Growing up in a small town in New England, it wasn’t long into my teenage years before I had discovered Noah Kahan. Through numerous car rides with my sister and her best friend at the time, the lyrics of his soul soundtracked my summer. I quickly became a fan. I was even privileged enough to see him live at Fenway in 2024, a night that forever stays with me.
Noah took a four-year gap between releasing music, so his release of The Great Divide was much needed. Friday, the 24th of April, I was sitting in my bed in my cozy University of Connecticut dorm, ready to feel all the emotions I let myself suppress until his music lets it come out.
I was anything but disappointed.
End Of August
This is arguably the most beautiful intro track to an album I have ever heard. Kahan uses the month of August as a metaphor for types of emotional endings. August resonates with most people as the end of summer, a time when life picks up again. It’s the last stretch of time in the warmth, where every moment is high and fleeting just before they are gone.
I found this song to be very melodic and whimsical, and enjoyed the fact that it started slow and then picked up, similar to how the month of August feels in general. I envision playing this through a calming drive, wind in your hair, and a beautiful field of flowers and sunsets in your view. Overall, I rated this song five out of five stars.
Doors
I often wonder how a man from Vermont in his 20’s is able to find himself to be so relatable to a college aged girl. Doors is about trust issues, a little bit of self sabotage, and fear of intimacy in relationships. Doors are metaphorically a way of showing openness. He keeps showing doors, but states that his partner cannot open them due to his locked vulnerability. The lyric “It gets harder to see me the closer you try to look”, felt like a personal diss. I am not afraid to push people away the closer they get to me, and that is exactly how this song feels. The more you let you guard down, let people in, and build trust, the harder it is to open up and show who you truly are. As the distance grows shorter, the more confusing it feels.
The song gave me a very familiar feeling of lots of his songs on Busyhead, a previous album released in 2019. Originally, this song wasn’t my favorite, but it truly grew on me. I gave this song a five out of five stars.
American cars
I had originally heard this snippet on TikTok, and immediately fell in love. I felt the lyrics had resonated, and the more upbeat tune of it was right up my ally. Kahan starts the song singing a little about drinking and how if it were a job he’d be “asking for more money”, which shows a possible battle with addiction. Kahan frequently writes his song through the views of others towards him, with this song being another.
The track feels like a ball of nostalgia, and returning to your small town after life changes. It feels like there is a sense of guilt behind it, and an existential dread for coming back. Coming back as a different person, who drives different cars and wears expensive sunglasses. I see the cars symbolizing something deeper, such as running away and seeking an escape. I am particularly excited to hear this song on tour. The rock style to it is going to be such a great experience. I gave this song another five out of five stars.
Downfall
Downfall is about the notorious saying, “plotting on someone’s downfall”. This song feels like a different perspective to Porch Light, which comes up later in the album. It seems like a selfish take on wanting someone to fail so that they would come back home. I could see myself relating to this song as I watch my older siblings conquer new challenges in their lives and chase dreams apart from me. Being in a weird in-between of being happy for them, while simultaneously hoping they fail and return to a place that feels comfortable for you.
I enjoyed Downfall and think it is a beautifully written song on his album. Overall I rated it a four out of five stars.
paid time off
This track starts quite slowly with just a little acoustic guitar playing. Kahan mentions “Leb”, short for Lebanon, a town in New Hampshire. That line particularly stuck out to me as it feels comforting to have an artist point out towns in my home state.
As you listen to the lyrics of the bridge, it starts to set in just how depressing this song is. Kahan states, “I’m a running car and you’re a closed garage,” I interpret this lyric as Kahan saying that this relationship feels suffocating and bound to end. The song really dives into Kahan also needing time away from his fame, expectations, and even relationships that feel demanding. Paid Time Off is a metaphor for him needing to step away from everything in front of him and take his time off. I enjoyed the track, though the slow acoustics were not my favorite on the album. I rated the song three stars out of five.
The great divide
The Great Divide was the lead single for this album, as well as the title track. I had originally heard this song on a livestream of Kahan’s back in 2024. He later played it on his Stick Season tour, where I had the privilege to hear it live at Fenway Park.
This song touches on religious traumas and pent-up anger, as well as a relationship or friendship that is falling apart. I also hear this song as almost a dialogue between a present and a past self. Seeing that there is a divide between who you once were and who you are now. I enjoyed how Kahan touched on religious trauma, as it is something that he hasn’t sung about in his other songs. This song is a well-deserved five out of five stars.
