Few artists conjure up a specific season as viscerally and consistently as Noah Kahan. One other exception is Jimmy Buffett, whose catalogue feels like it's best enjoyed on a summer afternoon with a cold, tequila-based drink and the sweet scent of sun-lotion.

In the same way, Kahan's discography has always felt better suited to rainy, Autumnal evenings where the light is already starting to dim at 4pm, dying leaves are scattered all around and you're sat outside, but you need four layers of clothing to do so.

Kahan has earned the unofficial moniker of ‘the King of Fall’, with his folk-tinged earworms like ‘Stick Season’, ‘Homesick’ and ‘Northern Attitude’ inextricably tied to this time of year.

Which is why it felt a little strange that the Vermont native decided to release his new album, The Great Divide, slap-bang in the middle of Spring. Throughout the rollout, Kahan referenced how he was timing his new project to drop “when the bugs don't die”, a nod to the final song on Stick Season, ‘The View Between Villages’, on which he croons, “As the last of the bugs / Leave their homes again”.

On the surface of it, much like Stick Season, The Great Divide is an album predominantly inspired by the Fall, particularly when you look at the opening track title: ‘End of August’.

But when you really dig deep into the deftly crafted nooks and crannies of this project, a surprising revelation emerges. Kahan, our beloved Fall guy, has made a perfect Spring album.

“Underneath the grief, there is unmistakable hope”

Spring is naturally associated with growth and beginnings. It's the time when, after the icy hostility and frost-bitten melancholy of the Winter starts to thaw, and we are surrounded by fresh shoots, breathtaking blossom and the subtle hint of sunnier weather. It's a season defined by a sense of hope - one that is only accentuated by the fact that the previous three months have felt so devoid of such optimism.

Across Stick Season, Kahan masterfully depicted feelings of self-hatred, isolation and loneliness, without feeling the need to temper his dark musings with any chinks of light. It was a real-time snapshot into the headspace of a man who was struggling, and who - inspiringly - didn't try to depict himself as anything other than this.

But on The Great Divide, almost every song is underpinned by a sense of warmth. The most captivating track on the project, ‘23’, is a heartbreaking meditation on an addict family-member; but our narrator determines to keep a more joyful memory of them at the forefront of his mind. This understated feeling of gentle hope doesn't make the song any less devastating, but it is there nonetheless.

‘Orbiter’, one of the deluxe additions that has been the soundtrack for a viral, heartwarming TikTok trend, is permeated by insecurity and doubt in the face of newfound fame. He might end the song declaring to his lover, “I'm gonna lose you either way”, but as the unexpected TikTok trend highlights, the ambience is loving and tender.

Over the course of The Great Divide, Kahan examines strained friendships and relationships with various relatives. Some have become fractured beyond repair - such as that of ‘Haircut’ - while others carry lingering frustration and anger, such as ‘Downfall’.

But rather than playing as an artist who wants to air out his dirty laundry - as he was so frequently accused of doing on Stick Season - The Great Divide feels like a narrator who has finally decided to sit down and have all the uncomfortable conversations with their loved ones, conversations they've been putting off for years.

And just as Kahan's overarching message is that talking about our problems can help our mental health, on this album, he shows that having those difficult conversations can end up having fruitful results. As the title-track reaches its conclusion, we get the sense that, after discussing their grievances, the two old friends are now closer - something that becomes even more apparent on the album's closer, ‘Dan’, on which Kahan describes his friend's company as a Heaven-like experience.

While romantic love is not the focus of The Great Divide - a refreshing departure from the mainstream music industry - Kahan does explore this in pockets of the project, such as on the atmospheric ‘We Go Way Back’. Again, on this track, Kahan sounds like a man who has struggled his whole life to feel complete and comfortable with himself; but with his partner, he finds something akin to peace.

All this is to say that, while Kahan will forever be our favourite King of Fall - and while he poked fun at his typically sombre subject matter throughout the rollout, with posts like “i do not care about the weather you will be sad this summer” - it would've felt wrong and contradictory to the spirit of this album to release it in the Autumn.

The Great Divide is equally as probing, introspective and deep as Stick Season. But it is decidedly more hopeful, and more than anything, it is a testament to Kahan's growth - both personally and artistically. To share this project in the Spring reflects this. Having released Stick Season in the middle of the Fall back in 2022, it feels telling and undoubtedly intentional that The Great Divide arrives in the Spring.

So while we don't envision The Great Divide becoming a soundtrack to boozy boat parties and sunny picnics anytime soon - we think Kahan will be content to leave that to Jimmy Buffett, for now - it is important to acknowledge the fact that Kahan has evolved.

Kahan's music remains a beacon of light for those who are struggling with their mental health, and now, that light is glowing brighter than ever. On Stick Season, Kahan was simply empathising with us; on The Great Divide, he is offering tools for healing.

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