personal listening experience, perfect for when the leaves start to fall.
— Allison Curley

Allison Curley is a third-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email amc9204@psu.edu.

“Stick Season” – Noah Kahan

It’s officially the fall season, and that means it’s the “season of the sticks.” As the multicolored fall leaves begin to cover the ground and the temperature begins to drop, try listening to Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season.” The album perfectly embodies the fall season in the Northeast with one-of-a-kind imagery.

With songs like “Northern Attitude” and “Halloween,” it’s impossible not to feel as though the album is destined to forever encapsulate the vibes of fall. Kahan’s lyrics emphasize the mystical feeling of strolling, driving or walking through the Northeast’s plentiful coniferous forests.

Released three years ago in the autumn month of October, “Stick Season” chronicles Kahan’s life experience in a chorus of beautiful mumbles. Each listen is guaranteed to unveil another poetically confusing lyric. It’s nearly impossible to get bored of this album, especially in the fall months.

On the other hand, “Stick Season” is the perfect album to listen to as midterm season approaches. This album’s calming beats and soft-spoken lyrics make it one of the top contenders for best studying albums.

So next time you find yourself driving through a wooded area midday, admiring the warm colors of the fallen leaves, or holed up in your room with an essay to write, be sure to turn up this album and play the folk beats on blast.
— Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor is a third-year majoring in telecommunications and media industries. To contact her, email smt6314@psu.edu.

“Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” – Kendrick Lamar

“Everybody grieves different.” Kendrick Lamar’s 2022 album “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” is one I find myself returning to, particularly in the fall. Raw and introspective, this album is a cathartic journey of confession and eventual self-forgiveness.

On tracks like “Father Time,” Lamar grapples with the struggles of growing up with an unforgiving father and learning to become a man.

In “Savior,” Lamar criticizes the hypocrisies of society when it comes to religion, race and politics, while simultaneously confessing his own moral shortcomings.

A standout track, “Count Me Out,” is framed as a therapy session where Lamar confesses his greatest flaws through a light of empowerment, promising to grow and improve — even if he must forgive himself “one hundred times.”

This emotional journey culminates in “Mirror,” where Lamar realizes, despite all his selfishness, trauma and imperfections, he must choose himself.

What makes this album so remarkable is Lamar’s ability to package such sensitive topics in a medium that is sonically interesting and enjoyable — utilizing the hip-hop genre to transform what may otherwise be considered weak and vulnerable into something beautiful.

Fall is a season of change, marked by the transitioning colors and textures in nature, as well as the shift from the start of school and a return to less familiar environments.

Transient times are sometimes the best for introspection and improvement. “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” embodies change as well, illustrating what it means to accept oneself and grow as a human being.
— James King

James King is a third-year student studying telecommunications and media industries. To contact him, please email jak6937@psu.edu.

“Give Me a Minute” – Lizzy McAlpine

“He feels good to come home to, but not to stay.” Lizzy McAlpine’s debut album “Give Me a Minute” is a record that I find myself returning to as the air gets chillier.

As a debut, the project positions McAlpine as promising — chronicling her experiences of heartbreak, loneliness and the eventual rebuilding of her life.

On tracks like “Nothing/Sad N Stuff,” McAlpine endures a painful breakup, torn between love and a desire for independence.

“Means Something” is a demonstration of complete vulnerability, highlighting the desperate attempts to find someone in everything you see.

She questions herself and the breakup: “Do you think it means something that I wrote another song about you?”

“Same Boat” demonstrates her further devolution as she comes to accept her current life.

She repeatedly confesses how much she thinks about her ex and how it scares her that she has no clue if he’s feeling the same.

“Apple Pie” is the most emblematic track of what fall feels like. With invoking imagery of the classic holiday dessert, McAlpine reminds us that home can be anywhere when with the right people.

With the slow creeping of autumn on the horizon, this project invokes the feelings of love and loneliness felt by many.

Fall is a time of change, some shifts more heartbreaking than others. Times of transition can be prime time for introspection and rumination. But “Give Me a Minute” asks for a moment of pause to figure it all out and welcome what’s to come.
— Caelli Johnson

Caelli Johnson is a fourth-year majoring in psychology. To contact her, email dcj5249@psu.edu

“Pray for Paris” – Westside Gunn

When the leaves begin to drop and the air gets colder, few albums capture the essence quite like Westside Gunn’s “Pray for Paris.” Released in April 2020 as the first of three albums Gunn dropped that year, it captures the feeling of fall perfectly.

