Noah Kahan's "Stick Season" Review

Artist: Noah Kahan

Album: Stick Season

Genre: Alternative, indie, folk pop

Comments:

Released a little over a week ago, Noah Kahan's "Stick Season" seems to be playing from everyone's speakers. And, if it's not playing on yours, let this be your prompt to hit Download and Play.

The album feels like a score written to accompany an emotional montage of leaves changing colors, long drives over state lines, happy friends and family inside a warm cabin, standing outside alone in the snow, drinking somberly, taking pills, and watching a loved one walk away. So it's needless to say that the season and date of this album drop couldn't have been more in sync with the album's spirit.

Not only is "Stick Season" arguably the best album to play for all your fall festivities (so long as you're not afraid of realist, emo lyrics during joyful social outings), but it's also perfect for any self-reflective person passing some time alone.

Noah Kahan's music was introduced to me through TikTok. A video of Kahan playing guitar, perched on a diving board that's elevated over a lake and surrounded by forest caused me to pause my incessant and mindless scrolling. Multiple elements about this promotional video caught my attention. The beautiful, tranquil scenery is enough to cause anyone to pause. But the placement of the shot feels intentional in the way that it makes the viewer feel as if they are completely alone in nature, wading through the water of life, all the while feeling detached above it all. This feeling was complimented further by Noah's pure, raw, realistic, emotional, and authentic sound as he played his song entitled "Growing Sideways"...

So I took my medication and I poured my trauma out On some sad-eyed middle aged man's overpriced new leather couch And we argued about Jesus, finally found some middle ground I said "I'm cured"

And I divvied up my anger into thirty separate parts Keep the bad shit in my liver and the rest around my heart I'm still angry at my parents for what their parents did to them But it's a start...

Only an acutely passionate artist could create such an emotionally triggering and sorrowful ambience through scenery and music in just 39 seconds. So, obviously, I saved the video to refer to later. But, I ended up not having to refer back to it because the rest of the world seemed to notice Kahan too.

When "Stick Season" released on the 14th of October 2022, I saw it played or referred to on every social media platform. This reminded and prompted me to download the album for myself. And I was happily surprised to find that all of his lyrics resemble the ones above in that they are not your typical, rinsed-and-repeated formation of words.

His lyrics seem to come from a deeply specific place that anyone who has experienced a break up, family trauma, mental illness, or simply the feeling of being alone and misunderstood can understand.

I find it hard to believe that that kind of content wouldn't in some way apply to everyone, so I cannot stress enough that Kahan's third album should not be one that you overlook this stick season.

"Stick Season" is worth blasting on a long drive while appreciating the changing and falling leaves or playing softly in the background cozied up by a fire with a warm mug of your chosen poison. We all know the time frame to enjoy the changing leaves and oncoming cold front is brief, so listen now while you can still appreciate the season in which this album was named.

But let's be honest... we'll be listening during the cold and secluded winters, and the spring and summer hikes, fires, and waterfront social activities and solitary moments to come.