Nearly 4 years after Noah Kahan’s Stick season album, Kahan has finally released a follow-up album. “The Great Divide” was released on Friday, April 24. The album was a true triumph return for the beloved artist. This summer, he plans to begin his Great Divide Tour across North America and eventually venture off into different parts of the world. As of right now, every single show upcoming in the US has been sold out, and online buzz has fans planning exactly what their “bug look” will feature when they see the show.
“Doors”
One of the best songs on the album, from buzz both on and offline, is the third track, “Doors.” The chorus starts with the lyrics,
“Have you ever shared some closeness
So exposed, to have it spit back by someone?
So forgive me if I jump.”
These lyrics are raw and emotional, connecting to the core center of the singer’s feelings. The song goes into the hardships of opening up to someone, no matter how much you warn them, and how much they are willing to bear it, it is something approached with the utmost caution to avoid being emotionally damaged again. The song is deeply vulnerable, including a fear of self-sabotage and emotional insecurity in the baggage one might carry into a new relationship, furthering a delay of understanding and connection with the other person.
“I keep showing you doors, but you can’t open them up
‘Cause it gets harder to see me the closer you try to look.”
“Dashboard”
Dashboard has quickly captured the attention of people who have left their hometown in search of greater things. Many fans have drawn attention to the fact that the song seems to parallel Kahan’s song “You’re gonna go far” from his other album, Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever), which seems to carry the opposite mentality that “Dashboard” has.
“Look at you go, crossin’ state lines with your shadow
Tryna run away
Change your zipcode
Turns out that you’re still an a**hole.”
Especially speaking to high school seniors or college freshmen who have made it out or are planning to also cross state lines, leaving everything they have ever known behind. A feeling that is especially challenging when you are leaving behind the ones you love, and they can’t seem to understand why.
“The Great Divide”
Kahan’s title track is called “The Great Divide,” which was also released as his leading single back in January. The song was a massive hit online and quickly raised hype for the upcoming album. As you listen to the song for the first time, you really get a sense for how clear and new Kahan’s sound and production are.
“I hope you settlе down, I hope you marry rich
I hope you’re scarеd of only ordinary sh*t
Like murderers and ghosts and cancer on your skin
And not your soul and what He might do with it.”
It is a deeply vulnerable song on the complexities of growing apart from someone while still wondering what life has in store for them. Wishing that they get everything they have ever wanted, yet you know you don’t wanna hear about it. It is a very mature way of viewing an old relationship with someone; it takes many people a very long time to be past their resentment, and genuinely want to just keep living life.
Kahan has truly outdone himself with his latest album. It is bold, expressive, and emotional. He has a way with his words, which is why they impact people so much. His tour will be nothing short of a success and will certainly solidify his place in the music world.
