From 'Pillow Talk' to Joy Division: 9 Music-Inspired Fragrances for Fall

If you’ve ever wondered what the Pixies song "Debaser" (the first song off their iconic 1989 album Doolittle, a personal favorite) would smell like, according to indie fragrance brand D.S. & Durga—who created a scent of the same name, directly inspired by the song—it’s something like heart and base notes of ripe fig, iris, coconut milk, tonka bean, dry blond woods, and moss blended together.

Influenced by “the wild shrill of Black Francis coming through the radio in the August heat,” I can totally smell what they mean. Although, with subtle, yet important, top notes of bergamot, green leaf, and pear stem also found in the scent to round it out, I can’t help but think of them as the fragrance note equivalent to Kim Deal’s pulsing opening bass line and her soft coos of “debaser” echoed throughout the song. If you’re as picky about your vinyl collection as your fragrance collection, then consider getting this scent a no-brainer. $260 for 3.4 fl. oz., dsanddurga.com.

Byredo is (hands down) one of the most artistic fragrance houses of all time, so it comes as no surprise that their latest unisex creation, Velvet Haze, is the scent-embodiment of all things cool.

Think of Velvet Haze like Andy Warhol’s olfactory: inspired by the sounds, sights, and vibes of 1960’s counter-culture, this perfume is a dazy, psychedelic mashup of notes like ambrette, coconut water, patchouli leaves, cacao absolu, cotton musks, and wild musk. I can’t help but close my eyes and imagine Nico and The Velvet Underground sitting around, sunglasses on (of course), passing around this scent to spray on themselves before heading to The Factory. Or Warhol himself using it as his latest screen-printing inspiration—because isn’t a bottle of Byredo so much cooler than, like, a can of soup? $230 for 3.4 fl. oz.,byredo.com.

Remember that time in the mid-2000s when Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division was ruined by people who wore T-shirts with the album’s artwork on it (despite not being able to name one other Joy Division song that wasn’t "Love Will Tear Us Apart"), thus cheapening the masterpiece for everyone? Ah, good times. Luckily we all made it through the dark year of 2007, and now we can start praising Unknown Pleasures again without the fear of being ironically called “alt” or something else that’s stupid. (Is anyone following my train of thought here?)

If so, let’s talk about Kerosene’s Unknown Pleasures fragrance. Inspired by “walking down a cold street in England, listening to Joy Division, sipping on a warm cup of London Fog” (so cliché, I love it)—the scent boasts notes of earl grey tea, lemon, bergamot, honey, tonka bean, caramel, vanilla, and something called waffle cone (I'm not kidding). Now, I know we promised you scents that didn’t smell like candy—and trust us, this one doesn’t even come close to what we were describing—but it does lean towards the darker, more sophisticated side of the gourmand-scent spectrum. Sweet and gloomy, just like Ian Curtis. $140 for 3.4 fl. oz.,houseofkerosene.com.

It’s only appropriate that this next music-inspired scent offering is a candle, because it’s inspired by our favorite witch Stevie Nicks—who, in my imagination, is constantly twirling around a fire wrapped in a velvet kimono anyway. According to Tatine’s Gold Dust candle, the spirit of Nicks smells a little something like bohemian gold santal, saffron, hyacinth, tobacco blossom, orris, incense, musk, and dark patchouli—a perfect blend of mystical, opulent chaos (just like Stevie). Insider witch tip: light this candle, queue up Rhiannon on full-volume, and twirl yourself (and your kimono) into a fiery trance. $22, shop.tatinecandles.com.

Oh, Prince. How I miss our beloved, androgynous, amorphous, idiosyncratic, purple suede-covered pop icon. While it may be impossible for anything or anyone to exude the same kind of magical allure Prince came naturally equipped with, there will always be beautiful tributes to his effervescence. One of which is the Prada Olfactories Purple Rain fragrance, inspired by (arguably) his most iconic song of all-time. Purple Rain smells like a powdery, sexy cloud—an effect due to the scent being built around the fragrance note iris (which is interestingly found in the top, heart, and base notes), with subtle undertones of vetiver, neroli, and orange blossom also found inside. It’s beautiful, unique, and complex, just like Prince. Consider this fragrance your chance to be “bathing in the Purple Rain” (sorry, I had to). $300 for 3.4 fl. oz., saksfifthavenue.com.

