Maybe you’re carving pumpkins and listening to folk tunes to lean into autumn, or maybe you’ve left your scarf at your lover’s sister’s house and she’s still got it in her drawer.
To complement the cool, fall weather, warm up one hand with a cup of coffee as you queue up an equally cozy autumnal album in the other. Peruse our list of warm, comforting seasonal drinks and the music they pair perfectly with – aesthetically and emotionally.
Tigerella’s snickers latte + Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago”
Just like Bon Iver’s layered harmonies and tender lyrics, Tigerella’s snickers latte is playfully sweet. Notes of bold chocolate and warm caramel whisk you into the autumn weather, providing an escape from the cold. The latte is familiar, like a higher-level childhood hot chocolate with a nutty aftertaste. Littered with spellbinding, hollow harmonies, Bon Iver’s 2007 debut album creates an autumn dreamscape of fallen leaves, barren forests and nostalgia. Bare instruments and bittersweet, devotional lyrics can be heard throughout the album, deeply layered like ripples of cream and chocolate in a snickers latte. On “Skinny Love,” Iver sings of a past lover, “Who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?” The track’s melodic, soft tempo explodes at the last minute as a guitar plucks and Iver’s voice booms through, awakening your senses and commanding attention sweetly, just like Tigerella’s snickers latte.
Swing Coffee’s fall spice latte + The Neighborhood’s “I Love You.”
The fall spice latte from Swing’s Coffee summons the essence of autumn through a reimagined, classic recipe. The latte tastes like the feeling of a borrowed jacket to brave the season, the first crunch of leaves beneath your boots and your favorite mug. Notes of allspice, orange and cinnamon accompanied by espresso are reminiscent of The Neighborhood’s 2013 debut album “I Love You.” The latte is all-encompassing, as each of its six flavors – allspice, clove, orange zest, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg – compete for attention. On the album’s most popular track, “Sweater Weather,” lead vocalist Jesse Rutherford sings of a beachy, autumn breeze and a beloved sweater over ambient music and techno drums, “’Cause it’s too cold/For you here/And now, so let me hold/Both your hands in the holes of my sweater.” Much like the experimental, all-encompassing production of “I Love You.,” the latte’s blend of festive, fall spices and many different flavors compliment each other and flow seamlessly. Layered vocals and patchy drums glisten throughout the album as lead vocalist Jesse Rutherford’s rasp tucks you into an autumn dream – one that’s filled with morning fog, sweater weather and of course, fall spice lattes.
Tatte’s kabocha squash latte + Taylor Swift’s “Red”
The pumpkin spice latte is an established autumn icon, and the popular beverage has a brand new sister to discover right on campus. In Tatte’s kabocha squash latte, you’ll find a sweeter interpretation of its predecessor that substitutes a pumpkin base for one of kabocha squash, a naturally sweet vegetable native to Japan. Hints of a nutmeg and espresso layer over the kabocha squash seamlessly, and it tastes like Taylor Swift’s “Red,” an album that’s both bitter and sweet. On “All Too Well,” the album’s standout track, a brokenhearted Swift recalls her breakup, “Autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place/And I can picture it after all these days.” Each song on Swift’s whopping 30 track re-released album transports you into a world of never-ending autumn where kabocha squash lattes flow endlessly. Notes of cinnamon and nutmeg swirl across your taste buds, just like Swift’s memories of dancing in the refrigerator light, while a mild squash flavor escorts you to the November morning breeze of her recalled upstate escape. The squash latte is warm with bold spices that are just as vivid as the “Red” album title suggests.
Peet’s Coffee’s caramel apple latte + Phoebe Bridgers’ “Punisher”
Peet’s caramel apple latte presents a bittersweet blend of espresso and caramel with a faint twinge of green apple in every sip. The latte pairs unlikely flavors of sour apple with sweet caramel and a bold, smooth espresso. The drink’s unpredictability is echoed in Phoebe Bridgers’ 2020 album “Punisher,” an emo-folk alternative album with both wistful, finger-plucked guitars and fiery drums. Like a caramel apple latte, the album encapsulates mid-autumn, with Bridgers singing of Halloween and ghosts over melodic and mournful ambient music. On “Moon Song,” a folk-esque guitar ballad, Bridgers sings over soft, gentle guitar plucks bitterly, “You are sick/You are married/And you might be dying/But you’re holding me like water in your hands.” The unpredictable nature of “Punisher” tightropes between soft, melancholic music and bitter, harsh lyrics, creating an unlikely balance of breezy and bold, sour and sweet– just like a caramel apple latte.
Starbucks’ Cinnamon Dolce Latte + the Lumineers’ “Cleopatra”
If you’re feeling homesick, a Starbucks cinnamon dolce latte while listening to the Lumineers’ folk-country sophomore album, “Cleopatra” may just be the cure. The sweet nostalgia of a milky Starbucks cinnamon dolce latte is weaved throughout the Lumineers’ sophomore album. The steaming latte harkens back to clutching a churro during a windy November evening, bearing comfort and relief from the cold. Throughout “Cleopatra,” bare-bone melodies and stripped, country-esque arrangements bear a certain feeling of homey autumn while love-letter lyrics create an intimate sphere of warmth. Nostalgic folk-guitar strums glisten throughout the album as minimal production curates a raw, home-grown energy. In track five, “Angela,” lead vocalist Wesley Schultz sings of a woman returning to her town after feeling, “Oh Angela, spent your whole life running away/Home at last.” “Cleopatra” mirrors the familiarity of a cinnamon dolce latte, reminiscent of booking a train ticket home and driving down your childhood street, a fantasy aided by the latte’s waves of warm milk and sprinkles of cinnamon.
