By Eli Jordan
As a fan of an alternative kind of country, the Zach Bryans, Charley Crocketts, and Tyler Childers of the scene, Noah Kahan feels like he would somehow fit into this crowd.
When listening though Kahan’s discography, Stick Season sticks out from the rest of it. Kahan’s music still sits under the pop charts, and I am sure it will for the future. Kahan self-described his recent music before Stick Season as, “… writing songs so I didn’t get dropped from my label instead of writing songs because I wanted to.”
After being locked down due to COVID-19 in 2020, Kahan said, “I started writing folk songs again. I hadn’t really written many folk songs for my own project because I had sort of positioned myself as a ‘pop’ singer songwriter in the beginning of my career.” Even though this area isn’t his typical forte, the album feels right at home.
The opening track has an anthem feel for all those who are bitter because of their upbringing, he describes this as his “Northern Attitude.” Which is followed up by the album’s namesake, “Stick Season.” This viral TikTok song brings a familiar sense of melancholy. He tells of a love he once had that was lost, and whenever he returns home, although he likes being home, he is constantly reminded of the past relationship. Another track that TikTok has gotten ahold of is “Homesick,” which describes the feeling of missing a place that means a lot because it raised you, but understanding it is stuck in the past. Lines such as, “I’m tired of dirt roads names after high school friends’ grandfathers,” encapsulates the emotion Kahan is trying to express.
Since Stick Season’s release, it has sat in the Billboard Top 200 chart. It rose to number 14, and at time of writing sits at 44.