My favorite scent by Pinrose just so happens to have been inspired by one of my favorite songs, "Zebra" by Beach House, and I really can’t think of a more perfect fragrance name other than the one Pinrose chose to call it: Pillowtalk Poet. It’s so fitting, not only because of the dream-pop band’s poetic ruptures found in their songs (especially "Zebra"), but also because I can’t help but imagine Victoria Legrand dousing herself in this fragrance before going on-stage. Layered in notes of geranium, powder, clove leaf, ambergris, musk, amber, and sandalwood, the elixir is warm and inviting, like a pillow, or Beach House’s Teen Dream on repeat. $65 for 1.7 fl. oz., sephora.com.

Created under the influence of the musical album L.A. Woman by The Doors, and specifically inspired by the song "Love Her Madly" (the second track found on the album), Firme Arte—a self-described “internet bodega” created by two indigenous, queer, gender non-conforming artists in Sacramento, CA—has crafted a candle of the same name, aptly christened Love Her Madly.

Although the candle itself is actually unscented, it does contain real botanicals, spell oils, and minerals that correspond with an array of mystical purposes by using a combination of colors, herbs, numbers, music, and crystal magic, which are all crafted in small batches during ritual. Case in point: the Love Her Madly candle is colored both pink (for love, sweetness, attraction) and green (for prosperity, money, abundance, luck), and according to Firme Arte, “in this space we use the word “Her” to represent not only the obvious (the energies of love), but we are using it to create a space where a love for life is given a feminine energy.” Bonus: the candle is infused with real crystals, so you can (carefully) remove them once your candle has burned down and add them to your altar, or something like, say, a Jim Morrison shrine, too. $18, firmearteonline.com.

Jazz is one of those very intimidating genres of music for me to really feel educated in—and it’s not because I’m a girl (eye roll), or because I don’t love and appreciate it—it’s because there are so many different types of jazz that it’s (TBH) hard to keep up. So I may or may not have asked my jazz-obsessed boyfriend to help me write this one.

Maison Margiela’s Replica: Jazz Club scent may be labeled as a “male fragrance,” but let me tell you: I’ve been wearing it for years (and my aforementioned jazz-obsessed boyfriend steals it from me all the time) because it’s truly one of the most hypnotically sensual smells you’ll ever whiff. Inspired by a Brooklyn jazz club, heady cocktails, and cigars, Jazz Club is appropriately blended in notes of pink pepper, primofiore lemon, neroli, rum absolute, clary sage oil, java vetiver oil, tobacco leaf absolute, vanilla bean, and styrax resin. “This smells the way that Chet Baker’s 'My Funny Valentine' makes me feel,” is what my jazz-obsessed boyfriend describes the fragrance as. “It’s warm, effortlessly cool, and, uh, kind of sexy, you know?” Agreed. $126 for 3.4 fl. oz., sephora.com.

If you’re unfamiliar with Parfums Jazmin Sarai—a magical niche indie fragrance brand that has a collection of perfumes inspired by songs, beats, rhythm, harmony, lyrics, and tempo—then listen up (no pun intended for this story). Her perfume collection (which she calls “The Playlist”) are all inspired by a variety of musical influences spanning from Led Zeppelin to Otis Redding—but the standout for me is the How You Love scent, which was inspired by the lyrics, “Girl, you are rich, even with nothing. And you know that tenderness comes, from the pain,” from the song "It’s Only Love That Gets You Through" by (queen) Sade. Blended with a symphony of fragrance notes like herbal cardamom, grapefruit, Indian jasmine, Moroccan rose, sandalwood, musk, and Beeswax—the end result smells like some sort of warm, sensual honey—a perfect tribute to the smooth sound of Sade. $95 for 1.7 fl. oz., jazminsarai.com.