On May 1, 2020, Noah Kahan released his EP Cape Elizabeth. This record has five tracks and a short runtime of 18 minutes. This is a great release from him; however, there is one particular track that has stolen the spotlight for me.
“Maine” is the final track and most perfectly well-rounded song, and I could listen to for hours on end. Thematically, this is a phenomenal addition to the EP and closes it out wonderfully. It is a well-done concept as this whole album is in reference to the state of Maine and in it the town of Cape Elizabeth. You can see and hear other songs from the EP within this song and is great within its sequence but also as a stand-alone.
Lyrically, this song can be kind of repetitive and simple at face value, but when listening, there are lyrics that stand out every time. The first verse reflects the essence of change and people moving on: “Tell me, lover // Now that you made your change // Was your soul rediscovered? // Was your heart rearranged?”.
One particular lyric in this verse that I hold onto is, “And did you lose that longin’ now // For a walk through an ocean town? // ‘Cause this town’s just an ocean now”. This is very clearly in reference to Cape Elizabeth, a coastal town, however, there are so many different ways one can interpret this. Personally, I take this lyric as Kahan acknowledging the fact that the relationship referenced is long gone and can’t return to what once was.
The second verse is very interesting and in my opinion can be taken two main ways: literal or metaphorical. Kahan says, “You don’t hate the summers // You’re just afraid of the space”. In my mind, I see this as more metaphorical and that there is so much time in the summer to think and do things, that it can cause a sense of fear or anxiety. That being said, I could also see the literal correlation of space and cities.
Sonically, it’s soothing and introduces this through simple guitar. The track slowly grows into a heavier sound as Noah Kahan uses his voice as a backing instrument through hums. Once the lyrics begin, the background stays pretty basic and calming which perfectly complements the softly sung lyrics.
This song stays in this melancholy sound until the chorus is sung for the final time. Kahan’s vocals grow more desperate and intense along with the instruments and follow the post-chorus until it abruptly stops at the outro.
The outro of this song is absolutely a perfect ending to this song as it is almost purely simple vocals recapping the song with few strums of guitar.
In hindsight, this song is very simplistic in many aspects, however, that is what makes this song great.
