Despite the fact that it’s 94 degrees outside in October, I’ve decided to create a fall-themed playlist to commemorate the new season–or at least  pretend it feels like fall outside. Here, I will explain a few of my selections for this playlist.

Plainsong – The Cure:

To me, The Cure is the perfect fall band. Through their music, they embody everything I love about this season: slightly dark, always beautiful, gothic, romantic, and at times very sad. Plainsong fits this description perfectly. It’s a slow building, dark, beautiful, chilly, atmospheric pop song, perfect for pretending it’s like that outside.

Saturday – Yo La Tengo

And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out by Yo La Tengo is probably my favorite fall album of all time. A quiet, chilly, atmospheric indie rock masterpiece, this album is basically about slowly falling in love as the leaves turn orange. I just remember listening to this song on last year’s November school trip to Washington D.C—tired, happy, and cold. I recommend the whole album, especially songs such as Our Way to Fall and Madeline.

Cemetery Gates – The Smiths

Cemetery Gates is a perfect-for-fall jangle pop song about the simple pleasures of sitting around a cemetery and debating 20th century literature. Probably the happiest song on this list, and just like with the other selections, I recommend the entire album, The Queen is Dead.

The Dreaming Moon – The Magnetic Fields

First, I would describe this song as dreamy. Listening to this vaguely psychedelic, beautiful, unique song feels like sitting on a roof on a cool night, staring at a full moon. Perfect for quiet fall nights.