The Perfect New England Fall Road Trip Playlist

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There’s really nothing quite like autumn in New England. Whether you’re on the bustling streets of Boston, along the coast in Maine, or driving through the scenic towns of Vermont, it almost feels like being in a movie. A road trip through New England in the autumn is a true bucket list experience, and it’s one that deserves the perfect soundtrack. I’ve got you covered there with the ultimate playlist for a fall road trip through New England.

This travel-themed playlist series was designed to both add another layer of interest to your trips as well as to give you a way to relive your experiences once you’re home. Whenever you’re missing New England, or even if you’ve never been and just want to mentally transport yourself, throw on this playlist for instant New England autumn vibes.

This is the perfect playlist for a fall road trip in New England.

Catch the entire New England Autumn playlist at the bottom of this article. You can also follow it on Spotify to have it saved to your Playlist Library for easy access. Be sure to check out The Awayist on Spotify for more travel-themed playlists.

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The Inspiration

New England has a distinct feeling – especially in the fall. It’s the smell of autumn leaves. Discovering historic buildings, old cemeteries, and hidden cobblestone streets. It’s Gilmore Girls, the Ivy League, Hocus Pocus, and harvest festivals. The feeling you get when you mix all those things together – that’s the inspiration for this playlist.

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Start Planning Your New England Road Trip

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Featured Artists

There are usually a few musicians or groups that I build a playlist around to create a cohesive feel. These are some of the key players that influenced the sound of this New England Autumn playlist.

Vampire Weekend

While Vampire Weekend isn’t from New England (they’re from New York), they capture the New England vibe for me better than any other band. With lyrics like, “I’ve had dreams of Boston all of my life,” and an entire (cheeky) song about Cape Cod, it really should come as no surprise that Vampire Weekend is featured heavily on this playlist.

The Zombies

Sing it with me, “it’s the time…of the season.” It’s one of the unofficial anthems of fall, and that 60s rock vibe somehow really invokes the New England autumn mood in an indescribable way. So much so that I included a number of songs from The Zombies’ catalog and let that influence the overall sound of the playlist as well. This English rock band was part of the “British Invasion” of the 1960s, so including them on this playlist was also a little nod to New England’s history with Britain.

Paul Revere & The Raiders

In the same vein as The Zombies, Paul Revere & The Raiders have that perfect 60s rock vibe. Despite the name, they’re not actually from New England, but they did have a habit of performing in Revolutionary War-style attire. That’s close enough in my book.

Frances Forever

I always try to bring some local sound to my playlists. After all, no one can really capture the vibe of a place quite like the people who live there. Enter Frances Forever, the Boston-area-based artist who basically broke TikTok with the release of Space Girl. Thanks to Frances, this playlist took on some “bedroom pop” elements that invoke the nostalgia of starting school in the autumn.

Arctic Monkeys

The British are coming! There’s no denying the influence of Great Britain on New England’s history. They may have been considered tyrannical redcoats back in the day, but darn it if we don’t just love those silly Brits now. It only felt right to include a smattering of some of Britain’s finest bands here, and the Arctic Monkeys are near the top of that list for me.

Standout Songs

Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones

I don’t know what it is, but every time I hear this song I can almost smell the crisp autumn leaves. There’s really no good reason – it just invokes that fall feeling for me. Perhaps it will do so for you as well.

I’m Shipping Up To Boston – Dropkick Murphys

As the official capital of New England, Boston gets its share of love on this playlist. If there’s one song that I think of when I think about Boston, it’s this one. This Celtic punk band hails from a Boston suburb, and this particular song was made famous with its feature in the Boston-based film The Departed.

Rhiannon – Fleetwood Mac

New England autumns and witchy vibes go hand-in-hand. No song marries those two elements better than Rhiannon.

Notion – The Rare Occasions

Again I’ll say, it’s the local artists that really round out this playlist. Anytime I hear this song by Boston natives The Rare Occasions, I’m immediately transported back to the cobblestone streets and small pubs in Boston.

Autumn Shade (& Autumn Shade II) – The Vines

This is a two-fer because I couldn’t pick just one. Both are beautiful songs and are perfect for a drive through the New England countryside.

The Hoax – Mik Cool

To be completely candid, my husband is in this band, but I can still impartially say that this song rocks and is perfect for this playlist. The melody lends itself to a New England drive to catch the autumn leaves, while the edginess of Mik’s voice wouldn’t be out of place in a Boston pub. It’s kind of like the above three songs all mixed into one.

Sea Legs – The Shins

I wanted to bring in some nautical vibes without going full sea shanty, and this song does just that. A few songs throughout the playlist pay homage to New England’s seafaring culture, but this one is definitely a favorite. The Shins were also featured in an episode of Gilmore Girls (performing the song “So Says I”, which is also on this playlist), so there’s that.

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While the bones of the playlist will always stay the same, I’m consistently searching for new songs to add to the mix. Have anything you would add to this playlist? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to check them out!

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