A Floridian’s Review of Stick Season
Image Courtesy: Strike Magazine Tallahassee
Having grown up by the beach in South Florida, I wouldn’t have predicted how much I’d relate to songs about being raised in small-town New England but Noah Kahan’s latest album, Stick Season, offers an element of relatability to people all over the country. Kahan describes the album as a culmination of the songs he had always wanted to write but had steered away from in the past. The vulnerability Kahan expresses through his honest lyrics and raw vocals create a unique and intimate experience for the listeners.
In an interview, Noah Kahan defined Stick Season as “the time between peak foliage and Halloween and the first snow - when all the leaves are off the trees. It's a time of transition. And it's super depressing.” His album mirrors this seasonal sequence by referencing times of transition throughout his life such as growing up, leaving home, and ending relationships. Although songs on his album include niche references to New England geography and history, he thoughtfully incorporates them in a way that adds depth for locals at no cost to those who are unaware of the Northeastern terminology.
Image Courtesy: TikTok
The first two songs on his album Stick Season and Northern Attitude were released as singles this past summer. Kahan was one of the early artists to adopt TikTok as a dominant form of marketing. He rallied support and excitement for his upcoming album by interacting with fans on a personal level in addition to commenting on users’ covers of his songs. Kahan took the unique approach of releasing short snippets from various songs on his album to offer a sneak peek and motivate listeners to pre-save his album on streaming platforms. Kahan’s marketing proved to be effective; his single Stick Season has been streamed over 60 million times since its release and his tour is sold out in nearly every location.
One of the most impressive feats accomplished by Stick Season was turning extremely specific personal experiences into lyrics with widespread relatability. Kahan describes his life experiences growing up in New England in a way that can be interpreted either literally or metaphorically. In the song Homesick, Kahan alludes to the Boston Marathon bombing of 2016 and driving down roads named after his classmates' grandfathers, though the greater meaning behind the song is deeper. Everyone’s hometown has features that make them feel both nostalgic and trapped at the same time. When Kahan sings of feeling homesick, he describes the duality of the word; the desire to get out of your hometown but also miss it when you’re gone.
Image Courtesy: San Francisco Chronicle
One of my personal favorites off the album is The View Between Villages. Kahan wrote this song about his drive between South Stratford and Stratford, explaining in an interview that he feels completely at peace when driving through the valley between villages but begins to feel anxiety creeping up as he approaches his hometown. He mimics this feeling with the style and tempo of the instrumentals in addition to the shift in his tone of voice. Without having ever driven down the stretch of road that inspired this song, I can relate fully to the mixed emotions that are tangled up in hometowns. The song embodies the comfortable uncertainty that is felt when you are in between distinct phases of life, and the childhood scars we carry with us into adulthood. Every song off Stick Season is a work of art that I admire for both its specificity and generalizability. The range of emotions and styles incorporated on Stick Season has made it my favorite album this fall.
Strike Out,
Writer: Sarah Gibson
Editor: Jayna O
Graphic Designer: Kelly Hammer
Tallahassee