By Lauren Larking

The wind chill is below freezing and your scarf keeps coming undone as your brittle knuckles crack while retieing your boot laces. It’s the thick of winter and a pair of headphones are the only thing keeping your ears from aching in the cold. Here’s what you should be listening to:

“Snowbank Blues” by The Backseat Lovers

“Wish I could roll the windows down / But the snow has swallowed up our little town”

A beautiful balance of longing and acceptance, this guitar-driven anthem thrives off its simplicity. Lead singer Joshua Harmon keeps his voice in the unique in-between of talking and yelling, with just enough rasp to naturally bridge the gap between the two. The ebbs and flows of the track never stray too far from the consistent acoustic strums. It feels like January swathed into a three minute package.

“I Want You To Love Me” by Fiona Apple

“And I know when I go / All my particles disband and disperse / And I’ll be back in the pulse”

Fiona Apple personifies the bitter winter. Her all-consuming musicianship bleeds through the pores of the verses and chords on this track. In the way that no two snowflakes are the same, Fiona makes every rhyme and note sound completely reborn. She begs in the most poetic way possible without sounding pathetic. This song is a must for when you are trudging through piles of slushed snow in worn-out boots that don’t keep your toes warm anymore.

“Leach” by Cryogeyser

“Leach, leave this head / Crossing veins like climbing mountains”

This song is a kick in the gut. It’s the bite in the gust of wind between buildings. It’s the sting of the frost on your fingers. There is no other way to listen to this song than screaming the verses in your head or out the window. The pull of its layered melodies only continue to grow stronger as the chill does in the air.

“Jigsaw Falling Into Place” by Radiohead

“The walls are bending shape / They’ve got a Cheshire cat grin”

It wouldn’t be winter without Radiohead. Thom Yorke’s stream of consciousness starts with a night at a bar and descends into confusing sensual messiness. The lyrics are made of short, punchy sentences that read like a poem. The consistent but subtle beat of the drums is the backbone of this track, supporting Yorke as he figures out how exactly his puzzle of a night fits together.

“Lipstick on the Glass” by Wolf Alice

“I take you back / Yeah, I know it sounds surprising when there’s lipstick still on the glass”

There is something about the way a Wolf Alice song lingers after it’s finished that feels reminiscent of handprints fading slowly from the fog on the car window. Ellie Rowsell’s voice is like a siren — bewitching, heart- wrenching, and unforgettable. As a result, this song is as vulnerable as the inches of skin that become uncovered when the end of your coat arm shifts above the beginning of your gloves.

“Velvet Ring” by Big Thief

“Love is a gentle thing / Yours is thicker than a velvet ring”

Big Thief is the blanket you always go to grab first. For days and nights when the cold is too unbearable to face, this track will be there to keep you warm. The gentleness of Adrianne Lenker’s voice pairs seamlessly with the layered acoustic guitar to produce a song so familiar it feels like running into an old friend in your hometown supermarket.

“Sea, Swallow Me” by Cocteau Twins & Harold Budd

“Seven sugars and a madman goes / Yell, I wanted more”

Once you accept that understanding any of the Cocteau Twins’ lyrics is a futile feat, it’s easy to lean into the comfort of this track. Shoe gaze embodies the transition from fall to winter, as it’s hopeful enough to be there when the leaves fall but visceral enough to linger like an ear worm into the snowfall. The versatility of the Cocteau Twins makes them fit for any season, but they are most at home when the sun begins to set before the day begins.

“For Emma” by Bon Iver

“Saw death on a sunny snow / For every life / Forgo the parable”

This song is a hard pill to swallow. Whoever Emma is, she drove the creation of one of the most beautiful, destructive music pieces of all time. Just two devastating verses belong to this song until we are carried to the end by a seemingly more hopeful trumpet solo. Bon Iver speaks lyrically and musically to how the winter days pass in phases of sunshine and darkness.

“Blue Ridge Mountains” by Fleet Foxes

“Let’s drive to the countryside / Leave behind some green-eyed look-a-likes”

Fleet Foxes are the unmistakable feeling of both the heart-aching nostalgia and joyous familiarity that comes with the holidays. This song throws you into a life outside the city where the only pressing responsibility is insulating the stables for your horses before the first snow.

“Clay Pigeons” by Michael Cera

“Smokin’ cigarettes in the last seat / Trying to hide my sorrow from the people I meet”
I’m dead serious about this one. With an acoustic guitar and a dream, Michael Cera strums together an understated masterpiece cover fit for all winter occasions. This track is the musical equivalent to the peace of finding the time to start a new puzzle. It hits home in the same nostalgic way that Michael Cera does as Paulie Bleeker in Juno.

The Perfectly Curated Playlist for the Bitter Winter