February 2023 Edition

This fall, the music industry had some major albums released. Taylor Swift released “Midnights,” setting billboard records, and Drake released “Her Loss” just a few weeks later. Yet, another great album slipped under the radar made by a lesser known artist– Noah Kahan, a folk pop artist.
Despite releasing the album on the same day as Taylor Swift’s “Midnight,” Noah Kahan’s new album “Stick Season” released at #14 on Billboard Hot 200 albums. In the album Noah Kahan has several hits including “Stick Season,” “Northern Attitude,” and “Growing Sideways.” These songs are great with sophisticated, relatable lyrics, and the instrumentation really fits the lyrics and the tone of each song. Most of the songs are lyric driven, but guitar and other instruments also play a vital role in the music’s sound. The album has a lot of variation with each song producing a different vibe or tone. For example, “Growing Sideways” has a raw and a personable feel and it feels more like a really good folk song, instead of the usual folk-pop that he plays. But, in “Northern Attitude” there is a very atmospheric sound and feel to the song.
“Stick Season” was far different from Noah Kahan’s other albums. His 2021 release “I was/I am” and his 2019 release “Bushyhead” have much more of a generic pop song feel and really aren’t that unique. But, in “Stick Season” the guitar is more prominent and there are less synthesized instruments in the background. Instead the guitar takes over and becomes a major part of the songs. Although there is nothing wrong with synthesizer, that kind of instrumentation just doesn’t fit him as well, and playing the guitar makes the music feel as if there was more thought put into it. This also adds more of a folk or folk-pop feel to his music. This is what he needed because it seems that he finally found his place in the music industry. He finally found a unique sound to his music now. You no longer can find someone who sounds just like him in two seconds.
I would highly suggest checking out Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” album if you like folk or pop music and you haven’t already. Also, you should keep an eye out for what he releases next because he is definitely trending upwards after his latest release.