November Nibbles: 10 Best New Music Releases This Month

So, here’s the breakdown – t’was a sad girl Autumn.

Like what you read? Liking posts on Substack, sharing, and subscribing are all much appreciated ways to support the work of Words From My Wits’ End. Talk soon<3

As Taylor Swift once said, November saw “autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place.” November is a strange month – it marks a time of gatherings and endings, feasts and fights at the dinner table (especially after this year we’ve been having…yikes).

November is home to the last glimpses of autumnal foliage and the last month to get those overdue New Years’ resolutions out of the way before anyone asks about them at Christmas. As a result, this month saw wistful holiday ballads, and pop that pondered. Here are the 10 most interesting new releases of November.

“Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” by Bleachers

Jack Antonoff brings out the best of his solo artist persona on “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call.” Paired with the Grammy winning pop producer’s signature synths, the track offers a brassy modern answer to Wham’s classic “Last Christmas.” Antonoff does longing very well, both in his own work and his lengthy list of collaborations with Taylor Swift.

“Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” mourns the loss of an important relationship that the subject knows needs to be over, but can’t help but miss them during the holidays. Shimmering lyrics include “But you should know that I died slow/Running through the halls of your haunted home.” The song evokes the image of wistfully staring out of a window into a snow covered scene on a complicated holiday evening.

“The Mountain” by Shawn Mendes

On the self-titled Shawn, Mendes takes a folksy detour into the Canadian woods that raised him before internet fame launched his pop music career. After cancelling his Wonder tour in 2022 to focus on his mental health, Mendes largely stepped away from the music industry, save for his performance as the titular Lyle Lyle The Crocodile. Shawn marks the singer’s first new album in four years, and his most vulnerable work to date. On “The Mountain”, Mendes challenges the public's perceptions of himself over a stripped back acoustic guitar sound.

“For Sale Sign” by Tiny Habits (ft. Lizzy McAlpine)

The folksy meditative quality of this Tiny Habits collaboration with Lizzy McAlpine is a prime example of the sad girl Autumn phenomenon. Both McAlpine and Tiny Habits are products of Berklee College of Music in Boston. Their reunion on “For Sale Sign” hits the spot as the perfect soundtrack for a thought girl walk through the last embers of Autumn. The lush harmonies deliver lyrics like “I look at the sky sometimes and think about endings,” landing its spot on this list.