NOAH KAHAN’S “THE GREAT DIVIDE” GOES THE DISTANCE

Noah Kahan released his highly anticipated fourth album, The Great Divide, on Friday, April 24th. The standard album clocks in at an hour and 17 minute runtime over 17 songs, while the deluxe edition, The Great Divide: The Last Of The Bugs, is a whopping one hour and 36 minutes. 

The album is an unfiltered and brutally honest look into the mind of a young man seemingly navigating normal life in his home state of Vermont, not a two-time Grammy nominated musician gearing up to headline a stadium tour. 

The album touches on a variety of themes: friendship (and loss of it), religious trauma, mental health, nostalgia and grappling with Kahan’s newfound fame. Despite its long runtime, each song is meticulously chosen and serves a purpose. Calling it a truly skipless album might be a stretch, but each track carries its own weight. 

The album opens with“End Of August,” one of the more understated tracks off the album to ease the listener into the twisty and, at times, excessively dense backwoods journey. Over five minutes and 17 seconds, Kahan contemplates the fleeting and temporary nature of life, the finality of seasons changing. Kahan also discusses driving: an action present in nearly all of Kahan’s songs, so it’s not surprising to hear about it in the first track. 

“Doors” is the second track of the album. It’s high-energy with a driving beat that dives straight into the depths of Kahan’s sense of self. 

“American Cars” is the third track on the album and the first time we hear from a different perspective about himself, which we see again in “Porch Light.”Kahan writes from the experience of a sibling, caring for the burdens back home while he is gone. Again, the lyrics involve Kahan driving, this time to and instead of from. 

The title track, “The Great Divide,” was a massive risk on Kahan’s part: a 5 minute lead single is not for the faint of heart, but those truly in it for the love of the game. The ode to religious trauma is as classically Kahan as it gets. (You can check out my full review of the song here.) The track serves as a grounding centerpiece for the album. 

“Porch Light,”the second single released before the album drop,again changes the perspective. This time around to a loved one (or perhaps his past self) left behind waiting for Kahan to return both literally and metaphorically from his adventure, the relationship souring due to Kahan’s newfound fame. It’s a classic Kahan folk sound; despite a dramatically more robust production and sound on this album, the ghost ofStick Seasonstill lingers. 

Honorable mention goes to“Deny Deny Deny.” The gritty guitar, the anger and exasperation, the falsetto… yeah, this one’s going to hit hard live. 

“Willing and Able” is another track that dissects a long standing relationship - presumably with a sibling will haunt you. Somewhat buried as the 10th track and easy to miss, it’s one of those songs that you might never want to listen to again. The bitterly raw lyrics feel like you’ve walked into a conversation that was never meant to be heard:

“Look at you leavin' again; it's all you know how to do
Go ahead, take the last of the drinks; the world belongs to you
They all say you're a light; all I see is a shadow
And I'll see you again in six months when you need your next song” 

The Great Divide cemented that “Stick Season” was not just a fluke or a TikTok sensation - he really is a master at his craft. Exploring themes of generational family trauma, fame, self-awareness, and friendship, it plays out like a musical rendition of his diary: it’s brutally honest, almost uncomfortably so. Sonically, the album has a solid range, and the folk elements remain strong while expanding his lane into rock guitars and fuller instruments. But it still works even at its most stripped back, like “Headed North.”The metaphors that we know make the gears in Kahan’s brain turn such as county line boundaries, driving, the weather, and small town living all persist, but with a new perspective now that he’s heard the roar of a stadium calling his name. 

The Great Divide is not a casual album, but is nonetheless an impeccable work of art that will be remembered.