Top 5: October 2024

The songs of October have been very on-theme for the fall season; every song fits the autumnal vibe.

Mis – Alex G

While lyrics typically stick out to me the most, the instrumentals of this song blend together to make a catchy tune that I can’t get out of my head. The calming piano during the intro and the longing in Giannoscoli’s voice as he says “I miss you so bad,” followed by the jolly melody of the band leaves the seasonal feeling of fall yearning in listeners. The way he sings allows listeners to feel and understand what he is feeling perfectly.

Funny You Should Ask – The Front Bottoms

With mentions of passing seasons, this song always makes me feel sentimental as the seasons shift. The lyrics “I was young and thought I didn’t have to care about anyone, but I’m older now and know that I should,” “it’s freezing and I’m watching you shovel snow” and “now it’s summer and you were laying out on your lawn,” all continue the theme of growing up and changing with time. The bright guitar melody meshes so well with the rest of the instruments as well.

So Nice So Smart – Kimya Dawson

Featured in “Juno” (2007) during one of the most climactic scenes, “So Nice So Smart” feels exactly like an indie 2000’s movie. The continuous rhyming and acoustic guitar pair together perfectly for the fall vibe. The way Dawson sings the main lyric “you’re so nice and you’re so smart, you’re such a good friend, I have to break your heart,” feels like going on a walk on an early, rainy, fall morning. 

So Real – Jeff Buckley

Much like Alex G, you can feel every emotion Buckley is feeling through the way he sings; you can sense the pain, anger and despair that he is feeling in all of his songs. The chaotic guitar builds up, representing the intense emotion he feels, followed by the desperately sung main lyric “I love you, but I’m afraid to love you,” making it nearly impossible for listeners to not empathize with Buckley. 

Nervous Young Inhumans (2018) – Car Seat Headrest

Originally recorded in 2011, the 2018 rerecording of “Nervous Young Inhumans” is broken up into two parts: the main song and Will Toledo’s monologuing. The main song has a solid drum beat, great lyrics and a catchy chorus, but I think the best part lies within his ramblings. As the music slows, Toledo says “I am a good person. I am a powerful person, I don’t believe in evil. I think that evil is an idea created by others to avoid dealing with their own nature. I understand my own nature: good and evil have nothing to do with it.” It seems as though he’s thinking out loud, coming to terms with his own thoughts and actions. He reminisces about all of the things he has and hasn’t done this year and talks directly to this mystery person in the lyrics, “you should see the lights that I got there, I think you’d like them. I think you’d like them a lot.”