Noah Kahan released his deluxe version of ‘Stick Season’, ‘Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) on June 9th of 2023. This record has 21 songs with a runtime of around 1 hour and 23 minutes and is described as alternative folk-pop.
The deluxe version differs from the original as it has six brand new tracks, along with an extended song: Your Needs, My Needs; Dial Drunk; Paul Revere; No Complaints; Call Your Mom; You’re Gonna Go Far; and The View Between Villages – Extended.
Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) holds a recurring theme of the complex relationship with one’s home, and struggles with mental health.
The opening track ‘Northern Attitude’ along with the title track ‘Stick Season’ portray this perfectly. Some lyrics in ‘Northern Attitude’ really catch my attention and set the expectations for the album:
“If I get too close // And I’m not how you hoped // Forgive my northern attitude // Oh, I was raised out in the cold” , and “Breathin’ in, breathin’ out // How you been? You settled down? // You feelin’ right? You feelin’ proud? // How are your kids? Where are they now?”.
‘Stick Season’ is a masterpiece of a song that tells a story. Verse two is a great example, “So I thought that if I piled something good on all my bad // That I could cancel out the darkness I inherited from dad // No, I am no longer funny, ’cause I miss the way you laugh // You once called me forever, now you still can’t call me back”. There is so much detail spread throughout this song and I highly recommend you take a listen for yourself.
‘Growing sideways’ is a track that really shows the idea of feeling stuck where you are and not progressing in life. The lyricism represents the idea of the people around you moving forward and growing in life, but you’re still left behind.
The term ‘growing sideways’ isn’t actually said in the song, but is shown really well through the lyrics. Specifically the pre-chorus, “But I ignore things and I move sideways // Until I forget what I felt in the first place // At the end of the day, Lord knows there are worse ways to stay alive”, along with the bridge, “And if all my life was wasted // I don’t mind, I’ll watch it go // Yeah, it’s better to die numb than feel it all // Oh, if all my time was wasted // I don’t mind, I’ll watch it go // Yeah, it’s better to die numb than feel it all”
‘The View Between Villages – Extended’ differs from the original track as it includes voice memos as a spoken bridge. This is the last track on the album and perfectly rounds out the story despite it having little lyrics.
We’ve heard Noah Kahan reminisce and cover topics on his difficult relationship with home. Along with the ideas of feeling stuck and leaving his childhood home. As well as the struggles he’s faced throughout his life. Overall this is encapsulated perfectly through the lyrics: “Air in my lungs // ‘Til the road begins // As the last of the bugs // Leave their homes again // And I’m splitting the road down the middle // For a minute the world seemed so simple”
Personally, this is a record I constantly listen to and favor throughout my listening history. There are so many songs that could be dissected and praised but some of my favorite tracks include: New Perspective , Strawberry Wine, Orange Juice, Call Your Mom and You’re Gonna Go Far.
My favorite lyrics are “Don’t let this darkness fool you / All lights turned off can be turned on” and “We didn’t know that the sun was collapsing / ‘Til the seas rose and the buildings came crashing”.
Overall I rate this album a 10/10
