With the help of my older sister constantly harassing me to listen to some random song I had never heard of before, I finally learned the name of Noah Kahan back in 2022 with the title “Strawberry Wine.” While I had at first thought that was the first song I had heard from him, it was quickly brought to my attention that I had actually listened to a few of his songs before on the radio in my parent’s car. I had just never realized or cared enough to pay attention to his name then. But after really getting into more folkish artists, I decided to really dive into his music and fell in love with his lyricism and sound. 

Stick Season was Kahan’s first official folk album and dives into many topics like love, loss, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, and small-town living. With his rerelease of the album in 2023, he added even more songs to the already heart-wrenching album that hit really close to home for me especially. While I won’t get too TMI with you now, as someone who grew up in a small town as well, those songs and lyrics hit hard, and it felt like he was taking those thoughts right out of my head and writing them down. 

When I first listened to “You’re Gonna Go Far,” my emotions were at an all-time high, hearing Noah pour his heart out about the fear of moving on from home for the first time. When he says, “We ain’t angry at you love, You’re the greatest thing we’ve lost,” it was so powerful and made me feel like my own mother was talking to me through the song. “Call Your Mom” also brought several tears to my eyes with its slow, melodic beat that spoke to those who have had to deal with the darkness of depression, reminding us that all lights can be turned on. Singing along to “Stick Season” and “Dial Drunk” while driving in your car is an experience I think everyone should have at least once in their lives as well.

Stick Season is a very personal album to Noah and reflects all his emotions from the past few years of his life. It is about change, wanting better, and finding yourself in the places that you have left. With the name “Stick Season,” it becomes crystal clear what the inspiration is behind the vibe of the album, with stick season being the gap between the fall of the autumn leaves before the snow of winter comes. It’s a waiting period, a time for transitions, which are notoriously hard to get through as the seasonal depression comes creeping in.

This album was the album that took Noah Kahan to new places and touched the souls of so many. Moving from his original sound to the unique folk style was the best decision he could have made, and when he discusses how freeing this change was, it is certainly evident when you hear those guitar strings and poetic lyrics. He is able to capture the feeling of so badly wanting to flee your small town home but, at the same time, never wanting to leave behind the knowing sense and comfort many of us still have for them. This album is for the guilty-feeling, homesick college students and young adults who are still trying to figure out where they belong in this world and are still afraid of growing up. But Noah Kahan still makes us feel seen and heard throughout all of this.