late autumn albums to listen while healing (?)

albums for foggy mornings and afternoons, flannel pajamas midday, reflections in the candlelight,—but especially—slow healing.

It’s that time of the year where we can comfortably withdraw into ourselves under the haze of the apple cinnamon oil scent around the house. What needed to be figured out was figured out in November, and December is left to living gently or impulsively—whatever feels right at the moment—and no one should beat themselves up for it. After the violent heat of the summer, the cooling during the first weeks of fall felt glorious, but now the cold pierces the air, and sunlight makes rare appearances twice a week. No more waiting for text messages, no more wanting to be desired, and no more crying at the most random reminder of something.

So you need a soundtrack that feels cozy, one that encourages this newfound state.

Because despite the gloomy atmosphere, things feel right. And they feel right because they’re accepted as they are, and even appreciated. No more trying to change everything. No more trying to wish the upcoming winter away.

After a tumultuous summer, this bridge from autumn to winter feels like the culmination of all the healing I did in the later months of the year. After a while, you realize that maybe everyone was right: time does heal everything—mostly—and you forget what made you cry all of those months before. But what else is healing? Music. Something to love. (Maybe that one song from that one former boyband star?) Songs that tap into that warmth, or that give you the fuzziest of feelings in the coldest of days.

These next albums embody that. They embody waking up to a gray sky and feeling, maybe not the happiest, but fine. Whatever their lyrical content is, their sound is that of feeling okay with things, and, maybe, some of them even quietly happy (except for evermore which goes from depressed to happily troubled, see: “ivy”, “willow”). Most of them sound like they’re quietly in love with the life that exists right now. However sad their lyrics might be, they sound as though they’re quietly in love with late autumn… its gloomy days, its rare sun patches, its cozy feelings…and sometimes sadness is just a part of breathing.

Nothing says healing like a late autumn soundtrack and accepting things as they are.

Here are 6 albums to listen to, then:

Harry Styles, Harry Styles

Yes. Yes. Yes. While some of the other albums of the list focus on the not-so-pretty parts about life that one has to accept at some point, this album, to me, sounds so lighthearted and wholesome. It’s not that there’s any sad feelings. There’s melancholy and nostalgia and longing, but Harry’s delivery is so sweet and tender that most of the songs sound like moody lullabies. It’s the most autumn-coded of his albums, with the introspection and the acoustic guitars. It’s the album that has the most power to help you fall in love with autumn. And its most healing song? Definitely “From The Dining Table”, beautiful and unresolved, because sometimes that’s just the way things are.

Lovers Rock, Sade

Listening to “By Your Side” has been one of my favorite parts of every day since October when I first heard it. This whole album feels like the ephemeral golden hour in a cloudy autumn day. It doesn’t try to hide its feelings—its disappointment and quiet anger—but it expresses them in such a way that you’d never know anger could be such an immaculate feeling. The album can be dark and sensual (“King Of Sorrow”, “Flow”) but also light and romantic (“Lovers Rock”, “All About Our Love”). And yet, throughout its entirety, no matter the feeling the song is tapping into, there’s a cadence, so composed and chill that’s so soothing for the soul.

X’s, Cigarettes After Sex

This is the album to listen to on those foggy days when you can’t see past the concrete in the street. Just like those days, the record feels like a dream, or like a haze, one you’re willingly in. Nothing has come before, nothing will come after. It fully immerses you in the moment. This one is for the romantics (“Wanted it sweet, so pure and warm/ Never only sleeping over”), but it doesn’t shy away from heavier themes sprinkled so subtly thoughout (“Take my love with Zolpidem”). In the end, Greg Gonzalez can sing about anything he wants because it always sounds like the most romantic thing in the world.

evermore, Taylor Swift

Of course I had to include this album. Many people have so much love for it that despite it being one of Taylor’s saddest projects, it has a healing quality to it. It feels like home. Plus, it also includes what may or may not be my all-time favorite Taylor song: “‘tis the damn season”. Every song screams autumn, and although most of the lyrics deal with themes like heartbreak, loss, or nostalgia—its sound feels so cozy. And sometimes, there’s nothing that warms the heart more than singing a heartwrenching lyric of a song you absolutely adore (see: “Drawing hearts in the byline/Always taking up too much space or time”).

Tidal, Fiona Apple

Defiant, that’s the best way to describe this album. It’s perfect for those days your heart aches a bit, and the sun hasn’t come out in days, and you need a hug. Maybe the album isn’t the warmest of embraces, but something about it will make you feel bold too. Fiona has a flair for expressing messy feelings, her sultry voice conveying intense emotion and contradiction. It’s probably the moodiest of the albums in this list, but sometimes you need anger to accept that you’re not okay with something—and that’s fine. Ugly truths can be the best truths sometimes (“So I’ll be sure to stay wary of you, love/ To save the pain of once my flame and twice my burn”).

19, Adele

Things felt simpler when this record came out, nearly 17 years ago. I know every song like the back of my hand—it was the soundtrack of my childhood. One of the best debut albums of this century, 19 finds Adele young and heartbroken, but never without humor (see: “Right as Rain, “Tired”). Her soulful tone resembles that of Amy Winehouse, more so that in her following records. It’s perfect for most late autumn days, having everything from tender moments (“Daydreamer”, “Make You Feel My Love”), to scathing (“Cold Shoulder”), to amusedly hopeless (“Melt My Heart To Stone”, “Chasing Pavements”). Choose whatever mood you’re into.

In conclusion, don’t feel bad about things that you still haven’t sorted out, embrace the day as it comes, and let these albums soothe you.