A Deeper Dive Into Noah Kahan’s Most Personal Album: The Great Divide
Photo from Wikipedia.
The famous folk-pop singer-songwriter Noah Kahan released his fourth studio album The Great Divide on April 24, following his hit record Stick Season, which was released in 2022. On the next day, Kahan released a surprise deluxe version, The Great Divide: The Last of the Bugs, early in the day on April 25. Produced by Gabe Simon with a few contributions from Aaron Dessner, Kahan’s latest album captures his aesthetic while maintaining his personal storytelling to the listeners.
In the standard album, there are 17 tracks, while the deluxe adds four more, totaling it to 21 tracks as a whole. On an impressive note, all 21 songs in The Great Divide and the deluxe version have hit Billboard’s Hot 100! His most popular songs on the album includes “Doors” (ranked at a peak of #9) and “The Great Divide” (peaked at #6).
In interviews, Kahan explained that this album was influenced from his struggles with OCD, writer’s block after Stick Season and wanting to create a unique album to his audience, and the challenge of balancing out his singing career with his Vermont roots and close relationships. Kahan’s latest piece of work explores themes of mental health, identity, friendship, family, and the emotional distance formed between people. Throughout the album, challenges of discovering his true self and success are also developed, while keeping the emotions relating to his small-town life. Kahan’s album truly hits close to home.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed listening to this album for the first time. It gave me a glimpse into Kahan’s world and had me connected as a fan of his. I would give this album a solid 8.5/10, because there were a few moments where I had neutral feelings, but still The Great Divide entirely was a huge comeback for Kahan. Here is my review of the full tracklist:
Track 1: “End of August”
Kahan’s album opens with “End of August,” serving as the introduction to the central themes. It reflects his nostalgia and the transition from the summer warmth into the coldness of fall. This particular setting represents a period of “nothingness” where summer is over and the harsh winter is slowly ahead. The song begins with a piano ballad, then dramatically builds up to sounds of horns and triumph. The inspiration comes from Bruce Springsteen. Key lyrics that contribute to the theme include “Whoa, everything you see out here will die / Oh, it's a matter of time / 'Til it's fields of ice and reflector lights / 'Til it's our town, mm" and feeling in a neverending cycle in his hometown, "Endin' of August, the bugs are just starting to die / Richie and Austen are often along for the ride / 'Cause we never do anything real, we just talk about it."
Track 2: “Doors”
Next we move into one of Kahan’s well-known songs on the album, “Doors.” The singer expresses that the title is a metaphor of “showing his partner doors,” which opened his life up, showing childhood trauma and where it’s kept, but he shows fear to allow her to open the doors to where his life is. The song starts off with recalling childhood trauma, with the lyrics “I grew up pretending sticks were little guns / I would point 'em at my dad, and he'd get mad / 'Cause God forbid I hurt someone / I'd hurt anyone I could” Then, it moves into his chorus with central themes of assuming his partner will leave him, creating overthinking, and singing about his heartbreaks in the past and how it influenced him to be reserved in his current relationship. "Have you ever stared directly at the sun / Have you ever shared some closeness, so exposed, to have it spit back by someone?"
Track 3: “American Cars”
“American Cars” describes the guilt Kahan faces of leaving his struggling hometown in Vermont. He relates it to being like the “eldest daughter,” and wrote it about his older sister, believing that she is the most responsible sibling to fix up all of the problems. The car imagery is used to describe the shift of identities. He further describes his family trauma, and relates it to his father’s traumatic brain injury. Kahan also creates an assumption that his friends and hometown believes his fame from Nashville is what’s shaping the singer. “Gaslightin' my friends into thinkin' I was busy,” and “Didn't know you drove American cars.”
Track 4: “Downfall”
Track 4 moves into the similar country-folk feel in a majority of Kahan’s songs that you may hear. Instrumentally, it centers around a pattern created by drums and a gentle acoustic guitar riff. A banjo is also heard in this song to maintain Kahan’s aesthetic and storytelling. I love how Kahan references some of his earlier songs in “Downfall” by referencing the “last of the bugs” from “The View Between the Villages,” meaning that a transition has formed with life returning to his hometown. ("The bugs are just starting to die.") This song overall creates an inner monologue, with Kahan hoping that in time, plans may fail with his former partner, secretly hoping that their time away goes wrong and they miss the home they left behind. "I'll keep rootin' for your downfall."
