Fall 2024 Playlist: Annotated

I finished my Fall 2024 playlist at the beginning of October—I just haven’t had a chance to blog about it. Better do it now before autumn escapes entirely and we rush headlong into winter.

1) “The Enemy Guns” by The DeVotchKa - I loved this album in high school. In 2004. Twenty years ago. Anyway, I’m going to go start looking at nursing homes.

2) “Oh No!” by The Decemberists - I loved The Decemberists in high school, too, but thankfully this song is from 2024. If they’re still making music, I must not be done for quite yet.

3) “Fairlies” by Grian Chatten - This was a Spotify algorithm find. I enjoy how the song sounds bleak and peppy at the same time; it evokes the feeling of trying to walk quickly through the damp fall weather to stay warm.

4) “Mirror” by The Last Dinner Party - I simply cannot get over this entire album. It’s so wonderfully dramatic!

5) “Starbuster” by Fontaines D.C. - Y’ALL UNTIL I WAS WRITING THIS BLOG POST I LEGITIMATELY DID NOT REALIZE THAT GRIAN CHATTEN OF TWO TRACKS AGO IS THE LEAD SINGER OF FONTAINES D.C.

6) “Padam Padam” by Route 500 - Welcome to the moody acoustic pop covers portion of the playlist. I love how Route 500 has taken this Kylie Minogue banger and turned it into something that belongs around a campfire.

7) “Swamp” by Jean Dawson - Continuing the moody acoustic pop covers section, we have Jean Dawson’s take on Talking Heads. He’s made it sound so old-fashioned—I can picture cowboys singing it somehow.

8) “BODYGUARD” by Beyoncé - I mean, what is there to say? Cowboy Carter is a masterpiece, and this song is perfect for fall. I want to listen to this song on my way to the pumpkin patch or corn maze or whatever.

9) “Cowboy, Gangster, Politician” by Goldie Boutilier - Another song that came my way via algorithm. It makes me want to put on a raincoat. Does that make sense? This is a commuting-in-the-autumn-rain song. A single girl just trying to get by as the seasons change. No, I don’t know why my brain works this way, either.

10) “Teeth Marks” by S.G. Goodman - S.G. Goodman is a Kentucky native; I think I learned about her music on the local public radio station’s Instagram feed. Isn’t this a beautiful song? Fall is the best time of year for folk music, in my opinion.

11) “Honeycrash” by SASAMI - When I first heard this song, I didn’t like it. It struck me as…sappy? I suppose the lyrics are kind of sappy, but it managed to breach my armor eventually.

12) “Werewolf” by NYSSA - Look, I appreciate when howling is incorporated into a song, okay? I just think it’s neat.

13) “Down My Life” by Hello Mary - This song flutters like a dry, dead leaf and then crunches underfoot. I mean that as a compliment.

14) “Graveyard Sun” by Green Lung - In September I drove to Columbus, Ohio to see Green Lung on their first-ever U.S. tour! It was as good a show as I could have hoped for—they played pretty much every song I wanted to hear, and closed with my absolute favorite. I had to honor the adventure by including this autumn-appropriate number from their second album.

15) “Seventeen” by Sir Chloe - I got to see Sir Chloe at Riot Fest in September—it was a big live music month for me. I love how this one starts out so tenderly and then shreds.

16) “ancient girl” by WILLOW - This straight up sounds like it should be sung by a coven while casting spells. Shakespeare’s weird sisters could never.

17) “Hell is Near” by St. Vincent - I also saw St. Vincent at Riot Fest this year and her stage presence was out of control. I was not expecting it. Figured I’d add this one from her most recent album for additional moody/spooky vibes.

18) “Fresh Fur” by Castle Rat - I had the privilege of seeing Castle Rat open for Green Lung in Columbus. The band consists of the rat queen, a vampire, a plague doctor, and an all-seeing druid on drums. They’re like if Black Sabbath played too much Dungeons & Dragons. They had a literal swordfight on stage. I’m obsessed.

19) “I’ll Go With You” by La Luz - News of the Universe has to be one of my favorite albums of 2024. It’s so dreamy!

20) “Juanita” by Angélica Garcia - I love the slow build of this song. It’s repetitive but then adds more and more until it sort of crashes over you, like a wild gust of wind.

21) “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All” by Father John Misty - Yes, I know I have a problem where I end my playlists with Father John Misty songs too frequently. But it’s not my fault! He just so happens to release long, epic, sweeping songs that make for good endings! He’s playing down the street from me in February—going to try to snag tickets for myself as an early birthday present.