After months of speculation online, Noah Kahan announced his lead single for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping album on September 24th, and it was released on October 2nd. “Draw You Out” set the tone for the rest of the eagerly anticipated soundtrack of the new Hunger Games movie coming out next month, but the question is: Will it live up to the high expectations set by Kahan’s latest music from The Great Divide?
A quick search about the production of this song reveals that Kahan worked hand in hand with Aaron Dessner to write and produce “Draw You Out.” As an Aaron Dessner fan myself, I knew that the craftsmanship of his previous work on Taylor Swift’s folklore would be continued in this collaboration. Many of his songs have a nostalgic, reflective tone to them, and “Draw You Out” is no exception.
Despite the mixed reviews online, I think that “Draw You Out” delivers everything it needed to for The Hunger Games franchise. The majority of disappointed reviews I saw came from listeners who have not read Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, with some Kahan fans commenting that the song isn’t as heartwrenching as they expected.
I understand why this release could be underwhelming for those who haven’t read the book, but I also think that it’s unfair to draw a conclusion about a song for a film adaptation if you know nothing about the book itself. While I agree that I enjoy the verses of Kahan’s other songs more, the lyrics of “Draw You Out” are deeply meaningful to the plot of the novel. I highly recommend checking out “Draw You Out,” but first, give Sunrise on the Reaping a read!