{"id":627219,"date":"2026-04-25T07:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T07:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/627219\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T07:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T07:03:19","slug":"noah-kahans-the-great-divide-a-track-by-track-breakdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/627219\/","title":{"rendered":"Noah Kahan\u2019s \u2018The Great Divide\u2019: A Track-by-Track Breakdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIn the wake of his smash hit \u201cStick Season,\u201d Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Noah Kahan found himself at a crossroads. <\/p>\n

\n\tHow does an artist follow up an album that categorically changed their life? A breakthrough hit is what most dream about, but what comes next is much less frequently talked about. Kahan outlined much of this struggle in his recently released Netflix documentary, Noah Kahan: Out of Body<\/a>, but the real exploration comes on his newly released fourth studio album, The Great Divide. The 17-track album is expansive and features several songs that clock in at more than five minutes long.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe album digs into Kahan\u2019s life now and how fame has changed his relationships with his loved ones and himself. Of course, the singer also digs into how fame has changed his relationship with his home of Vermont, frequently featured in his lyrics. He makes several references to 89, the highway running through the area of New Hampshire and Vermont he grew up in (I\u2019m a Route 3 and 293 person myself) and there\u2019s an assortment of Easter eggs for those familiar with the region.<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan\u2019s next chapter is decidedly bright and long. Below, The Hollywood Reporter digs into The Great Divide track-by-track.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cEnd of August\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Mercury Records\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan drops listeners into the world of The Great Divide with opening track \u201cEnd of August.\u201d The track, produced by Kahan and Aaron Dessner, begins with the ambient sounds of bugs buzzing. If you close your eyes, it\u2019s easy to imagine yourself sitting outside in the Vermont golden hour setting the song evokes.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe song seems to depict a drive into Kahan\u2019s home state of Vermont. The singer-songwriter name drops his brothers, spotting license plates from the neighboring state of New York and the interstate highway 89 that intersects through the area of New Hampshire and Vermont, where he grew up. \u201cEnd of August\u201d is the perfect opener for Kahan\u2019s next chapter. It sets the scene that, yes, this will be another album that seems to take inspiration from Kahan\u2019s own life, but sonically speaking, it\u2019s a clear indication that this album is not another Stick Season.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe idea that The Great Divide would be more of what he\u2019d put out before with breakout album Stick Season was a fear Kahan expressed in his recently released Netflix documentary Noah Kahan: Out of Body.<\/p>\n

\n\tComing in at more than five minutes, \u201cEnd of August\u201d ignores the increasingly frustrating trend of short songs. It\u2019s a proper warmup for the next 16 tracks. It starts mellow and builds up throughout the song, much like the anticipation for what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cDoors\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIf \u201cEnd of August\u201d was the warmup, \u201cDoors\u201d is the moment things start to pick up. Throughout Out of Body, Kahan expresses that he\u2019d been struggling with finding the right inspiration and tone for the album that would become The Great Divide. The film\u2019s endpoint finds the singer in the studio playing this song.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe nearly-four-minute track is all at once cinematic and subtle. Kahan\u2019s explosive vocals come alive on the second verse. \u201cHave you ever stared directly at the sun? \/ Have you ever shared some closeness, so exposed, to have it spit back by someone,\u201d he croons. \u201cSo forgive me if I jump \/ At the rattle of your keys, oh are you leaving, no babe I\u2019m just waking up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAmerican Cars\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Noah
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Patrick McCormack\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe album\u2019s third track finds Kahan at peak folk-pop. One of The Great Divide\u2019s catchiest tracks, \u201cAmerican Cars\u201d feels right at home in Kahan\u2019s discography, while simultaneously feeling like a bit of a sonic risk.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe song, anchored by groovy guitar beats, tells a clear story of calling someone back home \u2014 \u201cHeadlights, your plates \/ 4CB3A\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019ve been drivin\u2019 all day \/ But you\u2019re here and we\u2019re so grateful you are\u201d \u2014 to have them \u201cfix\u201d something, or more likely, someone. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAmerican Cars,\u201d what should be a definitive contender for a down-the-line radio single, is a standout on the album. <\/p>\n

