As the temperature drops and snow falls to the ground, just about every radio station switches over to holiday music. Do not get me wrong, Christmas music is great, but it doesn’t exactly work for the other two months in winter, and I think we can all agree that you can only listen to songs about snow and Santa so many times.
However, an abundance of albums have just the perfect vibe for the cold and gloomy season, and here are some of my favorites.
For me, a perfect winter album fully encapsulates the winter vibes. Typically, it’s a sadder album of the indie genre, but other times, it can simply be packed with songs that make you feel cozy. Some albums on this list invoke a harsh feeling of cold or sadness. Bonus points if it mentions Christmas briefly in at least one song.
Starting strong with an album that covers all the bases of the winter vibe is Noah Kahan’s album Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever). Right out of the door, this album starts with Northern Attitude, a song all about the days getting shorter, the weather getting colder, and the ever-creeping shadow that is seasonal depression.
Still staying strong with the blatant winter references is the title track, Stick Season. This song is all about feeling stuck and like important people in your life are growing away from you, and in the midst of the chorus is the line “I love Vermont, but it’s the season of the sticks,” which is a reference to the time of winter in Vermont where the leaves have left the trees, and it is merely sticks. This song also features a line referencing Christmas, so it gets a bonus point from me!
Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) is full of amazing songs that are just perfect for the chilly weather, and there’s something for everyone on it.
One of my absolute favorite albums full of winter imagery and references is Evermore by Taylor Swift. This album can both make you feel like you’re snuggled up by a fireplace and like you are driving through a thick winter morning fog with tracks like Willow, Coney Island, Cowboy Like Me, and Dorthea to name a few.
Evermore is another album that gets bonus points because of the song ‘Tis The Damn Season which is, in simple terms, the song embodiment of a classic Hallmark movie that involves someone going back to their hometown for the holidays and possibly rekindling an old love. What could possibly be more winter than that?
Another album I love that is perfect this time of year is Hozier’s debut album Hozier. I think his song Cherry Wine fits the melancholy vibe of winter perfectly, along with its darker subject matter and overall tone. I also personally believe that Hozier has a beautiful, deep voice perfect for the gloomy tone that comes with winter, making his songs essential tracks for the season. The instruments on this album also come together to create a gorgeous earthy feel and make you feel cozied up in nature.
Another beautiful debut album is Phoebe Bridger’s Stranger In The Alps, which is perfect for the later winter months of January and February. This album is full of heartbreak and loss through Bridger’s voice, and it has a certain chill to it. Some of my favorite winter essentials from this album are Smoke Signals, Funeral, Scott Street, and Georgia. I think all these songs show off different emotions and experiences one feels during this dark time of year.
The next album, for the most part, goes against the tone I’ve set for a majority of folk/indie music, and that would be Midnights by Taylor Swift. The overwhelming genre of Midnights is Synth-pop, but songs like Maroon, Sweet Nothing, and the obvious Snow On The Beach (ft. Lana Del Rey) make it a great listen for when the air gets cold, and while it may be random, I think this album is specifically perfect for January.
Even though I only named a handful of songs, I think every track on all five of these albums is perfect for the winter season. Associating albums or songs with a certain season can be fun, and for seasons like winter that tend to have overwhelmingly themed music, it can be a nice change of pace.
Some songs, however, make great stand-alone for certain seasons. A perfect example of this is New Year’s Day from Reputation by Swift once again. While the entirety of the Reputation album doesn’t quite work for winter, in my opinion, New Year’s Day is a winter song, from the nod to the holiday to the stunning piano that plays throughout the song.
Meet Me In The Hallway by Harry Styles is another great stand-alone song. It’s full of raw emotion and heartbreak and is another song packed with gloom, much like most winter songs I have on this list.
Last-minute honorable mentions are Back to December and Out Of The Woods by Taylor Swift for their timeline use of December, along with Everybody Wants to Rule The World by Tears For Fears and Vienna by Billy Joel for being classics and fitting the winter vibe.
Music listening is such an experience, and it can be a unique way to immerse yourself fully into something, like the winter months.
