Nearly four years after Stick Season, Noah Kahan’s latest release, The Great Divide is out along with an extended version The Great Divide: Last of the Bugs.
A common theme in this album, as with many of Kahan’s other songs, is fighting the battle of addiction. The first track, “End of August”, specifically, captures the gut wrenching difficulty of moving on.
Unlike his previous records, this album features a dichotomy in Kahan’s music, with some tracks resembling his older music, while others have a uniquely new sound. Songs like “Downfall” and “Staying Still” share a distinct similarity with songs off of Kahan’s earlier albums, Busyhead and I Was / I Am. Ironically, the title track, “The Great Divide”, is the best representation of the novelty of this album, along with songs like “Doors” and “A Few of Your Own”.
To lighten the mood, in the midst of intense, emotional tracks, are more upbeat songs like “Deny Deny Deny” and “American Cars”. It was almost immediately apparent that “Headed North” is destined to be performed live at a cafe of some kind on an acoustic guitar.
Certain songs, including “Porch Light” and “Dashboard”, with the former being released as a single and latter being teased by Kahan, had been trending on social media platforms, like TikTok, prior to the release of the record.
As with much of Kahan’s music, this album passionately captures deep emotions. The Great Divide Tour kicks off on Jun. 11 in Orlando, FL, and Kahan will continue to play around the world until early 2027 when the tour will come to an end in Cancun, Mexico.
