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The biggest name in the music world right now is not Taylor Swift, or Drake, or even Kendrick Lamar or Sabrina Carpenter. Instead, that crown goes to folk rocker Noah Kahan, whose new album “The Great Divide” sits atop the Billboard 200.
Kahan’s album, which released globally on April 24, is a follow up to his 2022 breakout effort, “Stick Season,” which thrust Kahan onto the mainstream radio and into the spotlight.
With “The Great Divide,” the 29-year-old Vermont native shows the world that he’s here to stay, with plenty of heart-wrenching lines and catchy melodies that have caught the attention of millions of adoring fans.
Noah Kahan’s ‘The Great Divide’ Is His Best Work Yet
Kahan graced the latest cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and in the cover story by Angie Martoccio, he dives into the creative process that went into “The Great Divide,” but also notes that the process wasn’t always as smooth as he imagined.
That openness and authenticity are elements that producer Aaron Dessner (who formerly worked with Swift and co-founded the band The National) told Martoccio make Kahan stand out from the modern world.
“It’s refreshing to me that someone like Noah has become a superstar, because he’s the anti-idol. He’s not seeking it. He’s far more gifted than anyone might really know unless you’ve been up close to hear him sing. He’s one of the most brilliant songwriters we have today, and he should make a lot of records.” – Aaron Dessner
While the album is robust, at 17 songs (20 if you’re listening to the deluxe edition), these eight are the ones that are currently the most popular on Spotify.
8) Haircut
As someone who, through a handful of listens to the album, deemed “Haircut” as their own personal favorite song, I was happy to see that the rest of the world agreed.
The four-minute and 49-second track addresses Kahan returning to his hometown and being met not with open arms, but rather disdain from those who felt he ran off and left them for bright lights and “The New York Times.”
Additionally, it deals with Kahan’s own struggle of trying to remain genuine while also feeling like he has to remain close to and supportive of those people out of some sense of duty.
It captures the type of essence that has made Kahan a fan favorite among many people who grew up in small towns across the northeast.
7) Willing And Able
While “Haircut” comes in with high energy and almost a sense of angst, “Willing and Able” strikes a much more dialed-back tone.
But it addresses many of the same themes, as Kahan grapples with his own image of himself and the way he’s perceived by those around him, particularly those who knew him before he found fame.
“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,” Kahan sings.
The song addresses Kahan’s desire to reach across the table to those who felt he left them behind and come to a compromise that will allow their relationship to continue while he lives life as a celebrity.
6) Downfall
Admittedly, track No. 4, “Downfall,” is one I’ve felt I could take or leave on previous listens. But it’s quickly become one of the most popular songs on the album.
It’s low-fi sound paired with lyrics that could be considered highly relatable for anyone who has felt anger or spite toward a former friend or lover
I’ll keep rooting for your downfall,” Kahan sings. But in the end, he brings things back around, noting that while he’s rooting for this person to fail, he’ll also happily be there when they do.
“Call me when it goes to sh–,” he eventually lands on. “I don’t mind being your dead end.”
5) American Cars
Part of Kahan’s mass appeal is that he doesn’t fit conveniently into a specific genre. There are some who’d considered him folk, others rock, and perhaps some would even dare to call him country.
On “American Cars,” fittingly, Kahan slides firmly into the Americana genre with a track that feels like it would fit perfectly in an 1980s Springsteen album.
“Headlights, your platers, 43CBA, didn’t know you drove American cars,” Kahan sings in the chorus. “Ray-Bans on your face. You’ve been drivin’ all day, but you’re here, and we’re so grateful you are.”
4) Dashboard
Sitting right in the heart of the album at track No. 9, “Dashboard” actually serves as a notable change in tone from a lyrical perspective.
No longer is Kahan picking at his own scabs or thinking about the ways that he could be better, either to himself or others. Instead, on “Dashboard,” the unknown main character is confronted with the idea that regardless of where they go or what they change in their lives, they will ultimately be the same person they were when they left home.
“Look at you go, crossin’ state lines with your shadow. Trying to run away, change your zip code. Turns out that you’re still a a–hole,” Kahan puts it, as bluntly as possible.
3) Doors
The third single on the album, “Doors,” unsurprisingly checks in at No. 3 on the list of most-streamed songs on Spotify.
However, as is typical with Kahan’s writing, the song is not about physical doors or metaphorical doors for Kahan to find a way out of the small town in which he was born and raised.
Instead, Kahan sings of the doors that he opens to show people the person that he believes himself to be, and in his estimation, it’s not a pretty sight.
“You were unsuspecting, not unwarned,” Kahan begins in the pre-chorus. “That I’m the trouble ahead. That I scream in my sleep. You’re putting money on red. I’m a sure bet at a losing streak.”
On one hand, Kahan’s writing tempts listeners to ask him to be a bit easier on himself. On the other hand, it provides highly relatable lyrics to anyone who has struggled with severe introspection.
2) Porch Light
“Porch Light,’ the second single off the album, flips the script. Rather than Kahan looking inward at himself, the song takes the perspective of his mother, or any mother, and how his struggles with his mental health affect her.
Beyond that, the song addresses the mother’s loneliness as her child is out on the road touring, and she’s left to find out about his life through internet stories rather than phone calls and in-person conversations.
“You’re a ghost, you’re a ghost, you’re a ghost,” she cries out.
And yet, despite Noah’s disappearance from her world, she’ll still continue to leave the porch light on, hoping that one night he will walk back into her life.
1) The Great Divide
The album’s lead single and namesake, “The Great Divide,” finds itself as No. 1 on the list, and while it wouldn’t be my personal No. 1, it’s easy to see how it finds itself atop the list.
From its wildly relatable lyrical content about trying to desperately cling to and mend a relationship, to an unmistakable guitar solo, the song is everything you can ask for from a lead single on a folk rock album.
“You know, I think about you all the time, and my deep misunderstanding of your life. And how bad it must have been for you back then, and how hard it was to keep it all inside,” Kahan wails, regretting that he hadn’t done more sooner to reach out.
“The Great Divide” not only serves as a strong summation of the album, but also of Kahan as a songwriter, combining empathy, regret, hopefulness, and self-reflection into a story that listeners can easily relate to.