''Stick Season'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, who also served as producer alongside Gabe Simon. It was released on October 14, 2022, by Mercury Records and

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

. The album was supported by two singles: the title track and "Northern Attitude". An expanded edition of the album, titled ''Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever)'', was released on June 9, 2023, with seven additional tracks, including an extended version of "The View Between Villages". Another version of the album, titled ''Stick Season (Forever)'', was released on February 9, 2024, featuring all the collaborations and three original songs, of which two are the collaborations "You're Gonna Go Far" and "Paul Revere" and one is the single "Forever".

Background

Kahan began writing the album in his hometown of Strafford, Vermont, in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Periods of loneliness, burnout from industry pressures, and self-discovery inspired him to distance himself from his previous indie pop sound with a more folk-centric sound, being inspired by Phoebe Bridgers and

Sam Fender Samuel Thomas Fender (born 25 April 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is known for his high tenor voice and thick Geordie accent, layered over music characterised by a roots-orientated rock approach. Fender's sound relies ...

to incorporate "unprecedented detail" into his writing. In an interview with

WPTZ WPTZ (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Plattsburgh, New York, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Burlington, Vermont–Plattsburgh, New York market. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside Montpelier, Vermont� ...

shortly after the album's release, Kahan described the album as a "love letter to New England".

Singles

On July 8, 2022, the album's title track was released as the lead single. Kahan began teasing the song on social media in the fall of 2020, and it would grow in popularity on TikTok in the two years prior to its official release. The second single "Northern Attitude" was released on September 16, 2022. On July 18, 2023, Kahan released " Dial Drunk" featuring Post Malone. Kahan described feeling "shock and excitement" that Post wanted to sing on this track and write his own verse. On September 15, 2023, Kahan released " Call Your Mom" featuring

Lizzy McAlpine Elizabeth Catherine McAlpine, also known as Lizzy McAlpine (born September 21, 1999) is an American singer-songwriter. Early life and education Lizzy McAlpine grew up in Narberth, Pennsylvania, in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She has written ...

. On October 6, 2023, Kahan released "She Calls Me Back" featuring Kacey Musgraves. On November 10, 2023, Kahan released " Northern Attitude" featuring

Hozier Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known professionally as Hozier ( ), is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. His music primarily draws from folk, soul and blues, often using religious and literary themes. He had his interna ...

. On December 1, 2023, Kahan released " Everywhere, Everything" featuring

Gracie Abrams Gracie Madigan Abrams (born September 7, 1999) is an American singer-songwriter. Her debut EP, '' Minor'', was released in July 2020 through Interscope Records. Her second EP, ''This Is What It Feels Like'', was released in November 2021, with s ...

. On January 19, 2024, Kahan released "Homesick" featuring

Critical reception

Writing for the Associated Press, Elise Ryan wrote that the album's material "feel like songs both longtime listeners and newer fans will want to belt back to Kahan—not because they're produced for stadiums or arenas, but because they're full of nostalgic melodies that will resonate far beyond New England." Marcy Donelson of AllMusic rated the album three-and-a-half out of five stars and described it as a "nostalgic" album that "explores life transitions including leaving home as a young adult, negotiating a pandemic, and getting help for mental health issues."

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians * Noah Kahan – lead vocals (all tracks), electric guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 8–12, 14, 15, 19–21, 24–30), background vocals (1, 4, 5, 7, 10–12, 14–29),

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

(3), foot stamping (9), tenor guitar (10), acoustic guitar (15–18, 22, 30) * Gabe Simon – percussion (tracks 1–4, 6, 7, 14, 16, 17, 22, 23, 25–27, 30), electric guitar (1, 2, 4–9, 11–15, 19–21, 24, 25, 27–29), bass guitar (1, 3–8, 10, 12, 14–30), organ (1, 3, 4, 14–16, 19–25, 26, 28, 29), drums (1, 3, 4, 6–8, 11, 12, 25–27), acoustic guitar (1, 3, 4, 13, 25, 26), piano (1, 3, 5–8, 10, 11, 13, 18, 20–22, 24, 26, 27, 29), background vocals (1, 3, 5, 7–14, 17–24, 26–30), mandolin (1, 6, 8, 14, 17–19, 21, 22, 24, 26, 30),

12-string acoustic guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

(1, 10, 11, 26),

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

(2, 3, 5–8, 11, 13, 14, 19, 21, 24, 27, 30),

baritone guitar The baritone guitar is a guitar with a longer scale length, typically a larger body, and heavier internal bracing, so it can be tuned to a lower pitch. Gretsch, Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, ESP Guitars, PRS Guitars, Music Man, Danelectro, Schec ...

(4, 6, 15–17, 19, 21, 23–25, 27, 30), whistle (6, 9, 17, 30), castanets (8), Moog bass (13); mandocello,

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

(22) * Konrad Snyder – piano (tracks 1, 26), background vocals (4, 25), clapping (8) * Carrie Karpinen – drums (tracks 3, 8, 12, 14–24, 28–30), percussion (3, 8, 12, 15–24, 28–30) * Phillip Bowen – viola, violin (track 11) * Noah Levine – electric guitar (tracks 12, 16, 23, 28), slide guitar (12, 18, 28), baritone guitar (16, 20, 23, 29); acoustic guitar, banjo (16, 23); background vocals (18, 22) * John Mailander –

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

(tracks 17, 18, 30) * Hazel Lewis – spoken word (track 21) * Melvin Coburn – spoken word (track 21) * Post Malone – lead vocals (track 23) *

– lead vocals (track 24) * Kacey Musgraves – lead vocals (track 25) *

– lead vocals (track 26) * Aaron Dessner – electric guitar, nylon-string guitar, piano (track 27) *

– lead vocals (track 27) *

– lead vocals, background vocals (track 28) * Johnny "Bluehat" Davis – tenor saxophone (track 28) *

Brandi Carlile Brandi Marie Carlile ( ; born June 1, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and producer whose music spans many genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock. , Carlile has released seven studio albums. She has ...

– lead vocals (track 29) * Gregory Alan Isakov – lead vocals (track 30) Technical * Noah Kahan – production * Gabe Simon – production * Ted Jensen – mastering * Ryan Hewitt – mixing (tracks 1–4, 6–30), engineering (16–18, 20, 21, 23, 29, 30), immersive mix engineering (15–22, 25–27, 29, 30) * Konrad Snyder – mixing (track 5), engineering (1–15, 17, 19–22, 24–30) * Willie Linton – engineering (track 23) * Beau Sorenson – engineering (track 27) * Mark Broughton – engineering (track 28) * Brandon Bell – engineering (track 29) * Dan Rome – vocal production (track 2) * Todd Clark – vocal production (tracks 14, 21) * Louis Bell – vocal production (track 23) * Aaron Dessner – vocal production (track 27) * Jordon Silva – mixing assistance (1–4, 6–14, 22, 25–28) * Maddie Harmon – mixing assistance (tracks 15–21, 23, 24, 29, 30) * Matt Hall – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 3–15, 17, 19–21, 25–30) * Louis Remenapp – engineering assistance (tracks 16–18, 20–23) * Joe Trentacosti – engineering assistance (tracks 22, 29, 30) * Dean Thompson – engineering assistance (track 28) * Liam Hebb – engineering assistance (track 28)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2023 albums Noah Kahan albums Mercury Records albums Republic Records albums