Noah Kahan has done it yet again, but who’s surprised?
On June 9, Kahan released seven songs as an addition to his most successful album so far, “Stick Season.” The deluxe version, “Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever),” has been stealing hearts and giving Kahan even more of the attention that he deserves over the past few days.
Kahan has a special way of making you fall in love with a song before you can even begin to comprehend what he is talking about. His songs are about very niche experiences, but so many can relate to them. Here are my takes on a few of the tracks from the deluxe version.
The second song, “Dial Drunk,” is the one I’ve been hearing the most about whether that be on TikTok or talking about the album with friends. This one is the story of getting pulled over while drunken driving and when given one free call, the person doesn’t pick up. To throw even more of an insult out of desperation at the person he called, Kahan includes “even the cops thought you were wrong for hanging up.” I also saw a theory on TikTok that this is a sequel to a song on “Stick Season” titled “She Calls Me Back.” The main idea of that story is that everything is great when the girl he has feelings for calls him back. “Dial Drunk” shows the dramatic shift in said relationship and how dependent he was on her, but now she won’t pick up. The lyrics of this one are so catchy and clever that I can’t help but play it on repeat despite the sad nature of the story.
“Paul Revere” is probably my favorite. I think this is one of the underrated tracks on the album, and I think it fits in the best with the original version of “Stick Season.” It is simply a story of someone so ready, yet so not ready to leave their hometown. Similar to “Homesick,” he describes small details about his home that simultaneously make him want to leave and ride away, like Paul Revere, while feeling stuck and attached to his roots. Kahan includes that after he rides away and people ask him who he is in his new town that he will say he’s not from around there or pretend he didn’t hear. He doesn’t want to go away, but he’s ready at the same time.
“No Complaints” is probably the most specific, individual experience he could describe, but he made it so relatable. I would say this is one of the saddest songs on the whole album. He carries on the theme of antidepressants by saying that he “filled the hole in my head with prescription medication.” The overall theme is that he is starting to feel better and that the weight of the world isn’t so bad, but he is so numb to the point where he forgot how to cry. This is a common experience for those taking medication and it is a hard decision between forgetting how to cry or not taking medication and as The Lumineers said, “It’s better to feel pain than nothing at all.”
“You’re Gonna Go Far” is a story of having someone close that moved away. A lot of people on TikTok have been comparing it to an older sibling moving out and leaving for college. From the point of view of the person that stayed back, they find it comforting that when things are bad or hard, the other person is far away. It even says, “We ain’t angry at you love / You’re the greatest thing we’ve lost.” It is the epitome of being happy for someone who got up and got out. This is the opposite of his song “New Perspective,” and I found it interesting that he can write about both perspectives.
Overall, the deluxe version was perfect. Kahan is still on the rise, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Layne Rey is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Layne know by tweeting her @laynerey12.
