Ultimate Winter Playlist
Special Seasonal Issue
Listen, I love Christmas music as much as the next person, especially my very specific favorite genre of ‘80s Christmas music passed down from my parents, but there’s a time and place for Christmas music. Personally, from December 1 through December 30 is all Christmas music, knock yourself out. December 31, New Year’s Eve is for sparkly, fun going-out music (even though I’ve never really “gone out” for NYE in my life). NYE songs are like “All The Things She Said” by t.A.T.u. and “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa. New Year’s Day songs are obvious—“New Year’s Day” by Taylor Swift followed by “New Year’s Day” by U2. Then “Happy New Year” by Olivia Rafferty, “This Year” by The Mountain Goats for a little realistic encouragement, and finally the entire soundtrack from About Time (2013) as it is the perfect New Year’s Day rewatch to set the tone for the year ahead.
But then what is there to listen to? Winter is a very long, long, long season, particularly if you live somewhere like I do and we’re currently getting 14 inches of snow in the big snowstorm. So if you’re like me and don’t necessarily want to hear the same five Christmas songs done over and over by different artists for the roughly five months out of the year that’s it’s cold and snowing, might I offer my ✨Ultimate Winter Playlist✨
(And I will remind you of the caveat I include before every playlist—these are created based on vibes and vibes only. If you try to find a logical through-line in these choices, you will be disappointed. Just go with it :) )
Take It Like A Man by Amanda Shires
This was one of the first new albums I listened to after finally settling in somewhat in Edinburgh. By late autumn going into winter, I was starting to feel more comfortable there. There wasn’t the onslaught of bad things happening like there was in the beginning (and would start again in the spring) and I was starting to find my routines that made me feel like I had a place in the city. While I was on my Holiday break in late December, I came across a YouTube video from Amoeba Records in Los Angeles. They do a series where they invite musicians, actors, really anyone of interest to pick out some things in their store and talk about them. I saw the video with Amanda Shires, who I had just finished reading about in Marissa R. Moss’ Her Country, and was immediately intrigued by the song they played “Here He Comes” from Shires’ most recent record. From then on, I was obsessed. I distinctly remember being on my solo trip to Ireland in January still thinking about this record and thinking about using Shires as the subject for my popular music studies course deep dive assignment I was going to be doing in the next semester. I ended up choosing a different artist for that assignment, but this album stayed with me and it always feels like a cold temperature album.
Tick, Tick…Boom! Soundtrack
I think this album is a winter one for me not only because the movie itself was released in November 2021, but it also shows a New York City deep in the winter season with Andrew Garfield in his layered outfits and big scarf.
A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships by the 1975
Specifically “Be My Mistake,” “Inside Your Mind,” “I Couldn’t Be More In Love,” “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME,” “Love It If We Made It,” “Sincerity Is Scary,” “I Like America & America Likes Me,” and “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You).”
A lot had changed in my life between the second and third album released by the 1975. I had graduated high school, traveled to the UK, started college, met my best friend, and was living in a college suite on the river with my friends when this album came out. My friends had never seen me in my full blown 1975 fandom state before this album came out. I still remember listening to “I Like America” while doing my laundry on a cold Sunday morning, feeling all the memories of when I would listen to the band in high school coming back to me.
Romance by Fontaines D.C.
Two Star and the Dream Police by Mk.gee
Specifically “New Low,” “Are You Looking Up,” “Rylee & I,” “Candy,” “Alesis,” “Little Bit More,” and “Dream police” (plus “ROCKMAN”).
Both of these are albums I was listening to last winter as I was finishing up my reviews for the year, listening for reviews ahead all while trying to stay afloat while working my first winter at my cafe job. These albums will always remind me of that time, even now only one year removed.
Her name is Julie by Julie London
There’s a lot of overlaps between my rainy day, autumn, and winter playlists because they all call for music that is warm and cozy. And no one’s voice is warmer or cozier than Julie London.
Harry Styles by Harry Styles
Specifically “Meet Me in the Hallway,” “Two Ghosts,” “Sweet Creature,” “Ever Since New York,” and “From the Dining Table.”
While Harry is usually a summer artist, there are some slower songs that can be acceptable for the colder months. And good thing too because I wouldn’t be able to stay away from Harry Styles’ music for the half a year that it’s too cold for Harry’s House.
Evermore by Taylor Swift
Specifically “champagne problems,” “gold rush,” “’tis the damn season,” “tolerate it,” “happiness,” “dorothea,” “ivy,” “cowboy like me,” “marjorie,” and “it’s time to go.”
An autumn album that I will accept as a winter album as well, mostly for the fact that it was surprised dropped in December 2020 and because “’tis the damn season” is obviously a winter song, if not a Christmas one.
