Noah Kahan’s new album was released April 24th and it has been on repeat for me since. In my opinion, it’s his best album. The songs feel like summer, while being sad. I can picture myself camping or hiking or sitting by a fire listening to it. It goes through more of his life experiences and relationships. His Netflix documentary was released prior to the album, and he discusses many of the meanings behind his third studio album Stick Season.
With that background, I want to give my top five favorites on the new album. I like songs with a good beat, relatable meaning, or just a catchy chorus. I want to preface by saying this is a very difficult choice. I have no skips on this album, and I love all of them. But, of course, there are some stand outs.
The original album had 17 songs and came in at 1 hour and 17 minutes of play time. The night of the release, Noah put out a deluxe version with four new songs. In total, he released 21 songs, including two singles, on April 24th.
I can’t pick a favorite, so this is in no particular order, but here’s my top 5 and why. I don’t know exactly what Noah’s experiences are and what his lyrics mean to him, so this is just how the songs feel to me.
“Dan”
Don’t get me wrong, all the songs on this album are sad, but “Dan” is one of the happier ones. This song feels like those deep conversations you have with your friends when you grow closer to each other. Asking random questions and thinking about life. Exactly what the lyrics say, it feels like sitting around a campfire, singing songs, looking at the stars, and getting deep. It feels like connecting with an old friend or reminiscing on “the good old days.”
“Orbiter”
This song came out with the deluxe version, and it quickly became one of my favorites. I think it has a lot to do with the sound of his voice and the beat. As someone who hasn’t been in a relationship in years, I cannot relate to the love story in this song. The TikTok trend to the chorus of this song makes me tear up. I love this song in hopes of finding my “moon” one day.
“Deny Deny Deny”
The beat of this song is so fun and makes me what to jump around at his concert. It’s so upbeat for such sad, gut-wrenching lyrics. I think it’s about a relationship with parents or a loved one. The things you’ll never get to know about them and why they are the way they are. Asking questions and never getting the answer. Having unspoken rules of things not to bring up. Never being able to fully know a person with years of secrets.
“Downfall”
This is such a beautifully written song. It feels like having someone you love moving away and selfishly wanting them to stay with you. It’s like making a huge decision and failing at it and having to start over again. Many of Noah’s songs mention moving away from his small town in Vermont and this is one of them. I have lived in upstate New York my whole life and this song feels like all the scary parts of wanting to leave. Â
“End of August”
The way this song progresses feels raw and real. It feels like the moment you realize summer is almost over. The instant it clicks that the long nights and free weeks don’t last forever. The nostalgia of having to leave your hometown to go back to school. Knowing life moves on and you actually have to continue working or studying. I made a video film to this song about my hometown. It represents the feeling of revisiting your favorite childhood spots, having nothing to do but making the most of those moments.
HM: “We Go Way Back”
Sorry, I couldn’t choose just five. This is such a good song. No notes.
I could talk about each song for hours. Before you go and listen, here is another warning of what to expect. When asked on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Noah said he’d recommend the album to you “if something’s going wrong in your life and it’s raining.” So, consider yourself warned.