\t\u201cDownfall\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDownfall\u201d is one of the most lyrically dense tracks on the record. The melancholic anthem is romantic in its own way \u2014 sort of. The song, in a way, feels like a spiritual callback to Stick Season\u2019s \u201cAll My Love\u201d and seems to describe a past love that can\u2019t seem to stay away. \u201cYou state a feeling like a fact \/ I\u2019m glad you left, but you\u2019ll be back,\u201d he sings on the pre-chorus.<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan\u2019s \u201crooting\u201d on his former love\u2019s downfall, but it\u2019s all in the name of her coming back. The song\u2019s a bit tongue in cheek, at times, but it\u2019s also what an inner monologue of a revolving door relationship can look like: \u201cI won\u2019t rub your face in it \/ I swear I won\u2019t tell anyone \/ I don\u2019t mind being your dead end \/ I think it\u2019s fine to never move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cLighthouse\u201d (Extended Edition Track)<\/p>\n

\n\tIn this haunting track, Kahan seems to look back on someone who has left the town behind. It\u2019s almost a tragedy. \u201cLighthouse\u201d wasn\u2019t included on the original album, as it provides some top-tier lyricism: \u201cYou were born with a face made for a missing sign \/ But you had something misplaced that you spent your life trying to find \/ Still hear your name from some of the local guys \/ Said they always placed you for the leavin\u2019 type.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cPaid Time Off\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBy track five, Kahan takes a folk-filled moment to breathe with \u201cPaid Time Off.\u201d The nearly four-minute long song is yet another narrative-heavy track, which is what the singer-songwriter is perhaps best known for. Kahan produced and wrote the song alongside frequent collaborator Gabe Simon. \u201cPaid Time Off\u201d feels at home with some of other mellow tracks from previous releases.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Great Divide\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs the first track released from the album, \u201cThe Great Divide\u201d set the tone for the album, and the rock-infused track remains a highlight. Kahan previously told THR<\/a> there were many discussions about whether or not the title track should be the first single from The Great Divide.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s the best entryway into the record from a storytelling and sonic perspective. I think it offers something a little bit different from a lot of the stuff on Stick Season,\u201d Kahan <\/a>said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s a little bit more going on musically, it\u2019s a little bit more rocking, and I think that is really fun because that\u2019s the direction I want to go in,\u201d he added. \u201cIt also just tells a story that I think is emblematic of the entire album.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cStaying Still\u201d (Extended Edition Track)<\/p>\n

\n\tA highlight of the extended version, \u201cStaying Still\u201d is another track examining a relationship that faces distance. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAll love, must leave, oh search for it I will \/ Honey, tell me, are you good at stayin\u2019 still,\u201d Kahan sings as he finds himself wishing he could make the distance go away. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBut the Charles meets the sun \/ And the Harvard track team runs, past my truck, stuck on Storrow \/ And I never ask for much \/ But I hope that Logan crumbles, and gets hit by a tornado,\u201d he sings on the pre-chorus, referencing Boston\u2019s Logan Airport.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHaircut\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Noah
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Patrick McCormack\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThis straightforward folk track digs into some intense feelings of resentment toward whoever is the subject of the song. \u201cYou grew your hair out long \/ Now you think you\u2019re Jesus Christ \/ Ain\u2019t nobody mistaking your guilt for some great sacrifice,\u201d Kahan sings. As the song\u2019s bridge ends, he sings, \u201cSpare us all your pity love \/ Save it for the microphone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWilling and Able\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan is exploring what life looks like in a post-Stick Season world for him, but more importantly, what it looks like with the people in his life. It\u2019s another topic that the singer dug into during his documentary, and all roads seem to lead back to the idea that Kahan is at a different stage emotionally and physically now \u2014 a big part of Out of Body shows Kahan\u2019s conflicting feelings about leaving Vermont for Nashville, and what his relationship with Stafford looks like now.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut \u201cWilling and Able\u201d hits a bit harder than others on the album, lulling the listener into complacency with its dreamy acoustic melody. The song\u2019s second verse cuts like a knife. \u201cLook at you leaving again, it\u2019s all you know how to do \/ Go ahead, take the last of the drinks; the world belongs to you,\u201d he sings. \u201cThey say you\u2019re a light; all I see is a shadow \/ And I\u2019ll see you again in six months, when you need your next song.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cDashboard\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs the singer heads into the back half of The Great Divide, \u201cDashboard\u201d provides another Kahan classic. It\u2019s catchy, addictive and full of his signature lyrical one-liners. The chorus is a highlight of the song, and the album, and it\u2019s sure to be stuck in listeners\u2019 heads for days: \u201cLook at you go, crossin\u2019 state lines with your shadow \/ Trying to run away \/ Change your zipcode \/ Turns out you\u2019re just an asshole.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201c23\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOn \u201c23,\u201d Kahan digs into another throughline on the album: anger. The singer doesn\u2019t need to sort out his less-than-stellar feelings on big, aggressively loud tracks; instead, he opts to include some of his most cutting lyrics and big feelings on The Great Divide\u2018s most mellow offerings. The song also features one of the most memorable moments on the album, lyrically speaking (\u201cTattooed your initials on my right arm \/ So I\u2019d see your name when I lift up a drink\u201d).<\/p>\n

