Gabe Simon is pulling back the curtain on the creative process behind one of Noah Kahan's most beloved songs, ‘Northern Attitude’. Originally appearing on Kahan's Stick Season opus, he later reimagined it with one of his musical heroes, Hozier.

Simon, Kahan's longstanding producer and the architect behind songs like ‘Stick Season’, ‘The Great Divide’, ‘Forever’, ‘Deny Deny Deny’ and so many more, reveals he and Kahan wrote ‘Northern Attitude’ together in the space of just 40 minutes.

While chatting to American Songwriter's Off the Record, Simon shares how that song is a prime example of Kahan's songwriting prowess, “We wrote that song in like 40 minutes. And people say that kind of s***, but like, Noah is probably the most prolific songwriter on the face of the planet. I was making a sandwich in the kitchen, and Noah was playing this...I ran down the hall and I was like, ‘What the hell is that!’ He just goes, ‘I don't know, man, I just took some edibles, this is crazy’”.

He goes on, “And I was just like, ‘Okay, cool - keep doing that!’ And I grabbed the 12-string...It was like that easy and fun, and then he did three passes of the song made up on the spot right there, and then put them together and made the song. He just made up three minutes of a song three times off the top of his head”.

Simon underlines how he has always been particularly impressed by Kahan's musical memory and awareness, “First time I ever saw this guy, he has one of the best memories on the face of the planet. He can think of all these bits and remember everything that's gonna happen, put together words, put together melodies, put together a structure, and you're just kind of like...You're just kind of in awe”.

Simon was a pivotal figure in the creation of Kahan's latest studio album, The Great Divide, with Simon serving as both a producer and a co-writer on a multitude of tracks.

Shortly before the album's arrival in April 2026, Kahan, Simon and a host of other key collaborators came together with fans at Gold Pacific Studios in Nashville for a special preview of the project hosted by Mastercard. The event offered further insight into Simon and Kahan's creative partnership, with The Great Divide deservingly drawing widespread plaudits for its powerful, rich and visceral songwriting.

Upon its release, Simon paid homage to the experience of working on the record with the ‘Orbiter’ hitmaker, “Thank you for leading us Noah. Thank you for conquering your fears. Thank you for knowing when to stand and when to lean. I love you”.

The Great Divide saw Kahan digging even deeper into his personal relationships and mental health struggles, to produce a record that truly feels like a modern masterpiece.

Even so, there will always be something special about the Vermont native's Stick Season era, which spawned gems likes ‘Northern Attitude’, ‘You're Gonna Go Far’, ‘Orange Juice’ and ‘Dial Drunk’ - songs that, for many fans, served as their first introduction to the folk titan. Knowing that ‘Northern Attitude’ was crafted in under an hour only adds to its lustre, and to Kahan's reputation as one of today's most talented artists, as well as once again highlighting Simon's crucial production role.

Featured photography courtesy of Mastercard