A hobby I spend frankly too much time on is curating incredibly niche Spotify playlists. It began during the COVID-19 pandemic that cut my senior year of high school short and made my first year of college anything but aesthetic or ideal.
I worked to combat the FOMO, or fear of missing out, of not getting a normal high school graduation or in-person freshman year by crafting incredibly niche playlists. Some so niche in fact — I can transport myself back to a specific era of my life — just by listening to them.
As we have entered the “ber” months — September, October and November — the need for niche Spotify playlists grows immensely. Since my first year at the University of Connecticut, I have created multiple fall playlists for each season. In my book, there’s nothing better than walking around campus in the fall — accompanied by a fun fall beverage and a truly niche Spotify playlist.
I take immense pride in my music curation skills — so much so that I have over 100 niche playlists on my Spotify. The sheer number of playlists I’ve authored is a perfect indicator of why I’m an aficionado for the topic and why you should consider creating your own!
So, without further ado, let me walk you through Niche Playlists 101: How to curate a perfect fall playlist.
Get Inspired
The best way to start curating a fall playlist is to get inspired. I tend to do this by participating in fall activities — like watching “Gilmore Girls,” baking fall treats and trying Starbucks and Dunkin’s various fall drinks. I also get inspired by listening to past years’ fall playlists and pulling songs from those.
That brings me to my next point. Some music also just has fall vibes. I would argue Taylor Swift’s “Evermore” and most Noah Kahan tracks inherently bring out fall energy. Furthermore, the music I listened to in past falls also influences my new fall playlists. Tracks from Lorde’s first album, “Pure Heroine,” always bring me back to past autumns.
Pick A Niche (Genre, Event, Character)
The next step once you’ve been inspired — either by a fall activity or wandering through picturesque autumn trees — is to pick a niche. That could be a genre of music — I tend to learn towards indie and folk for fall — or be pulled from an event you went to during the fall season. My current inspiration would be the concert I went to last Saturday; where I saw one of my favorite artists, Tommy Lefroy. My current fall playlist, titled “In Between,” is curated towards the walks between classes when the air is crisp and the leaves are changing. Most of the tracks on that playlist are from Tommy Lefroy’s first EP, “Flight Risk.” One of the tracks, “The Cause,” has been on all my fall playlists since I discovered the band back in 2021.
Your niche could be styled to a specific fictional character or activity you associate with fall. I have a playlist for fall girls’ trips and another inspired by my favorite literary characters. Other honorable mentions include: studying in the Sprague Hall lounge, late nights at Homie B. and “angsty boy autumn” — a playlist specifically curated of sad indie boy laments, like Hozier and Noah Kahan.
Find Artists
After getting inspired and finding your niche, you may find that you only have a few songs on your playlist or a lot of tracks from the same artist. A way to combat that issue — or what I fondly refer to as “playlist block” — is to explore new artists. There are a few different avenues for this.
I would recommend utilizing Spotify’s weekly personalized playlist feature, Discover Weekly. Spotify’s analytics look at what you enjoy listening to now and recommends similar artists and songs for you to give a try. Furthermore, utilizing the friends tab in Spotify is another useful way to find new music. I’ve found some of my favorite artists through friends and other mutuals.
Also, if you’re a student at the UConn Storrs campus, WHUS Radio’s New Music committee is another awesome way to find new artists to include in your fall-themed playlist. They meet at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in the WHUS Big Room in the Student Union.
Pick A Title and Corresponding Image
Finally, once you’ve found your niche and followed the corresponding steps, you’re ready to title your playlist and select the corresponding cover image. I often take inspiration from photos on Pinterest or use my own photos I’ve taken of campus and other fun fall activities. For example, the photo from last year’s main autumn playlist was a picture of my best friend and I getting hot apple cider at The Big E. Another image is from one of my past dorms, Sprague Residence Hall, and from my friend’s hometown that perfectly embodies New England fall.
That’s the end of my guide to crafting your own fall playlists. I hope this advice helps you draft your own incredibly niche playlists and that you have as much fun making them as I do.
Happy fall and good luck with your playlist crafting!