“Stick Season (Forever)” Album Cover @NoahKahan on X
On Thursday, Feb. 8, Noah Kahan released “Stick Season (Forever),” sharing two final collaborations and an unreleased song to close this chapter.
“Stick Season” was originally released in Oct. 2022, blowing up and guiding Kahan into his 2024 Grammy nomination for best new artist. Despite his first album, “Busyhead,” coming out in 2019, Kahan is just now getting the recognition he deserves.
While only three songs were new, “Stick Season (Forever)” features the original tracks alongside eight collaborations with a variety of artists. They feature Post Malone, Lizzy McAlpine, Kacey Musgraves, Hozier, Gracie Abrams, Sam Fender, Brandi Calile, and Gregory Alan Isakov.
The first collaboration I listened to was “You’re Gonna Go Far” featuring Brandi Carlile, an artist Kahan adores.
The song details someone moving somewhere new, leaving the narrator behind. Despite a mixture of emotions, the narrator says the person is “the greatest thing we’ve lost” and repeats that they will make it.
I was taken aback on the first listening, having never heard Carlile before. Her voice fits perfectly with this song, completing a piece that already stood out to me. I also enjoyed the lyrics staying the same in the newer version; I do not think anything could have been added to improve the overall message. I give this one an 8/10.
The next collaboration newly released is “Paul Revere” with Gregory Alan Isakov.
In an newsletter emailed to fans on Feb. 1, Kahan said, “[Isakov’s] haunting voice and vivid songwriting was the inspiration to this song and I am honored he was willing to join me for this.”
“Paul Revere” tells the story of a person who is seemingly stuck where they are, despite desperation to find an escape.
Isakov is another artist I have never heard of before this song. Within seconds of listening to his voice, I was absolutely mesmerized. There is not an artist I can think of that would have done better in this song; it was almost made for Isakov.
This is another collaboration that kept the lyrics the same. I found this to be the right choice; the tracks on “Stick Season” tell stories with specific details and emotions that alterations could ruin. I give this one a 9/10.
“Forever” is the final unreleased song and Kahan sings it solo. The song shares the narrator’s journey, starting by wishing they meant “anything to anywhere, to anyone.” They end up “glad [to] get forever to see where you end.”
Kahan’s voice is incredible in this song, helping express realization and the promise of finding what someone has been searching for. This is one of the happier tracks on the album.
I find it to be a solid solo for Kahan to end “Stick Season (Forever).” While it is not as inspiring as tracks like “You’re Gonna Go Far,” it gives a finality to the destination Kahan reaches by the end of each story he tells. I give this one an 8/10.
Of the other collaborations, my favorite would have to be “Call Your Mom” with Lizzy McAlpine.
“Call Your Mom” is arguably the most emotional song of the album, as the narrator expresses that life is worth living and that they do not want to see the other person fall. One of my favorite lyrics from this song is, “Don’t let this darkness fool you; all lights turned off can be turned on.”
McAlpine’s ability to evenly sing the low notes and incorporate such raw emotion makes this collaboration stand out. Their voices complement each other in a way that makes the message of “Call Your Mom” feel stronger than it was before.
This is one of the only songs I prefer the collaboration version over the original. I give it a 10/10.
A close second is “Dial Drunk” with Post Malone. This is one of the more well-known tracks from the album, covering the narrator being unable to get over a past relationship, despite no longer knowing that person.
This is also one of the collaborations that has a new verse for the featured artist. In “Dial Drunk,” Post Malone’s verse adds new details in this version that enhance what we were already given.
Post Malone is not the first person to come to mind when thinking about who Kahan should sing with. However, Post Malone proved that he could succeed in folk-pop with this song.
I find myself listening to this version more than the original. With that, I give it a 10/10.
The one collaboration I was not a fan of is “Everywhere, Everything” with Gracie Abrams. Abrams is an artist I have listened to before, and I do enjoy some of her work; however, I feel like there could have been a better fit for this particular song.
Abrams whisper-sings the lyrics with a lack of the emotion present in the original version. It gives “Everywhere, Everything” a different vibe, which could have been the goal, but it made this a skip for me. I love the original, but give the collaboration a 4/10.
If I would pick another artist to potentially be on this song, the main one that comes to mind would be Noah Cyrus. She has similar music to some of Kahan’s work, with an intensity in even the slowest songs that is hard to find.
While “Stick Season (Forever)” closes an iconic chapter for Kahan, it is evident that his talent and vehemence will help him go far.