Track 5: “Paid Time Off”
In “Paid Time Off,” Kahan keeps the same acoustic guitar instrument feel in the background, but with different rhythms. This song references everyday-working life for the standard middle-class, hence the title “Paid Time Off.” It balances out staying put in a quiet hometown and chasing big dreams that may take one far. A specific lyric that stood out to me was: “I'm a running car and you're a closed garage,” a metaphor that represents risks of a toxic relationship. Because of the folk feel and my love for the banjo in Kahan’s songs, this track gets a 7/10.
Track 6: “The Great Divide”
Track 6 “The Great Divide” is the first hit single and the first released by Kahan. This describes feeling like you’re growing apart from a childhood friend. It recognizes the struggles of being wrapped up in your own problems and unable to see a friend’s pain, which is something that I highly relate to in this song. Kahan does a fantastic job capturing the emotional distance that two people who had a strong connection may face in “The Great Divide.” The song opens to Kahan admitting that the bond he had with his friend was built on mutual recklessness and not a deep understanding “I can't recall the last time that we talked / About anything but looking out for cops.” This hit single received nominations for the American Music Awards for “Song of the Summer” and “Best Rock/Alternative Song.”
Track 7: “Haircut”
“Haircut” is personally one of my favorite songs on the tracklist because it explores themes of growing apart from old friends and the struggle to reconnect with them. It can be awkward to come back to friends after a long period of time, and Kahan captures those feelings perfectly. Having a “haircut” serves as a transformation into becoming a new person, and questioning if leaving a place you’ve been in your whole life will make you become someone better. As a senior in high school and leaving off to college far away in a few quick months, I have thoughts of this almost daily. Some notable lyrics that emphasizes an impact to the song includes “I tried to heal your wounds / Just to say I helped /
Just to say that some small fame ain't made me someone else.”
Track 8: “Willing and Able”
In “Willing and Able,” listeners can hear the emotional acoustics that form the rhythm as well as some forms of electric guitar with distinct layers. Key themes that stood out to me the most include the strong sibling rivalry, which fans believe is from the biblical Cain and Abel story, where jealousy is formed and left in childhoods. Another theme I hear in “Willing and Able” is the multiple perspectives and point-of-views. One specific perspective is the narrator, or Kahan’s, expressing the longing to heal a relationship but feels stuck. The other perspective is how another person may view the singer, feeling criticized if he leaves or stays. "When I make my flight, I'm the devil / But when I stay the night, then we drink."
Track 9: “Dashboard”
The next song on The Great Divide is titled “Dashboard,” and it has an upbeat/energetic feel to it which I love. It features fast tempos on guitar and drums, and a fun rhythm to dance or sing along to. The deeper themes however describe the feeling of running away from problems rather than facing the music. Lyrics highlight the comfort of not staying in one place and having multiple distractions that control one’s own life. "It'll hurt half as much if you drive twice as fast." Through Kahan’s narrative in “Dashboard,” it builds messages of feeling isolated and expanding on that feeling of emotional avoidance. My rating for this song is a 9/10!
Track 10: “23”
“23” is another one of my favorite songs on The Great Divide. This track uses a blend of acoustic and electric guitars, maintaining the same rhythmic feel throughout. The way Kahan layers his vocals and the strategic use of instruments in the background allows the song to create a powerful message of wanting to help one recover from their struggles. More personally, he describes watching a sibling struggle with addiction and substance abuse. Kahan even writes and sings about getting a tattoo (or a permanent mark) to dedicate to his sibling so that Kahan is reminded of them every time he drinks: “Tattooed your initials into my right arm / So I’d see your name when I lift up a drink.”
