In case you didn’t know, stick season is the time in New England between fall and winter. With that in mind, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” really puts you in that place of feeling like you’re just leaving autumn, but anticipating the cold days and piles of snow.
If you’re facing the upcoming cold months and feeling especially cranky about it, I highly recommend this album. As someone who has a love/hate relationship with New England this album really encapsulates a lot of my feelings on the area. Kahan mixes acoustic minor key songs with more upbeat folk rock tracks that make for the perfect soundtrack to your next road trip to the white mountains, commute to work, or even just grabbing groceries at the basket. Songs like “Home Sick” and “Stick Season” tackle the brutal New England winters and feeling obligated to be home, while other songs like “Orange Juice” and “Growing Sideways” are more personal and discuss complicated mental health issues. I’m still someone who likes to list to entire albums and I was so happy to find out this entire work is fantastic after becoming infatuated with the hit single “Stick Season”. I hope this album resonates with you as much as it did for me.