Noah Kahan’s new album, “The Great Divide: The Last Of The Bugs”, came out on Saturday, April 25th, almost three months after the single “The Great Divide” dropped. Fans have been awaiting this release for four years now, since his last album “Stick Season” debuted, making this season of anticipation well worth it. Kahan’s new album illuminates how fame has changed his relationships with loved ones and himself. His past and present contribute to how hard it is for him to go back to his childhood town, with all the changes that have stemmed from becoming the musician he is. Listening to this album has brought me comfort and clarity for my own personal growth and struggles, so I will be expressing my thoughts for each song.  

1: End of August 

This song begins with the sound of bugs buzzing and a beautiful melody made by a piano, bringing the presence of peace and nature into my mind, setting the tone for the rest. He emphasizes the idea of the bugs starting to die while summer is ending, and the carelessness for the things happening around him. The pace starts to speed up with the piano and shifts into a sense of vanity in life, and the nostalgia of his home. Altogether, this is one of my favorites from the album, and its sentimentality is emotionally overwhelming in the best way possible. 

2: Doors

This song immediately takes me back to a childhood memory that is so familiar, and I know is relatable to so many others, too. The rhythm quickens as he describes the trouble ahead in his life, almost mirroring how he feels. The verse “I keep showing you doors, but you can’t open them up,” reminds me of not taking new opportunities, ignoring the people who only want the best for you. He is struggling to find a way to be seen, which makes perfect sense with the “Knocking on doors” idea. This has to be my favorite from the album because of how much it correlates to me. 

3: Downfall 

To be completely honest, the song starts a lot like the others, which was a bit disappointing. Soon after, the tempo picks up, and he talks about how hard it is to root for someone who consistently makes the wrong choices. Out of all the lines, my favorite is “I think it’s fine to never move on,” but it just feels like a bunch of mixed situations clashing together into one song, and it’s very repetitive, so I wouldn’t consider it one of the best, but I still like the theme of it.

4: Haircut

This song is so different from the rest because it’s really about the balance of knowing people he used to be so close with and being content with the little things he has left of them, even if it means just being happy for a “Haircut”. He’s acting bitter about their life and claiming he never needed them anyway. I love the amount of Jesus Christ references there are and the influence he has on Kahan’s life. Religion is something that can be taken the wrong way when it comes to coping, and he seems perplexed by the road his “friend” has gone down with religion. I can tell Noah understands humility and what it means to be human, and that’s why this song is my second favorite. 

 5: Dashboard

At first listen, I immediately fell in love with the song because of the guitar riffs and the chorus picking up a new rhythm at “Look at you go, crossin’ state lines with your shadow.” I like how it has the same message to the same person in each song because it makes it feel very intentional. My favorite line is “It ain’t our fault that you aren’t suddenly somebody else ’cause you worked on yourself.” I would put this song as my third favorite because of the continuity of the same themes and the difference in dynamics from the other songs. 

6: Deny Deny Deny

This song is by far one of the only somewhat upbeat songs on the album. My favorite line from the song would be “When I ask about the past, you deny ny ny.” I like the ambient drums in the background, but there isn’t anything very new about it, until the song shifts into melodic guitar strumming with his background vocals and it sounds really cool. All in all, it’s a decent song but I was expecting more with the energy it gave off. 

7: We go way back

I think this song is one of the most underrated, with there not being much hype about it. It starts at a slow pace with a new perspective. It’s not the same kind of resentment that the other songs have, he kind of ends this constant feeling of anger by saying “oh, I love you and I can’t fake that for a moment.” In one part of this song, he basically says that he would rather take away all his fame and success just to go back to letting dogs out and sweeping porches, and it feels devastating to listen to. I am perfectly reminded of his song called Homesick from “Stick Season.” To me, this should be the last song of the album because of how ironically it ends this avalanche of regret and frustration.