The Spire

Will Hick ‘27

Opinions Editor

I am writing from my couch, as November nears its end. In New England, the air is crisp and the ground has hardened. There are little, if any, leaves on the trees and the days are short; it truly is Stick Season. This album was written and produced by Noah Kahan from Vermont and New Hampshire in 2022. Stick Season is a folk album that demonstrates the benefits and detriments of living in the Northeast during the fall and winter months. I am a big fan of Kahan, though I feel like this album must be reviewed soon. At the pace in which he releases music (it has been almost 10 months since he has released a new song), I do not think he will be around for much longer, unless he releases an album very soon.

To begin Side A, “Northern Attitude” is full of amazing-sounding finger-picking, which brought me some energy. Highlighting the exact conditions New England is going through now, Kahan mentions how he was raised “out in the cold” and “on little light,” which relates to most people who grew up here. Next is the title track that continues to show Kahan’s excellence on the guitar and shows the realities of living at home whilst your hometown friends have moved out of town. “All My Love” is the perfect song to scream in the car, with its upbeat guitar and easily obtainable lyrics. Following this is “She Calls Me Back,” which brings fun, lively energy to the topic of having someone you’re interested in also being interested back. Then, Kahan slows down the tempo in “Come Over,” where he shows how good his voice can sound. The song shares a sad story of growing up poor and having few friends. This track also illustrates the reality that small New England towns are not destined for great change, but how they will usually remain at their status quo. With a similar vibe to “All My Love,” “New Perspectives” offers somewhat of a fresh outlook on bringing others around you down when you do not feel fine. The lyrics, “You and all of your new perspectives now, wish I could shut it in a closet, and drag you back down,” perfectly demonstrate this. On the final track on Side A, “Everywhere, Everything,” Kahan wrote a zen, yet highly spirited song about meeting and falling in love with the girl of his dreams.

The next song, which kicks off Side B, is about the tough realities of having and overcoming an addiction. “Orange Juice” brings forward the soul in his voice and lyrics with a heavily acoustic sound. “Strawberry Wine,” the next track, is another slow burner that shows Kahan reminiscing over the time he shared with a past girlfriend. So far, the backside of this album is more calm and simply sad than Side A. Moving onto “Growing Sideways,” this song explores Kahan’s mental health struggles and how he stopped taking medication in order to write the album. Kahan wrote, “I forgot my medication, fell into a manic high,” which encapsulates the troubles he faced writing this music. “Halloween” continues with the depressed vibe as Kahan sings about leaving town with nothing and nobody. But, “Homesick” dives into the patriotism he and his listeners should have for their home, New England. The next song dives further into Kahan’s soul as he does not “want to say goodbye” to his past love. “Still,” diverges away from the mood of “Homesick” and brings it back to the slow pace of the back half of the album. The final song concludes the album perfectly! “The View Between Villages” begins slowly, but picks up momentum and energy the second half lacked. This story is summed up perfectly by these lyrics: “There is meanin’ on earth, I am happy,” which shows his love of home and his past experiences are only aspects of his past to learn from and appreciate.

Stick Season is a near perfect album for this time of year on The Hill. Especially if you are from the northeast, Kahan will bring you nostalgia about wondering why your parents ever decided to live in a state with cold weather. The lyrical spotlight of the week is “I wanna love you ‘til we’re the worms to eat, ‘til our fingers decompose.” This album receives a score of 7.5/10, simply because I think it should only be listened to during stick season. Also, the lyrics are heavily focused on New Englanders, which makes it seem like it was made specifically for me, but this might exclude listeners from elsewhere. I hope that you listen to the Stick Season album and enjoy the late fall weather.

Featured image courtesy of Rampage

Copy Edited by Lily Wasmund ’28