Track 11: “Porch Light”
“Porch Light” is the second hit single on the album. This song is unique because it is written entirely from the singer’s mother’s perspective. It comes from the worries a parent may feel for their child after they reach sudden fame while still having those mental health struggles. "I'll pray for you, be in pain for you / I'll leave the porch light on / Heartbroken, each morning when it's me that turns it off," relates to a parent hoping for the child to return, and how it can be exhausting holding onto that hope. This track keeps the blend of acoustic and electric guitar in place. Up to the chorus, the upbeat from the drums and other instruments is present. There is even the banjo sound reappearing that keeps up the lively energy of the track that fans can hear!
Track 12: “Deny Deny Deny”
“Deny Deny Deny” is another uptempo song that includes more of the electric guitar and some of the acoustic as well as strong drum sounds serving as the beat. The deeper meaning to this song is Kahan wanting a more meaningful conversation with a loved one, which are similar themes seen in “Willing and Able” and “The Great Divide.” He references back to his childhood trauma by repeatedly singing,“I'll get your house paid off, so the Feds can't touch it," a specific yet impactful example he uses of showing how he will go lengths to protect a loved one. To me, I believe it plays into whenever Kahan attempts to hold someone accountable, the person uses denial, relating back to the song title “Deny Deny Deny.” My rating for this song would be a 7.5/10.
Track 13: “Headed North”
“Headed North” to me seems as if Kahan is venting about his personal preferences. The song begins with the gentle acoustic guitar playing. It brings a nostalgic feeling, which sort of reminds me of sitting by the campfire with friends and playing a similar song to this. “Headed North” expresses the pain of being left behind, something that I can relate to. It also reflects how Kahan’s homelife is much different than it was before, creating that fear of being trapped in a small town while the people you grew up with all move away. The specific example Kahan continues to create that shows his frustration of change in his hometown is "But if I see one more Cybertruck, I swear to God, I'm gonna floor it. / Need somebody here to talk me out of things I can't undo,” which is humorous because in my opinion, Cybertrucks are not the best vehicle to drive per se.
Track 14: “We Go Way Back”
Track 14 captures the essence of the singer’s personal reflection of experiencing writer’s block. Kahan’s journey through this song with writer’s block seems to take a mental toll on him, reflecting battles of self-doubt and fame. This is seen more-so in the Netflix documentary Noah Kahan: Out of Body, where the singer describes his insecurities and wanting to create the next big album after Stick Season. I highly recommend watching this, especially if you are a Noah Kahan fan and want to see more of the process behind writing The Great Divide! Going back to the song “We Go Way Back,” Kahan sings to the general audience, more specifically his love for his fiancee, about how she has been with him from Vermont to touring the country, and has seen his struggles and success. “Oh, I love you and I can't fake that for a moment / We go way back, we go way back.”
Track 15: “Spoiled”
Kahan’s storytelling continues to evolve in the song “Spoiled.” I feel as if this song describes a dysfunctional family style. He writes about overworking himself towards exhaustion in order to give his future children the life that they desire. As one can see in the song, Kahan is worried about passing down his flaws to the future children. “They’ll say I wanna be you, but I don't wanna be that" are the lyrics that stood out to me because it allows me to see how a child from a dysfunctional family may admire their parents, but is aware of the parents' unhealthy coping mechanisms. With that being said, I would give this song an 8/10.
Track 16: “All Them Horses”
I wouldn’t say this track was one of my favorites, but still a great song nonetheless. “All Them Horses” in short continues to extend more of Kahan’s emotions of anxiety of suddenly becoming famous and looking back more on his life in Vermont. This song is more of a slow tempo compared to the others on the tracklist, which is part of a reason why it isn’t one I enjoyed the most. The horses become a reminder for Kahan to face his new life instead of secretly wanting to turn away from it. The singer creates an emotional conversational tone, signifying a turning point to his life. The song touches on Kahan's guilt of leaving his hometown while they experience challenges such as the 2023 Vermont floods. "See the dried flood lines on the neighbors' porches."