The album features a stacked list of collaborators, including Tyler, the Creator, Joey Bada$$, Wale, Freddie Gibbs and Roc Marciano, along with fellow Griselda Records members Conway the Machine, Benny the Butcher and Boldy James. The record also features several lesser-known artists throughout the tracks.

The production for the record, handled by legendary names such as the Alchemist and Conductor Williams, is the biggest factor in the autumn aroma. It is full of soul samples over heavy drums, a staple for the iconic producer group Gunn likes to keep around.

Tracks like “No Vacancy” and “$500 Ounces” feel calm and are perfect for late-night walks in October and November. The album also features songs like “George Bondo,” a much sharper track with a constantly rising and falling keyboard melody.

“327” with Joey Bada$$ and Tyler, the Creator has a jazzy feel that perfectly matches fall. Billie Essco’s vocals on the hook, along with the gentle drum pattern, foster a warm vibe that feels like the sonic equivalent of the multicolored environment that autumn is. These factors make it the track on “Pray for Paris” that best captures the season’s vibe.

Fall is a season of change, and Gunn takes a notably different approach than most of the music industry. The album serves as a reminder that branching out and trying something new can be the most rewarding experience for listeners.

“Pray for Paris” isn’t just some of Gunn’s best work; it’s the ultimate soundtrack for fall.
— Jack Dobbins

Jack Dobbins is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jwd5889@psu.edu.

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” – Taylor Swift

Fall is the ultimate season of change. From the color of the leaves to the cool, brisk feeling in the air, fall often brings the potential for great new beginnings — and also endings.

Taylor Swift’s album “Red” perfectly captures all the complexities that make fall so special. The pop singer’s fourth studio album brought about a new sense of maturity for her as an artist.

At the time, she was 22 and experiencing heartache as a true adult for the first time. She revisited the album in 2021, re-releasing it with a new, more mature sound and vault tracks from the original. The album exploded like never before, becoming an anthem for the fall season.

Songs such as the iconic “All Too Well” and the underrated “The Last Time” gave a deeper, more personal insight into the complex feelings that come with figuring out love in your 20s. Swift began her transition away from country and slowly made her way into the pop genre with “Red.”

The album itself is about change in many forms — from love life to growing up — encompassing feelings everyone experiences when they finally leave behind those precious teen years. Much like the fall season, the changing tide and new feelings in the air are perfect traits to describe this album.

The song “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” took the charts by storm in 2021, capturing the minds of millions. The track explores themes of heartbreak and the changes that come from feeling ignored or belittled. Swift took the most basic form of young heartbreak and turned it into a sonnet that resonated with people around the world, showing that while change can feel cold and lonely, there is beauty to be found in it.

The album utilizes the defining traits of fall throughout, blending timeless lyricism with a season that feeds our souls year after year. Its connection to autumn can be summed up perfectly in the title track’s opening lines: “Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you’re already flying through the free fall, like the colors in autumn so bright just before they lose it all.”

This album has spoken to my soul since I was 17 and resonates just as deeply at 22. When the leaves change and the air gets colder, that sense of beginning again always brings me back to “Red.”
— Brooke Casey

Brooke Casey is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email bec5457@psu.edu

“Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)” – Car Seat Headrest

Released in 2018, Car Seat Headrest’s “Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)” is a re-recording of the band’s original 2011 album.

The original was a raw, transparent view into frontman Will Toledo’s psyche during his unhealthy long-distance relationship following his college transfer.

While it is evident how young and immature Toledo was with his lyrics, the album still retains beauty, with impressive instrumentation and emotional vocals.

The re-recording shows how Toledo has matured since he first recorded “Twin Fantasy.”

The new production makes the album come alive and shows that not only had he improved as a person, but his musical skills alongside him.

Toledo’s almost whiny voice makes this album feel so genuine, evident on the first track “My Boy (Twin Fantasy).” This song lays down the foundation for what Toledo wants — to be with the boy he loves — and its narrative is continued in the next track.

“Beach Life-in-Death” is a 13-minute-long dive into the past, present and future of Toledo’s relationship with this boy, with the beat changing to match which time period it is representing. Both the runtime and electric instrumentals make this song feel larger than life.

The most popular song from this album is without a doubt “Sober to Death.” The lyrics are simple yet deep, and with the relaxing instrumentals, it is easy to see why this was the breakout hit.

Through this entire album, Toledo is able to show the toxic parts of his relationship — both on his end and his partner’s — which helps it resonate with fans.

As fall marks the start of many things, “Twin Fantasy” offers time to think about not only your relationships

George Mann is a second-year majoring in advertising and public relations. To contact him, email gzm5437@psu.edu.