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In “Halloween,” Kahan says it outright: “I’m leaving this town and I’m changing my address/ I know that you’ll come if you want/ It’s not Halloween but the ghost you dressed up as sure knows how to haunt.”
In addition, Kahan has always been a thoughtful, creative lyricist, but “Stick Season” contains some particularly exemplary wordplay, with gems like, “But love leaves little runway and every time I run straight over it” and “Kept on driving straight but left our future to the right.” And, references to symbols of death throughout the lyrics - including bones, coffins, graveyards and crows - subtly underline the themes of change and loss. More so than previous albums, “Stick Season” clearly demonstrates his capacity to be vocally adventurous, as he experiments with flow, vocal riffs, and even the tenor of his voice (in the chorus of “New Perspective,” he leans into a bit of country twang the last 60 seconds of “Homesick” are practically a yell). Notably, this is the first of his albums that Kahan has co-produced. Tracks like “Homesick” also demonstrate his talent for highlighting specific moments in each track, which he does throughout the album, dropping the production for a second to make a lyric sparkle or using drums and his vocal talent to propel an already lively chorus to its roaring, breathless, joyful peak. Kahan knows when to flip between fast and slow, loud and soft and intricate and simple. And, although the foot-stomping, guitar-strumming choruses of songs like “Northern Attitude” and “Orange Juice” are extraordinarily memorable, the album also benefits from sparser tracks like “Halloween,” which builds an eerie landscape of sound from nothing more than plucking guitar, a deep background hum and the anxious flutter of a violin. In contrast, the electric guitar, rough vocals and loud, technically complex drums in “Homesick” draw a comparison with modern indie rock, especially in the last 30 seconds. “Northern Attitude,” the opening track, harkens back to early Mumford & Sons with its stacked harmonies, prominent banjo and a big, echoing chorus that could fill stadiums. The most obvious example is “All My Love,” a catchy track about a failed relationship, in which Kahan tells his ex-lover, “I’m the same as I was, it’s all okay/ Therе ain’t a drop of bad blood, it’s all my love.” And in “Strawberry Wine,” a gentle, soothing song reminiscent of something Hozier would write, Kahan points to the beauty of first love, despite its inevitable end: “I said love is fast asleep/ On a dirt road with your head on my shoulder.” Kahan is bitter and angry, but he is grateful, too.ĭespite being primarily an indie folk album, “Stick Season” is impressively diverse in its production.
In between moments of angst, there are a number of heartfelt tributes to the people and places Kahan still loves. However, “Stick Season” is more emotionally complex than it appears at first glance. It is often angry in multiple tracks, there is genuine bitterness in Kahan’s voice. Even for Kahan, whose music has always dealt with subjects many artists hesitate to touch, like alcoholism and depression, “Stick Season” feels surprisingly heavy.
And it’s super depressing.” And, indeed, Kahan’s latest album is not a cheerful one. Kahan confirmed this in an interview with Insider, where he described “stick season” as “the time between peak foliage and Halloween and the first snow - when all the leaves are off the trees. Thematically and literally, “Stick Season” is a fall album not only was it released in mid-October, but all its tracks revolve around transition and loss, both of which are traditionally associated with the autumn months. However, while “I Was/I Am” and its predecessor, “Busyhead,” are mostly forward-looking albums, “Stick Season” is very much an examination of things left behind, including relationships (“Stick Season,” “All My Love”), childhood (“Come Over”), Kahan’s hometown (“Halloween”) and Kahan himself (“New Perspective”). Unsurprisingly, Kahan’s newest work shares many themes with his earlier albums and EPs, including mental health, family trauma and the experience of growing up in small-town Vermont. “Stick Season” is Kahan’s third full-length studio album, following “I Was/I Am,” which came out in September 2021. However, amid all the darkness and uncertainty, Kahan’s rough, playful vocals, creative lyricism and musical complexity make the listening experience a bright one. Each track is a tangled snarl of questions about purpose, growth, loss and what it means to be left behind, to which Kahan offers the listener only incomplete and often self-contradictory answers. At its core, Noah Kahan’s latest album is an ode to not knowing.
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