In case the sudden appearance of oversized, inflatable lawn decorations wasn’t enough of a hint, summer is very over.

That poppy, outdoor party playlist that you were using as the primary means to cheer yourself up and/or show off cool new songs to your friends probably doesn’t feel the same anymore. Sure, you might want to hold onto the uplifting feelings that came along with warmer, brighter months. But trying to play cheery, summery music today when the sun sets before 5pm is depressing at worst and counterproductive at best.

If you expect your music to feal comforting and fit the seasonal mood, you have to let the summer songs go. After all, you already rolled your car windows up. You mentally fought with your thermostat about how many blankets you can wear before turning the heat on. You probably consumed something with the words “pumpkin,” “maple,” or spice in it. You accepted fall in so many ways, but if music wasn’t one of them, then the soundtrack to your life will ultimately feel misguided.

So what does it mean to accept fall music?

It means you have to embrace songs like Atta Boy’s “Spring Seventeen” that ease into passion through a tempo too slow for most group settings.

It means you have to realize that songs like Charlie Houston’s “What Do We Do Now?” may sound gentle and unhurried in their rise to a thunderous climax.

It means you have to expect that songs like LABRYS’s “Gimme Something” will be take emotional instability and turn it into a good thing. In LABRYS’s case, it’s a fiery superpower.

It means you have to come to terms with songs like Mad Anthony’s “Rina” that can use low budget demo equipment and still feel higher quality than the best pop song.

It means you’ve got the green light to listen to slow Kid Cudi songs again without feel self-conscious about it. Don’t worry, I won’t judge.

So as your speakers scamper indoors, give them a playlist that fits the new mood. The following playlist contains 40 of my favorite songs released over the past few months. As always, these songs are in no particular order with a limit of only one song per artist. Take these songs as a sign to decelerate, wrap up in more of those blankets, and embrace what it means to live with your emotional state and your mental state at a equilibrium this fall.