Autumn in New York is a season of subtle shifts, both external and internal. The air turns sharp in Thompson Square Park, and the streets, suddenly quieter, are framed by the long shadows of early evenings. Fifth Avenue dresses itself for the holidays, a reminder of the approaching end of the year. There is something about the city in fall that evokes reflection, a pull towards solitude and, perhaps, a sense of closure.

This playlist is designed for those moments. It pulls together the jagged edges of downtown rock from the ’60s and ’70s with the introspective moodiness of the ’90s, offering a soundtrack to your own quiet observations—of the streets, of time passing, of your place in it all. Each song carries its own echo of past seasons, of lives lived out loud and in the shadows. It is music for walking, for thinking, for feeling the weight of the city as it shifts from one year to the next, waiting for something unnamed.

WORDS & PLAYLIST Jack James Busa @jackjamesbusa