Haircut
Haircut is another track that touches on the difficulty of returning home after a skyrocket to fame, and how it strains relationships. Metaphorically, the people in his life are happy for his “haircut”, representing that they are happy for the changes in his life, but that he is different and somewhat unrecognizable.
I find lots of the lyrics in this song to be very relatable. I enjoy the optimism of having a soul still, even when in a bad place. I gave this song a four out of five stars.
Willing and able
I find Willing and Able to be a track on the album that could really be interpreted in so many ways for listeners. For many, it’s about having a broken relationship with a parent, maybe existing or not. For others, it might be about a sibling or a friend, or really anyone in your life that you wish you had a better relationship with.
I find the line “I wish you could know me, and I wish I could know you much more…” to be one of my favorites on the album. I can relate to it on many different levels, in many different aspects of my life. I always felt misunderstood by people around me, especially my parents, feeling like there is a gap of vulnerability that I will never be able to reach with them. Feeling like people constantly walk away from you, or that you can’t call them out.
This song feels so heartbreaking to listen to, while also being extremely deep. I adore this song and rated it a five out of five stars.
dashboard
The perfect song for any person who is running away from their hometown and all the baggage it carries. Dashboard is about constantly finding yourself living in the shadow of your past. All of your friends are similar, your experiences, your daily life. Slowly, you realize the place you’re from isn’t the problem, but it’s you. I haven’t gone back to my hometown since I moved out of it 10 months ago, and I feel this song deeply. It’s easy to feel resistance for a place that harbored your worst secrets and thoughts, but once you leave, it starts to click that the location has less to do with it than you think.
Dashboard called me out in more ways than I was expecting to, and I love it. I see this song from many perspectives. I see it through the perspective of my little sister watching me go off to college, I see it as a little sister watching my sister go to college. I see it from the perspective of my parents as they move across the country, trying to reinvent themselves and find the best opportunities for their kids. Suddenly, when you are gone from everything that held you back, you are completely different.
I gave this song five out of five stars. This song is most definitely one of the top songs on the album for me, and I find myself frequently coming back to listen to it.
23
23 is about watching someone you love battle through debilitating addictions. You want them to get better and support them, but also have feelings of anger and feel like you lost them. You want to hold onto the best memories you have of them and move on from the type of person they are in the present. Having to learn to move past it, because, “if I never see you again, you could be anything I want”. If they stay out of your life, the memory of them you created in your head never has to change.
The song feels selfish, which is a common feeling for those who witness others in addiction. Wanting someone to be better for the sake of your own well-being and memories. I rated this song a four out of five stars.
porch light
Porch Light was the second single Kahan released before the album. While I found the song to be beautiful, it doesn’t rank as high for me as other songs on the album. It pains me to say that, as I find every song of his to be a masterpiece. The context of the song is incredibly heartbreaking, being written through his mother’s point of view of a child being thrown into the spotlight. The track continues on Kahan’s feeling of guilt for being so absent while succumbing to fame. His family will leave the porch light on, waiting for him to come home and step back from the fame.
The repetition in the song is my favorite part of the track. It really sits with you while you are listening. I rated this song a three out of five.
Deny deny deny
Upon first listen, I admired Deny Deny Deny. It felt a little different from anything Kahan had put out before. I could very much see him opening his tour with this song. The song takes the course of a relationship where one person doesn’t want to acknowledge their past or faults. A surface-level relationship where both counterparts are experiencing their own personal troubles. It feels very angry, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The relationship is immensely toxic, where it doesn’t even seem to be held up with convenience. I see this as either a relationship with a partner, possibly, or a friend, or even a parent.
I really enjoyed this track, rating it a five out of five stars.
headed north
Headed North gave me the vibe of a modern-day Zach Bryan song. It was one of the slower songs on the album, and unfortunately taking the place as the least favorite. I did enjoy how authentic the song felt.
The song is about missing home, friends, and how grounding your hometown can feel. I can say I agree with this feeling, often thinking to myself how much I need the New England dirt to bring me back down to Earth.
