Album Analysis: Stick Season by Noah Kahan

Originally posted on The Georgetonian on September 12, 2025.

Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” is an album that captures the ache of small-town living, the weight of nostalgia and the complicated pull between leaving home and longing for it.

Released in 2022, the album marked a turning point in Kahan’s career. Known previously for his more polished pop-folk sound, Kahan embraced stripped-down, rustic instrumentation and deeply personal songwriting on “Stick Season,” drawing heavily on the textures of New England folk traditions.

What emerged is a body of work that feels both intimate and universal, filled with storytelling that resonates with anyone who has wrestled with identity, belonging and loss.

The title itself, “Stick Season,” refers to the bleak period in Vermont (and much of New England) between autumn and winter, when the vibrant foliage has fallen and the landscape is left barren and gray.

This image sets the tone for the album, reflecting themes of emptiness, transition and suspended time. Just as the land waits for snow, many of Kahan’s characters wait for closure, love or escape. The metaphor perfectly embodies the emotional state that runs throughout the songs: a sense of being stuck in between.

Musically, the album is rooted in folk but blends indie-rock and singer-songwriter traditions. Acoustic guitars, mandolins and banjos create an earthy soundscape, while subtle production choices keep the songs feeling modern.

Rather than relying on big choruses or heavy studio polish, Kahan leans into storytelling and raw vocal delivery. His voice often cracks with emotion, emphasizing the vulnerability of his lyrics. This unvarnished approach is part of what has made “Stick Season” so widely beloved; it feels authentic, as though listeners are being let into someone’s private journal.

Lyrically, the album explores themes of home, heartbreak and mental health. The title track, “Stick Season,” is perhaps the best example. It tells the story of a relationship that has ended, leaving the narrator stranded in his hometown, haunted by memories and unable to move on.

The refrain, “And I love Vermont, but it’s the season of the sticks,” captures the tension between love for home and the pain of staying in a place filled with reminders of what has been lost. This duality between comfort and suffocation runs throughout the record.

Other standout tracks expand on these themes. “Homesick” is a biting, cathartic anthem about the frustrations of small-town life. Kahan sings of a place where everyone knows your business and opportunities feel limited, yet the song is not without affection for those same roots.

In contrast, “Northern Attitude” embraces regional identity, acknowledging the difficulty and isolation of growing up in New England. Together, these tracks highlight the paradox of home: it is both something to escape and something that defines you forever.

Another layer of the album is Kahan’s openness about mental health. Songs like “Growing Sideways” and “Orange Juice” address depression, trauma and healing with unflinching honesty. Rather than framing these struggles as obstacles to be overcome neatly, Kahan portrays them as ongoing realities.

His willingness to voice this complexity has resonated deeply with listeners who see themselves in his struggles. The album, in this sense, becomes not just a collection of songs but a kind of communal space for processing pain and finding connection.

What makes “Stick Season” especially compelling is its balance of specificity and universality. The lyrics are filled with vivid New England references — maple syrup, frostbitten fields, the feeling of isolation in a rural town — but these details open the door to broader human truths.

Whether someone grew up in Vermont, Ohio or abroad, the experience of longing for something bigger while being tethered to home is instantly recognizable.

Ultimately, “Stick Season” is an album about contradictions. It is about love and resentment, leaving and staying and breaking down and growing. It captures the liminal space between seasons and between versions of oneself, showing that life is rarely neat or resolved.

Noah Kahan transforms the stark landscape of Vermont into a metaphor for human experience, offering an album that is both deeply personal and profoundly relatable.