Track 17: “Dan”
“Dan” is the final song on the regular and deluxe album of The Great Divide. I absolutely love this song! It is an effective way to finish off this highly anticipated album. It also connects to me as a listener because I feel like we all have a “Dan” best friend in our lives. Kahan sings about his childhood best friend Dan, with layered vocals in the chorus and the warm and continuous acoustic guitar feel he uses instrumentally. This song brings overall nostalgia for listeners and a connection to a best friend who is there for you even if emotions and long distances can get in the way. It explores the ups and down of a friendship, but in the end, Dan kept the singer grounded. The song is a great conclusion to the standard album, how a friendship can allow one to escape a mentally chaotic life after all. “Cause I'm with my best friend Dan now, campin' on the county line / Hand around a Miller Lite, waitin' for the sun to rise." This song is probably another 9/10 for me.
Bonus Tracks
“Lighthouse”
“Lighthouse” is the first of four bonus tracks that appears in The Great Divide: The Last of the Bugs. What’s interesting to me about the deluxe album is that all of the extra songs are scattered amongst the album, not all in the beginning nor the end. This choice was made to maintain a narrative and storytelling flow to his piece. “Lighthouse” is listed as track five in the deluxe album. Throughout the course of the song, Kahan uses the imagery of a lighthouse searching for a lost boat in order to encapsulate how he finds himself looking for the person he is singing to. I believe this is a reference back to Kahan’s earlier EP, Cape Elizabeth, which shows a lighthouse on the cover. Kahan also uses imagery and referencing another earlier piece of his work, Stick Season, by writing “the wreckage of you.” “But the wreckage of you, I no longer reside in / The bridges have long since been burnt / And the ash of the home that I started the fire in / It starts to return to the Earth.” The general meaning to this song is the singer-songwriter reflecting more into his childhood roots, specifically describing a time where he faced guilt with a friend drifting away into darkness. "You were born with a face made for a missing sign / But you had something misplaced that you spent your life trying to find.”
“Staying Still”
“Staying Still” is listed as track 7 in The Great Divide: The Last of the Bugs. This is my all time favorite bonus song because I developed an intense connection with Kahan’s lyricism and how he portrays themes of being abandoned and his intrusive thoughts taking over, physically preventing his partner from going anywhere. My favorite lyric in the song is "Honey, tell me, are you good at stayin' still?" since it is Kahan’s way of asking how his lover would handle his absence. I love how the dramatic crescendo in “Staying Still" with layered vocals serving as feelings of being overwhelmed ties into the core meaning of how he has to travel constantly for his career, which causes that stillness to disappear for his partner and triggering her to move on. This is a high 8/10 for me.
“A Few of Your Own”
The third newest song heard is “A Few of Your Own,” listed as track 19. The main recurring themes that I found include feelings of gratitude and leaving a powerful legacy. This song is unlike the other tracks Kahan sings in The Great Divide because it focuses less on his insecurities but more on the warmth of a relationship. It creates an optimistic tone full of love and even reflects back on yet another one of Kahan’s earlier albums, Busyhead. It is another vibrant upbeat song on the tracklist that is full of beautiful harmonies sung in the background. In the chorus, Kahan comes to accept his past struggles, even wanting his partner to tell his stories and move forward, relating back to the lyric, "make a few of your own."
“Orbiter”
The final additional song on the deluxe version of The Great Divide is track 20, “Orbiter.” “I'm an astronaut, you're the Moon / I stare at you, I sing to you, I circle you" are lyrics that become the song’s classic chorus and sole purpose of being an emotional foundation, describing Kahan’s deep devotion to presumably his mother or wife. It opens up with Kahan feeling exhausted by how overwhelming the music industry can be. The song carries into the general message of how one often relies on other people’s compliments or pointing out their worth until one can see it themselves. The classic acoustic guitar melodies are gradually built with harmonies and rhythms emphasizing the power and feelings of orbiting a loved one. Kahan relates himself to a wolf where he longs for the guidance and comfort of the moon even if he experiences anxiety. I enjoy how the writer has positive growth mentally in this song; given that, it brings me to rate it at 8.5/10.
This concludes my full review and dissection of all of the songs on The Great Divide. If you are an avid Kahan listener and want to hear an album that feels like a storytelling piece into Kahan’s life, then I absolutely recommend you to take a listen! You may have heard a few of his songs such as “Porch Light” or “Dan” on TikTok or on the radio, but if you want to have the full experience, try to be immersed and listen to those themes of self-identity and personal struggles.
