As soon as autumn arrives, I replace the upbeat summer songs with more thoughtful and ethereal-sounding music. For years, Jeff Buckley and Hozier have helped me transition from summer to autumn, and this year will be no different. Here are five autumnal sounding albums I recommend.

1. Grace – Jeff Buckley (1994)

It wouldn’t be the autumn and winter period if I didn’t have Jeff Buckley on repeat. Where do you start with an album as good and appreciated as this? The beautiful falsetto voice, the atmospheric guitar tones and the songs that take the listener on a journey every time.

If you haven’t lain on the floor in despair whilst listening to ‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Over’, if you haven’t looked out at a storm with ‘Hallelujah’ playing, or driven through the night to ‘Grace’, have you had the full Jeff Buckley experience? Grace will forever inspire and soundtrack millions of people and is a special way to start this autumnal album list.

2. If You Wait – London Grammar (2013)

London Grammar are a band I’ve only started to appreciate over the last couple of years, as my musical tastes have matured and broadened. I always appreciated them, but wanted more musical interest on the percussion side. I now understand the music is built around the power and the emotion of the vocals.

My appreciation for London Grammar began during their Boardmasters set in 2025. My mate and I sat in awe as they performed ‘Wasting My Young Years’ with a beautiful Cornish sunset in the background. It was a scene I will remember for the rest of my life. I was 26 and coming to the end of my ‘quarter-life crisis’ year of travelling the country to see as many live gigs as possible. It was the perfect soundtrack for this moment.

I have since listened to the album and love the atmosphere and powerful vocals. I really understand the band’s popularity now. ‘Strong’ and ‘Nightcall’ are also my favourites. I love music which takes you to a specific chapter and moment in life.

3. Hozier – Hozier (2014)

Like many, I love Hozier’s debut album. His guitar playing, his voice and the gospel, folk and blues influences created a special end product. ‘Take Me To Church’ of course gets the plaudits, but there isn’t a weak moment on the album for me. The homely feel of ‘Cherry Wine’, the dreamy feel of ‘From Eden’ and the stormy rawness of ‘To Be Alone’ are everything I love about the album.

I love the range of themes throughout the album. It starts with anger about religion and is followed by the complexity of love and desire. The musicianship on tracks such as ‘To Be Alone’ is very underrated. The production is simple but builds tension throughout. The poetic ‘Cherry Wine’ is also beautiful. It is refreshing to hear such an interesting acoustic guitar line.

4. Messy – Olivia Dean (2023)

Olivia Dean has deservedly found huge success over the last few years. Her debut album will always be a special album for me. ‘Messy’ was the soundtrack to a transitional period in my life a couple of years ago. I love the warm production, the self-reflective lyrics and the song themes.

The album is mainly known for the warm and soulful songs such as ‘Dive’ and ‘The Hardest Part’, but for me, it is a lesser-known song that made me a fan of Olivia Dean. I will be forever grateful for the moment I was introduced to her track ‘Everybody’s Crazy’.

For me, the song is about a woman telling a man it is okay to feel anxious, be vulnerable and get overwhelmed. As soon as I heard it, I stopped feeling full of shame for being a male full of emotions and vulnerability. There aren’t many songs that have had such a direct impact on my path in life, which shows the power of music. That song is like a therapy dog, there for me as soon as life gets overwhelming.

5. A Rush Of Blood To The Head – Coldplay (2002)

The older I’ve got, the more I have appreciated Coldplay’s first two albums. Their second album ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ has been an autumnal favourite of mine, the last few years. The simple but effective production and clever compositions of Chris Martin helped Coldplay become one of the biggest upcoming UK bands at the time.

The album is most known for the memorable singles of ‘In My Place’, ‘Clocks’ and ‘The Scientist’ but it is the album’s last two songs which stand out to me. The title track song ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ describes a protagonist who has had everything taken away from him leading to a situation of pain and regret. The songs fades into ‘Amsterdam’ where the protagonist is saved and pointed in a new direction. It is a hauntingly beautiful way to end an album and this article.

Anyway, on a more cheery note, thank you for reading, and thank you to Jeff Buckley, London Grammar, Hozier, Olivia Dean and Coldplay for creating these masterpieces.

Sam