\t\u201cPorch Light\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan and Dessner teamed up for this track, which was released in March as the second single off the album. Kahan and his team have a lot to be proud of with The Great Divide, but perhaps their greatest achievement is how they selected the two songs to drop ahead of the album\u2019s release. \u201cThe Great Divide\u201d showcased the punchier side of this album, while \u201cPorch Light\u201d reminds listeners what Kahan does better than anyone else\u00a0\u2014 subtle yet devastating tracks that manage to be so catchy they feel right at home on Top 40 radio.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cDeny Deny Deny\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Noah
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Patrick McCormack\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAs The Great Divide nears its end, Kahan goes full folk rock with \u201cDeny Deny Deny.\u201d It\u2019s undoubtedly the strongest track of the album and an addictive, windows-down summer anthem. As long as you look past the low-key devastating tale of an interpersonal dispute Kahan seems to be working through here.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019ll get your house paid off so the feds can\u2019t touch it \/ Another thing we don\u2019t talk about anymore,\u201d he sings on the chorus. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I won\u2019t bring it up \/ You can scream at me when you come home drunk \/ And it\u2019s fine, I know the company line \/ When I ask about the past you deny, ny, ny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHeaded North\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s back to the sound of bugs in the New England summer for this folksy track, which features two separate guitar solos. The song a bit of a townie anthem, meant with the most love, of the singer seemingly reporting back to someone who\u2019s left the tarea behind. And it\u2019s a bit of an \u201cif you know you know\u201d for those of us who grew up or spent time in these rural New Hampshire and Vermont towns full of contradictory ideas. That\u2019s best exemplified through some of the lyrics on the first verse \u2014 \u201cI always wish you well when I pass the old gas station \/ With the banner on the front that shows how tolerant they are \/ You\u2019ll get told to go to hell by some summer-time flatlander \/ With a coexistin\u2019 sticker on the bumper of their car.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe Go Way Back\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan once again mellows out on \u201cWe Go Way Back.\u201d It\u2019s a largely quiet track that allows the lyrics to shine. It starts off strong and only builds from there. \u201cSaw the world from up close, it ain\u2019t much to look at \/ Compared to you in your work clothes, waving hello from the driveway,\u201d Kahan sings. \u201cI can\u2019t make myself whole, most days I\u2019d be lucky just to get half \/ But you\u2019ve seen me in places so low, you can recognize when it\u2019s real bad \/ When it\u2019s real bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cSpoiled\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan is never one to shy away from sifting through his thoughts and emotions on these songs, but \u201cSpoiled\u201d is perhaps the most introspective track on The Great Divide. He seems to mention the fleeting nature of a career like the one he\u2019s worked to get into. \u201cTell the fellas at the morgue \/ That I\u2019m headed back on tour \/ Gonna put those boys to work, wipe your hands and wash your face\u201d and \u201cIf I\u2019m gone this time next year \/ If I inhaled the smoke and smashed the mirrors \/ Fuck it I might even disappear, I hope you\u2019ve had a decent time\u201d hit that point home.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut Kahan shines brightest on the chorus, lamenting on what might be. \u201cJust so my children get spoiled when they get old \/ So they can fuck up all they want and blame it all on their dad \/ So they can watch me go to work, to fall asleep on the couch \/ They\u2019ll say, I wanna be you, but I don\u2019t wanna be that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAll Them Horses\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe album\u2019s penultimate track, \u201cAll Them Horses,\u201d is another introspective offering. The song, another clocking in at over five minutes, is, to put it simply, beautiful and the strongest track on the album. Kahan has played the track live before, previously saying it was a tribute to his home of Vermont after flooding devastated the area in 2023. But it\u2019s also a reflection of his now complicated relationship with his home.<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan\u2019s love for the place he grew up is present on every track he\u2019s put out, but it\u2019s also easy to understand that fame does change that relationship, particularly when that place can\u2019t physically be home anymore due to the nature of the music industry and frequent touring.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was scared that when I would come back that I\u2019d feel like a tourist or that I wouldn\u2019t belong or like that I\u2019d given away some secret,\u201d the singer previously told THR<\/a> about sharing so much of his home on Stick Season. It\u2019s a line of thinking he continues on this track \u2014 \u201cThis ain\u2019t mine anymore \/ I made too much goddamn noise \/ Done staring at the void \/ I\u2019m spin castin\u2019 with the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cA Few of Your Own\u201d (Extended Edition Track)<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan opted to leave many of the romantic, relationship-focused tracks for The Last of the Bugs version, as \u201cA Few of Your Own\u201d joins the fray on the extended edition. It\u2019s a catchy, straightforward folk track.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cToo old for both of us to keep howling at the moon \/ To be cross-eyed drunk this young in the afternoon \/ Two souls in one truck with no money left to lose,\u201d Kahan sings on the first pre-chorus. \u201cTeach me how to not stare at you \/ I spend the whole night singing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cOrbiter\u201d (Extended Edition Track)<\/p>\n

