sugar-coated melting in your mouth
autumn is “Bags” by Clairo season
For the full immersive experience, listen to my autumnal playlist as you read:
♪⋆.✮ Pardon my emotions,
I should probably keep it all to myself. ₊˚♬ ﾟ.
Autumn feels like crisp, cool air biting at my exposed ears, softened by cashmere sweaters.
Autumn tastes like gooey, sugary apple oatmeal and pumpkin cake slathered in tangy cream cheese frosting.
Autumn smells like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove—warm spices that curl into my lungs and linger.
Autumn looks like a fiery masterpiece, with shades of red, orange, yellow, and brown scattered across the ground.
And autumn sounds like “Bags” (Live from Electric Lady) by Clairo.
Though I’m a summer girl (being a July baby), autumn always finds a way into my heart. There’s a certain nostalgia that sneaks in as September rolls around—a bittersweet melancholy that fills the shortening days, making everything feel bathed in soft, dream-like bokeh lights. But I’ve learned to embrace it. These down-tempo days aren’t exactly sad; they carry a kind of comfort, like an invitation to slow down, breathe, and simply be.
♪⋆.✮ Savor this with everything I have inside of me ₊˚♬ ﾟ.
Autumn is, quite literally, the season of falling. Leaves detach from branches, drifting in graceful surrender before blanketing the ground. The trees shed what they no longer need, making space for rest and renewal. In the same way, we fall into new rhythms—letting go of old routines, relationships, or identities, making room for something new to grow.
That’s why “Bags” feels like autumn to me. The live version, with its extra-crunchy guitar riffs and sharper drum hits, adds a layer of complexity to a song filled with so much depth. It’s raw, unpolished, and intimate—almost like a confession whispered into the crisp autumn air. There’s a kind of nostalgia in the sound itself, the longing of the lyrics illustrated and clinging in the atmosphere.
In autumn, death is everywhere—the leaves curling and crisping, flowers fading, the days losing light. Yet, in the middle of all this decay, there’s life. The sharpness of the guitar and the liveliness of Clairo’s voice inject energy into the season’s melancholy, just as moments of warmth and joy punctuate autumn’s quieter rhythms. That liveliness doesn’t negate the sadness but complements it, making both emotions feel sharper and more real.
I love music so deeply that it aches. Songs like “Bags” pierce me with their explosive bridges, crushing lyrics, and delicate delivery. In the live version, Clairo twists the knife even deeper, her voice fragile yet deliberate, making every note feel like both a wound and a balm. It’s the perfect soundtrack for autumn—capturing the ache of change, the tension between holding on and letting go.
♪⋆.✮ I'm not the type to run,
I know that we're having fun. ₊˚♬ ﾟ.
Autumn and “Bags” remind me that not all falls are failures. Some are necessary acts of surrender, beautiful in their vulnerability. They teach us that falling—whether in love, in life, or with the changing seasons—isn’t the end but a beginning. Just as autumn makes space for winter’s stillness, we have to let go of what no longer serves us, trusting that something new will take its place.
And maybe that’s what makes the melancholy of autumn—and “Bags”—so comforting. They both say: It’s okay to fall. It’s okay to feel everything. Because in that fall, there’s life.
♪⋆.✮ I guess this could be worse,
Walkin' out the door with your bags. ₊˚♬ ﾟ.