Being Funny in a Foreign Language by the 1975
Another album that came to soundtrack my time in Edinburgh. This album came out in October, but I played it all the way through spring. It reignited my dormant fandom of the band and led to me academically researching the band’s most recent live show. But the reason this is a winter album to me is because of the memory I have of walking through a snowy, cold Edinburgh while shopping for Christmas bits and bobs, taking a quick peek into the Christmas market on Princes Street before going to pick the record as a gift to myself at a local record store. I took it home and wrapped it, placing it next to my small Christmas tree that I also decorated myself. It was an important album at an important time in my life and I will always get an itch for it when it starts to get cold outside.
1989 by Taylor Swift (Stolen Version)
ONLY “Out Of The Woods,” “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” “How You Get The Girl,” “New Romantics,” “I Wish You Would,” “Blank Space,” “Style,” “I Know Places,” and “Clean.”
I know what you’re going to say—“But Emma, 1989 is a summer album!!” And yes, for many of you that is true. But for me, neither version of this album are summer listens in my headphones. The Taylor’s Version came out in October 2023, so that version is on the Ultimate Autumn Mix but the Stolen Version (are we still calling it that? Swifties, let me know) also came out in October of 2014 and was a staple of my high school winter in tenth grade. I very specifically remember listening to “How You Get The Girl” on the way home from school and looking at all the slush from the snow on the floor of the bus.
It Won’t Always Be Like This by Inhaler
Especially “Cheer Up Baby,” “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” “When It Breaks,” “Who’s Your Money On?,” “Totally,” and “In My Sleep.”
While technically I do listen to Inhaler all year round, they do largely feel like a cold weather band to me. Of the two times I’ve seen them perform live, once in July and once in October, the October show was the most enjoyable and memorable and part of that memory is the crisp Autumn air. But for whatever reason, this band feels even colder than Autumn, which makes them more of a winter band. Their second album, Cuts and Bruises came out in February so maybe that’s where I’m getting more of a colder temperatures vibe from them.
Pang by Caroline Polachek
Specifically “The Gate,” “Pang,” “Hit Me Where It Hurts,” “Ocean of Tears,” “Caroline Shut Up,” “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings,” and “Door.”
This one is a little bit harder to explain, mostly because I don’t really have a good reason for it to be a winter album aside from I just think it sounds like winter. It was initially released in October 2019 and I first listened to it from April to May in 2024, but it’s here mostly because I couldn’t imagine listening to it any other time of year than when it’s really really cold out.
The Pogues
Specifically “The Broad Majestic Shannon,” “A Rainy Night in Soho,” “Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six,” “Streams of Whiskey,” “The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn,” “A Pair of Brown Eyes,” “Sally MacLennane,” and “Dirty Old Town.”
Last year was the first year I really became convinced of this band’s winter-ness. It usually starts with Christmas and listening to “Fairytale of New York” a million times in the month of December (Not that I’m complaining.) But also the fact that Shane MacGowan’s birthday was Christmas Day and he passed away on the last day of November 2023 and hearing so many of their songs around his passing really cemented them as a winter-slash-Christmas-adjacent band in my mind.
milk.
Specifically “A Little More,” “Always on Time,” “Temperature,” and “Drama Queen.”
A band I discovered from one of my favorite movies Sing Street (2016). The lead singer of this band, Mark McKenna played Eamon, the rabbit-loving band mate of Conor. While there’s still not yet a debut album, there’s a ton of singles and EPs and I’m really hoping 2026 is the year of the debut milk. album.
Coldplay
Specifically “Violet Hill,” “The Scientist,” “Clocks,” “Viva La Vida,” and “Magic.”
Another all-seasons, all-weather band, these are just a few songs in their catalog that fit the winter vibe to me.
The Cure
Specifically “Just like Heaven,” “Lovesong,” “Friday I’m in Love”
I include this band in the overall seasonal playlist although they really don’t get much play until February. “Friday I’m in Love” is my all-time Valentines Day track, partly inspired by About Time (2013) but like Caroline Polachek, The Cure just doesn’t feel like a band that would go well with a bright, sunny summer day. They sound like evenings where it gets dark at 5pm and the room is glowing with lamps and candles. That’s the vibe I imagine for this band.
Snow Patrol
The Forest Is The Path by Snow Patrol, Fallen Empires by Snow Patrol
Specifically “New York,” “Lifening,” “Those Distant Bells,” and “The Garden Rules.”
While I did feature this band on the Autumn playlist, they are largely a winter band to me. Pretty much their entire discography is winter-tinged, but these two albums in particular especially so.
New Year’s
the start of every year’s January playlist.
January
perfect for listening to while looking out at the fluffy snow.
8th Grade
for when I’m looking for that little hit of nostalgia or, for some reason, miss feeling 14.
Bohemian Rhapsody
inspired by that period of time I spent after watching Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) for the first time and going down a rabbit hole of researching everything about Live Aid.