\n\tOn the extended edition\u2019s penultimate track, \u201cOrbiter,\u201d Kahan digs into fame. \u201cI look exhausted, oh stiff and awkward on the outside of the moment \/ It\u2019s not my first time bitter, drunk on a red carpet \/ Or my first time losing, and it won\u2019t be my last,\u201d he sings to open the song.<\/p>\n

\n\tKahan seems to be singing to the person anchoring him (\u201cBut I see you through a camera flash \/ I look back and you laugh and this is hard \/ But I feel less far\u201d) as he dealt with the sudden fame that came in the wake of Stick Season, lamenting on losing them. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOrbiter\u201d is the perfect finale addition to The Great Divide, and perhaps the most earnest he\u2019s ever been about the discomfort that comes along with fame. \u201cRain on a steel roof, leaks through the ceiling \/ Hits the patrons in the ballroom \/ You said \u2018oh look babe, even God is trying to warn you all this ain\u2019t for you\u2019 \/ But I cling to my seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cDan\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Noah
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy of Netflix\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThis five-minute track is a delightful choice to end The Great Divide. The album takes listeners on a roller coaster of emotions, but Kahan closes this chapter on a nostalgic-laced ode to his friend. It\u2019s exactly the type of song you\u2019d conjure in your head looking at the album\u2019s main artwork.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDan\u201d is another lyrical standout on an album of standout lyrics. \u201cYou\u2019re appealing to the parts that you know I hold dear \/ You\u2019ve been the best five minutes of a shitty whole year\u201d is a highlight, but Kahan saves the best for last.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEverybody\u2019s asleep, let\u2019s talk about it \/ Let\u2019s talk about high school and talk about death,\u201d he sings to close out The Great Divide. \u201cBefore the moment tries to disappear \/ Don\u2019t the sky look pretty up here?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the wake of his smash hit \u201cStick Season,\u201d Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Noah Kahan found himself at a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[49,48,361,75,341,1316,183431],"class_list":["post-627219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-netflix","tag-noah-kahan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}