As the last traces of February linger and the first signs of spring begin to show, our listening habits begin to shift along with the season. As the heavy, pensive soundtracks that carried us through the colder months begin to fade into something lighter, brighter and much more evident of the warmth to come. Whether it’s something upbeat for the first long walk of the year or a mellow song for those in-between days when winter hasn’t quite let go, these are the sounds easing us into the new season.

Few albums completely capture the quiet, complicated beauty of early spring quite like “The Hissing of Summer Lawns” does. Released in 1975 by Joni Mitchell the album’s pieces together lush sound overtop a backing track of soft jazz, giving it that feeling of warm air drifting through a window, hinting at spring.

The softness to the album makes a perfect backing track to the seasons thaw with songs like “In France They Kiss on Main Street” and the title song. Mitchell’s soft vocal mesh works amazingly with an array of gentle jazz to bring an easy-listening feel to the album.

The album defines the transition between March and April. “The Hissing of Summer Lawns” unfolds gradually, revealing new colors and sounds with each listen, much like the landscape itself as the season begins to change.

“Cleopatra” by the Lumineers is an indie-folk, upbeat album about fame, loss, regret and life’s “what ifs”. In the album, these themes are found in songs like “Ophelia”, “Angela”, and “Sleep on the Floor”. The latter special is about a couple running away from their small town and searching for freedom. I really enjoyed this album because the lyrics are very meaningful and they can be uplifting. This album encapsulates spring because it is a time of change and people are looking for something new to do.

“Living Mirage” by The Head and the Heart is an ideal album for spring. Released in May of 2019, it charted at number one on the US Folk charts, and its two singles, “Missed Connection” and “Honeybee”, experienced moderate commercial success. The album emphasizes duets and arpeggiated piano melodies, with songs like “See You Through My Eyes”, while maintaining a hopeful, upbeat tone overall. With its feel-good indie folk sound, “Living Mirage” is the perfect soundtrack for wandering through the woods on a warm May afternoon.

Olivia Dean’s debut album, “Messy,” which was released in June 2023, is perfect for spring. After recently winning the Grammy for best new artist, Dean has grown in popularity, and “Messy” is one of her top-performing albums, with over nine million streams on Spotify as of March 2026 and an average of three million streams per day.

The renewal of spring is reflected in the album’s themes of growth, self-acceptance and fresh starts. Bright and upbeat songs like “Dive” are ideal for the arrival of warmer weather. The 35-minute album serves as a great, calming background for sunny days because of its simple, acoustic-driven and cozy vibe.

This short 30-minute debut album features a blend of R&B and hip-hop beats in seven songs. With features from Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and Vince Staples, Aiko’s album mixes themes of romance and life.

Even though this album was released in 2013, it continues to be one of the most influential debut R&B albums. Her fifth song on the track, “The Worst”, has hit over 400 thousand streams as of March 2026, and the album overall reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2013.

The album cover features Aiko walking on the beach during sunset, which is something everyone wishes for when entering spring. “Sail Out means to be free, go with the wind, like a sailboat,” Aiko said in a 2013 interview with Bars & Chords Entertainment. This motto represents a going with the flow attitude, and to face everything with a free mind, which connects with every struggle in life, and it’s important to consider that. This album incorporates feelings of spring, and it’s the perfect album to listen to in the rain or on the beach.