I found many lyrics of this song to also be very relatable, especially when Kahan touched on how brutal and unfriendly some tourists can be. I rated this song a three out of five stars.
we go way back
We Go Way Back is one of the only happier tracks on the album. The song is more reflective, talking about going home and finally getting the much-needed break from tour, fame, and working. Life feels like it goes back to being normal. Seeing long-distance relationships and the comfort of your home. You just feel love and happiness.
This song feels like a warm hug to me, like I can close my eyes and be a kid again in the middle of nowhere with nothing but trees, mosquitoes, and summer heat. It’s nostalgia for me, a campfire s’mores, swimming when it’s dark out. I rated this song a five out of five stars.
spoiled
In this track, Kahan sings about his future children and the expectations he has for both his children and himself as a father. He wants to protect them from all the hardships that he went through, essentially curating a completely different life than he had. He works himself as hard as he can so his children can avoid the pressures, taking the easy route that he paves for them.
I have always said the same thing; I want a completely different life for my children than the life that I’ve been privileged to live. While I’m grateful for everything that has led me to where I am currently, I still want it to be different for my kids. More stability, more freedoms, and less worry.
I rated this song a four out of five stars.
all them horses
I knew this song would change something deep inside of me as soon as I heard it. The song was written during the mass flooding in Vermont in 2023. In the chorus, Kahan sings, “I’ve crossed the county line, I cannot go back, I’m always on my own.”, I relate to this heavily as someone whose parents moved to South Carolina my senior year of high school, while I stayed in New Hampshire. Arguably the hardest decision I’ve yet to make, but a decision that saved me. That feeling has continued for me as a freshman in college, being 16 hours away from my parents. Oftentimes, I feel like I am too far from either place that is supposed to be home, and it hits me that I really am on my own.
This song has been one of my most played from the album, a legacy I plan to continue. I rated this song five out of five stars.
dan
Dan is the final track on The Great Divide. The song is an ode to a best friend. It feels very deep and loving, as I’m sure every single person has felt towards a best friend at some point in life. The two friends have been on different life paths, might have different opinions, but come together because loving each other bridges the gap of things that they have in common.
Kahan mentions Carlo, a close friend of his that died in high school. I found it very sentimental that he included Carlo in his song about friendship. The track pays a tribute to him.
Dan is said to be one of the boys running in the cover picture. I find this track to be very beautiful as far as friendships go. I rated this song a four out of five.
the deluxe tracks
Just when we thought Kahan had released enough for us, he dropped four more ethereal tracks on his deluxe, The Great Divide: The Last of The Bugs. The track included Staying Still, Orbiter, A Few Of Your Own, and Lighthouse.
Upon multiple leaks and snippets released, I fell in love with Staying Still. When I saw it wasn’t on the original track list for The Great Divide, I was disappointed. However, that feeling of disappointment could never last for long.
Staying Still explores the ideas of abandonment, long-distance love, and a hatred for the Boston airport. This song has been said to possibly be written for his wife, who has to constantly deal with Kahan being on tour. Kahan wonders if his being absent from his career will be enough for her to stick around. My favorite song is an obvious, five out of five stars.
Lighthouse, a track for yearning for someone who has left. Kahan uses the imagery as a lighthouse to create the idea of looking for someone. Nostalgia echoes the track. It feels very heavy and soulful, the feeling of grief weighing on the soul while you listen. I gave this song a four out of five stars. While it is a beautiful track, it is especially sad and daunting to listen to.
A Few Of Your Own very quickly reminded me of All My Love, a track on Kahan’s previous album, Stick Season. This track shows a sense of security with Kahan, not frequently found in his music. I find it to be a rather wholesome track about a partner creating their own life experiences, encouraged by him. I rated this track a three out of five stars, as I enjoyed it but didn’t particularly stand out to me.
Orbiter, last but not least, is also about coping with fame. I immediately noticed this song was about the 2024 Grammy Award Show, where Kahan was snubbed, winning zero awards for Stick Season. He felt like a complete outsider at this award show in California. Batting imposter syndrome and knowing this scene is so different than anything he ever thought was possible for himself. This song is incredible, as well as truly depressing. I gave this song four out of five stars.
overall
I absolutely loved this album. It blew me away and was much better than I could have ever expected. Overall, I rated the album five out of five star album. Even though I enjoyed some tracks more than others, there was a consistent pattern of well-deserved five out of five stars. I think this project by Kahan is one of his best to date, and I am looking forward to seeing what else he creates and what is played on tour.