I first heard the songs from Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” on Instagram. Yes, I am one of the normies who watch TikToks on Instagram, so I am usually a bit behind on the trends that start on TikTok. The first song from the album that caught my attention was “Everywhere, Everything,” specifically the line that says, “Everywhеre, everything, I wanna lovе you / ‘Til we’re food for the worms to eat / ‘Til our fingers decompose, keep my hands in yours.” The line, catchy as it is, got stuck in my head and I knew I needed to look it up. I consider it fate, really, because the first song on my Spotify “Discover Weekly” playlist that week was “Everywhere, Everything.” I decided to listen to the rest of the album and fell in love with it.
Kahan’s most recent album, “Stick Season,” released on Oct. 14, 2022, features 14 songs with hit-to-the-heart lyrics about a wide array of struggles that a lot of people can relate to. The artist hails from a small town in Vermont, which is where he took inspiration from for this album. In an interview with Billboard, Kahan said that the theme of this album is the idea of space and isolation. He said, “I want people who live in small towns to know I hear them, I see them, and I know what it’s like.”
Musically, the album features indie-pop songs with beautiful guitar lines and delicious overlapping vocals. The vibes are similar to that of Mumford and Sons and the Lumineers, two bands that Kahan said he was heavily influenced by. I appreciate that this album is simple. There is a simplicity to each of the songs as many of them are purely guitar, drums, and vocals, without any electric-sounding parts we hear in lots of mainstream pop songs.
While I love all of the songs on this album, I want to feature one of my favorites that demonstrates the theme of struggle: “Orange Juice.”
“Orange Juice,” is track eight on the album. This is another one of my favorites because of the raw truth it portrays. This song tells the story of loving someone who was once struggling with alcoholism and is now working on sobriety.
What I love about this song is the fact that it is not afraid to acknowledge things that people struggle with. It is not afraid to say, “yes this exists, but I love you anyway and I want to support you.” I think there are many lessons that we could learn from this song about loving one another through it all. The outro sums up the tenderness and love of this song nicely: “And no one will tempt you / We know you got sober / There’s orange juice in the kitchen / Bought for the children / It’s yours if you want it / We’re just glad you could visit.”
So many songs in this album do not shy away from raw struggles and things that many people go through, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Growing Sideways,” for example, talks of going to therapy, drinking, and comparison to others. “Stick Season” talks of feeling trapped in one place. These are just a few examples.
“Stick Season” by Noah Kahan is a great album that talks about so many relatable issues of our time today. This album is perfect for anyone looking to get into his music and maybe shed a few tears while doing so.
