Noah Kahan looking to the left while playing guitar in front of a crowd at night.
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The Best Noah Kahan Songs

December 15, 2023 12:33 pm GMT
Last Edited December 18, 2023 2:43 pm GMT

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In case you’ve missed it, Noah Kahan is one of the biggest names on the music scene today.

Kahan first broke into the pop landscape in 2019 with ‘Hurt Somebody’, a dreamy duet with Julia Michaels, but TikTok helped supercharge the Vermont native to indie-folk superstardom in recent years.

Often following one of three themes – love, drugs & alcohol, and mental health - Kahan does what most of us can’t, writing out his most profound feelings and stitching together the intricacies of loneliness, abandonment and anxiety. It’s something he’s stated time and time again saved his own life.

With that in mind, we’ve pulled together a list of the best Noah Kahan songs - and it was no easy feat.

15
Mercury | 2023

Everywhere, Everything (with Gracie Abrams)

We begin with a gorgeous homage to the dizzying high of true love.

Kahan offers himself up in ‘Everywhere, Everything’, with lyrics like “I wanna love you ‘til we’re food for the worms to eat” spiked with the optimism that comes with new love. It's one of few Kahan songs dedicated solely to that warm, fuzzy feeling.

14
Republic | 2020

Maine

Kahan’s hums and purposeful strums are the pre-party to a charming poem written about his lover who left to chase big starlit dreams. This is a whimsical, nostalgic ode with enchanting harmonies.'Maine' is a little like magic.

13
Mercury | 2023

Call Your Mom

Kahan offers a hand to somebody he knows who is fighting battles in their mind. He bleeds empathy and exudes kindness from a deep place of knowing. The lyrics (“Don’t let this darkness fool you, all lights turned off can be turned on”) are equivalent to being wrapped up in a warm blanket on a cruel winter's night. 

12
Republic | 2019

Cynic

This is a coming-of-age song where Kahan grapples with the idea of getting older and subsequently losing the feeling of excitement that comes with new experiences growing up.

“The Hollywood sign don't catch my eye much anymore / Give me the open mind I had before”, he sings. The catchy repetitions and breezy chorus present us with a top indie-folk bop for the everyday playlist.

11
Mercury | 2023

She Calls Me Back (with Kacey Musgraves)

As opposed to being left listening to the dial tone in ‘Dial Drunk’, ‘She Calls Me Back’ is framed by a new feeling of gratitude to a woman who calls Kahan back. It's a playful, euphoric song perfect for long road trips and sing-a-longs in the shower.

10
Mercury | 2023

Orange Juice

A sobering ballad that’ll make you sob.

Kahan explores the complexities of a relationship between loved ones when one suffers from an alcohol addiction. Repetition gives the song the power it deserves, and Kahan takes a higher, softer key, against a gently strummed guitar before launching into a mesmerising chant of a chorus.

It’s just as good as it is melancholy.

9
Mercury | 2023

No Complaints

A slow clap of percussions joined by a plucking ukulele takes us into a heartbreaking ramble. Torn between cautiousness stemming from a life reduced by anxiety and the will to live life to the fullest, Kahan explores the juxtaposition of having it good when you’re feeling no good.

8
Mercury | 2023

Northern Attitude

Northern Attitude kicks off the Stick Season album.

Kahan’s voice stretches to his highest range as he preaches uncomfortable thoughts and ideas: “If I get too close / And I’m not how you hoped / Forgive my northern attitude / Oh, I was raised out in the cold.” The words stinging like water on a cut - albeit empathetic and tender - are all too real.

7
Mercury | 2023

New Perspective

A friend comes back to town after some time away with a new perspective and Noah, as nostalgic as ever, just wants to "Shut it in a closet / and drag you back down". Pretty plucking guitar and thumping drums lighten the load, and Kahan’s folky voice gives us a good reason to hit the replay button.

6
Belting Bronco | 2023

Sarah's Place (with Zach Bryan)

This is a Zach Bryan song with a Noah Kahan feature, but we've had it it on replay so much here at Holler HQ that simply we cannot ignore it.

An ode to an old friend, a backyard anthem, a love ballad from a new perspective - 'Sarah's Place' is best listened to with a morning cuppa and the paper, or a beer in the garden.

5
Mercury | 2023

The View Between Villages

Deep-rooted in nostalgia, Kahan paints the picture of a late-night drive-thru, delving into the complications and celebrations of living in a small town – outlining the difficulties, the secrets and the neighbourly wars.

The final song on Stick Season (the extended version) includes segments of heart-rendering interviews from the locals in Strafford, where he hails from.

4
Mercury | 2023

All My Love

Banjo leads us into a soul-strip-search of song; like a letter to an ex-love we’ve all wanted to send. “It’s all okay, there ain’t a drop of bad blood / It’s all my love, you got all my love”, he sings. The words ring with desperation and tenderness simultaneously.

3

Dial Drunk (with Post Malone)

Noah's arrested and thrown in the back of a cop car, and the one phone call he gets to make leads to the dial tone of a woman's phone.

The rousing 'Dial Drunk' professes his undying love for the unavailable woman, "I'll dial drunk, I'd die for you", and reeks of desperation and self-loathing as he blames his habits for leading him to the situation at hand.

Kahan's quivering voice vehicles vulnerability, steering us into a chorus of catchy lines and electrifying riffs. It’s so good that even Post Malone wanted in.

2
Mercury | 2023

You're Gonna Go Far

Long-distance experts, you'll feel this one in your bones.

Struggling with the feelings that come with a loved one moving away to explore new opportunities, Kahan's penned a bittersweet but hopeful message for them. Try to sing along to "So, pack up your car, put a hand on your heart / Say whatever you feel, be wherever you are / We ain't angry at you, love / You're the greatest thing we've lost" and not weep.

11/10 for provoking emotions stored deep within us.

1
Mercury | 2023

Stick Season

Consider this the new winter anthem.

The title track of Kahan's magnum opus has even been covered by pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, further propelling it into the pop culture stratosphere.

Featuring a tinkling mandolin and a chorus of string instruments racing to the finish line, this is a catchy, upbeat, folky bop with a satirical spin on what it means to be living back in your old town where everybody else has upped and left.

Subscribe and listen to Holler's Noah Kahan Best Songs Playlist below:

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Written by Gemma Donahoe
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