Noah Kahan’s album Stick Season came out in October, yet I still listen to it nearly as often now as I did at its release. I even have tickets to two Noah Kahan concerts this summer, so it’s safe to say I’m a big fan. While I’m quite late in reviewing the album, I simply need to get my love for it out into the world. Better late than never!
“Northern Altitude”
As one of the songs on the album first released as a single, this got overplayed for me a bit early. That said, it’s still a great song that deserves all the love and listening it’s gotten! The instrumental part before the chorus is excellent, and the chorus itself is really iconic.
Favorite lines: “If the sun don’t rise ’til the summertime / Forgive my northern attitude, oh, I was raised on little light”
“Stick Season”
This is the titular song for the album, and the first to be released as a single. Given those circumstances, and the fact it went viral on TikTok, it’s another one I have listened to far too many times. That said, it’s another classic with some very compelling lyrics, including but certainly not limited to the one I picked out as a favorite below.
Favorite lines: “Now you’re tire tracks and one pair of shoes / And I’m split in half, but that’ll have to do”
“All My Love”
When the whole album dropped, this was the first song I fixated on. It’s beautiful and nostalgic, but also an absolute banger you can dance to. On one hand, this song is how I feel about the friends I’m no longer close with simply due to time and distance; on the other, it’s full of terribly sad sentiments that I can relate to genuine heartbreak. A bittersweet bop, this is one of my favorite songs on the album still, and I can either dance or cry to it depending on my state of mind when I listen.
Favorite lines: “Now I know your name / But not who you are”
“She Calls Me Back”
This was another of my early favorites and I still love singing along and jamming to it. Something about how Noah sings the phone number scratches my brain just right. This is a beautiful love song, some of which I highly relate to and some of which I hope to one day experience.
Favorite lines: “Oh, I was too afraid of / Living life in your footsteps”
“Come Over”
There are a lot of devastating songs in this album, but “Come Over” being from a child’s perspective might make it the most painful of them all. I can’t casually listen to it because it just hurts so much. It’s an aching and gorgeous song with great lyrical imagery that makes my heart feel so heavy.
Favorite line: “Someday I’m gonna be somebody people want”
“New Perspective”
“New Perspective” doesn’t land as much for me personally given how much I love so many of the other songs, but it’s a really popular song for a reason. It’s definitely a great song and very catchy. The way Noah sings “downtown” is another one that scratches my brain just right and it’s got some of my favorite instrumentals.
Favorite lines: “Gave me your word and now I can’t pronounce it / No thing so sure that I can’t learn to doubt it”
“Everywhere, Everything”
I love this song, and not just because it reminds me of the song “River Rocket” from the movie Swiss Army Man and the title of another movie by the same directors, Everything Everywhere All at Once. I feel like Hozier fans will especially appreciate this one, as it’s very romantic in an earthy, bog-like way. Lyrically this is one of the best in the album, which is impressive since Noah Kahan is such a strong writer. I couldn’t even bring myself to just choose one favorite line, so here’s two!
Favorite lines: “Drive slowly, I know every route in this county / Maybe that ain’t such a bad thing” and “’Til our fingers decompose, keep my hands in yours”
“Orange Juice”
Ow, ow, ow, my heart. This is another devastating song. It’s sweet and angry in turn, and definitely a good one to scream-sing-cry to. I particularly enjoy that the song is essentially a conversation between two people, so on a narrative level it’s extra engaging. I get goosebumps every time I listen.
Favorite lines: “You said my heart has changed and my soul has changed / And my heart, and my heart”
“Strawberry Wine”
This song was not one of my initial favorites, but I will say it has aged like a fine wine, hahaha. It’s a little slower than I prefer when I listen to music but it’s very beautiful. I still don’t listen to it all that often, but I have come to greatly appreciate it nonetheless.
Favorite lines: “Remember telling me that you thought you were cursed? / I’m in love with every song you’ve ever heard”
“Growing Sideways”
Despite being another one of the most popular songs (based on all the TikTok ranking videos I watched for the album when it first released), this one is just another that I don’t really click with. It’s got a lot of good lines, but it also has a number that I just can’t take seriously or just don’t have as much of an impact on me.
Favorite lines: “Oh, if my engine works perfect on empty / I guess I’ll drive”
“Halloween”
This was the first of the songs from the album that I listened to initially except for the singles, simply because I liked the title. It’s another slower one, but it’s as haunting as the name suggests and the more I listen to it the more I appreciate and connect with the story being told. As I often cycle through which songs I’m momentarily obsessed with, I have a suspicion that I will be entering a “Halloween”-era where I listen to it a lot more soon.
Favorite lines: “But the wreckage of you, I no longer reside in / And the bridges have long since been burnt”
“Homesick”
This song is one of my personal anthems. It’s been popular on TikTok for its “I’m mean because I grew up in New England” line, but there are so many more lyrics I relate to and fixate on. The feeling of wanting to do great things and move away from the small-seeming life you were born into while still loving where and what you’ve come from is one that really hits home for me. Like I said, I really love so many of the lyrics, but the one I’ve picked out for a favorite is the one I’ve been identifying with most strongly the past few months.
Favorite line: “I got dreams, but I can’t make myself believe them”
“Still”
This song snuck up on me. It was another I initially dismissed for the first few months of listening, but at some point without noticing I started singing along to it instead of skipping. Noah’s vocals are just really lovely in this song.
Favorite line: “You can’t stay here, it’s hard to face and it feels too ugly”
“The View Between Villages”
My beloved… “The View Between Villages” is my top favorite song overall on the album. It just evokes so much emotion for me. It has such a great build-up, so I love every second of it more than the last. It’s so powerful and I know I will burst out sobbing when/if I get to hear it live. I could probably write a whole essay on every aspect and line I love in this song, but here I will simply say: go listen to it. The song itself says more than I could ever write about it.
Favorite lines: “The things that I lost here, the people I knew / They got me surrounded for a mile or two”