6 fall-ready songs, for the R&B gals
Ready for school? Starting the internship? Here's six R&B jams to add to your September fall playlist to get you through the motions.
September is here, which marks the season of Fall. Vancouver is gloomier and colder; students trek on their hour long commutes to school, and our faces are at a constant resting face of “why?”.
Lucky for you, we’ve curated some of the best music to refresh your slow and steady “fall szn” playlists (or listen to our full playlist here) — whether its staple r&b jams and throwbacks, or underground gems with plays with less than 5,000 streams:
Bankhead (unplugged) — Kelela
Kelela is a singer-songwriter, and producer that’s created music in the contemporary/alternative r&b and club genres. You may have recognized her name on PinkPantheress’ Heaven knows on Bury me.
Bankhead (unplugged) is a wisfully-stripped back rendition of her 2013 original, which was more electronic. Listening to Bankhead for the first time was a beautiful experience — not only because of the production, but the incredibly raw lyrics that capture the process of an initial romance that’s equally thrilling and frustrating. And let’s be honest, we’ve all been there.
Snooze — FRANKY
FRANKY is a fellow Vancouverite, proud sagittarius, and participant of Vancouver’s local music scene.
Snooze samples the melody of SZA’s R&B ballad in a reimagined composition, written by herself. There’s nothing like a dry vocal and a thoughtful stacking harmonies that bring out the authenticity of music. Regardless, Snooze is the perfect song for a nighttime unwind.
Wasted — Summer Walker
The name that needs no introduction. But in case you’re unaware; Hailing from Atlanta, Summer Walker is R&B’s princess — the Don Julio, the everything in between. Walker has released some of our generation’s best lover-girl music, from Girls Need Love, Session 32, and more recently, Heart Of A Woman.
Wasted is that type of song you play when Vancouver is also in her feels and releases 100mm of rain mid-September. Wasted is raw, sad, but an anthem for many who has experienced a toxic relationship before (And that includes the one-sided situationships too… I see y’all…).
LTF — Kiana Lede
Kiana Lede is soulful R&B-singer, whose alluring voice and melodic choices get in your head. You may have heard her 2018 hit EX on your timeline, or “Mad At Me.”, who features Shawty Bae’s signature “you know the vibes” line in the intro.
I personally have a connection with LTF (aka Lovin’, Touchin’, Fuckin’), and the album, Cut Ties, that feature this song, because let's be honest — y’all paid this song and project dust! Banger after banger, LTF is the first track off the 11-track album. It’s a soft ballad suitable for the slower, happier mornings and commutes. Again, I encourage you to listen to Cut Ties because it’s the epitome of a fall album.
U — Tha Aristokatz feat. O.A.D.E & BDii
Tha Aristokatz is a music production group from Atlanta, led by KeysDaProducer. In this project, The Aristokatz brings together O.A.D.E (An R&B-singer who since has removed her active presence on social media) and BDii, former contestant of The Voice Season 27. “U” has a beautiful, feel-good melody O.A.D.E personifies, which is contrasted perfectly with the deep, raspy voice of BDii.
This song was on my archives in the beginning of January 2024. Since then, it’s been unreleased on major streaming platforms. However — after some detective work — found the original music video and song on YouTube. Watch here.
Supernova — Bellah
Bellah is a London-native, who's made waves not only in the UK’s R&B scene, but the local acting world as Kyazike in the drama-series, Queenie.
Supernova is an emotional slow-jam that showcases Bellah’s enchanting voice, with true-to-the-soul lyrics that speak to the situation you may or may not be in. What makes this song unique is the 808s, produced by Alexander Lewis, which you typically wouldn’t hear in a ballad like this. Regardless, it does the job to sonically get in your gut.
Like the music so far? Give this post a like so we can continue to add more fall songs!