Stick Season (album)

Stick Season
Studio album by
Noah Kahan
ReleasedOctober 14, 2022 (2022-10-14)
GenreFolk[1]
Length55:21
Label
Producer
Noah Kahan chronology
I Was / I Am
(2021) 		Stick Season
(2022)
Singles from Stick Season
  1. "Stick Season"
    Released: July 8, 2022
  2. "Northern Attitude"
    Released: September 16, 2022
  3. "Dial Drunk (with Post Malone)"
    Released: July 18, 2023
  4. "Call Your Mom (with Lizzy McAlpine)"
    Released: September 15, 2023
  5. "She Calls Me Back (with Kacey Musgraves)"
    Released: October 6, 2023
  6. "Northern Attitude (with Hozier)"
    Released: November 10, 2023
  7. "Everywhere, Everything (with Gracie Abrams)"
    Released: December 1, 2023
  8. "Homesick (with Sam Fender)"
    Released: January 19, 2024

Stick Season is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan. Produced by Gabe Simon, it was released on October 14, 2022, by Mercury Records and Republic Records. 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".[2] 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".[3]

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 to incorporate "unprecedented detail" into his writing.[4]

In an interview with WPTZ shortly after the album's release, Kahan described the album as a "love letter to New England".[5]

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.[6] The second single "Northern Attitude" was released on September 16, 2022.[7]

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.[8]

On September 15, 2023, Kahan released "Call Your Mom" featuring Lizzy McAlpine.

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

On November 10, 2023, Kahan released "Northern Attitude" featuring Hozier.

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

On January 19, 2024, Kahan released "Homesick" featuring Sam Fender.[9]

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."[10] 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 issue."[11]

Track listing

Stick Season track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Northern Attitude"
4:27
2."Stick Season"Kahan3:02
3."All My Love"Kahan4:11
4."She Calls Me Back"Kahan4:03
5."Come Over"Kahan3:17
6."New Perspective"Kahan4:16
7."Everywhere, Everything"Kahan4:17
8."Orange Juice"Kahan4:57
9."Strawberry Wine"Kahan4:45
10."Growing Sideways"Kahan4:15
11."Halloween"
  • Kahan
  • Simon
3:55
12."Homesick"Kahan3:14
13."Still"
3:07
14."The View Between Villages"
  • Kahan
  • Todd Clark
3:35
Total length:55:21
Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever) extra tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Your Needs, My Needs"
  • Kahan
  • Simon
3:27
16."Dial Drunk"
  • Kahan
  • Noah Levine
3:33
17."Paul Revere"Kahan3:33
18."No Complaints"
  • Kahan
  • Simon
  • Levine
  • Carrie Karpinen
3:25
19."Call Your Mom"
  • Kahan
  • Clark
4:38
20."You're Gonna Go Far"Kahan4:46
21."The View Between Villages" (extended)
  • Kahan
  • Clark
4:52
Total length:83:35
Stick Season (Forever) extra tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
22."Forever"
  • Kahan
  • Simon
4:28
23."Dial Drunk" (with Post Malone)
3:34
24."Call Your Mom" (with Lizzy McAlpine)
  • Kahan
  • Clark
4:39
25."She Calls Me Back" (with Kacey Musgraves)Kahan4:04
26."Northern Attitude" (with Hozier)
  • Kahan
  • Simon
4:27
27."Everywhere, Everything" (with Gracie Abrams)
  • Kahan
  • Simon
4:18
28."Homesick" (with Sam Fender)
  • Kahan
  • Sam Fender
3:14
29."You're Gonna Go Far" (with Brandi Carlile)Kahan4:46
30."Paul Revere" (with Gregory Alan Isakov)Kahan3:33
Total length:120:38

Personnel

Musicians

  • Noah Kahan – lead vocals (all tracks), electric guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 8–12, 14, 15, 19–21), background vocals (1, 4, 5, 7, 10–12, 14–21), mandolin (3), foot stamping (9), tenor guitar (10), acoustic guitar (15–18)
  • Gabe Simon – percussion (tracks 1–4, 6, 7, 14, 16, 17), electric guitar (1, 2, 4–9, 11–15, 19–21), bass guitar (1, 3–8, 10, 12, 14–21), organ (1, 3, 4, 14–16, 19–21), drums (1, 3, 4, 6–8, 11, 12), acoustic guitar (1, 3, 4, 13), piano (1, 3, 5–8, 10, 11, 13, 18, 20, 21), background vocals (1, 3, 5, 7–14, 17–21), mandolin (1, 6, 8, 14, 17–19, 21), 12-string acoustic guitar (1, 10, 11), banjo (2, 3, 5–8, 11, 13, 14, 19, 21), baritone guitar (4, 6, 15–17, 19, 21), whistle (6, 9, 17), castanets (8), Moog bass (13)
  • Konrad Snyder – piano (track 1), background vocals (4), clapping (8)
  • Carrie Karpinen – drums (tracks 3, 8, 12, 14–21), percussion (3, 8, 12, 15–21)
  • Phillip Bowen – viola, violin (track 11)
  • Noah Levine – electric guitar (tracks 12, 16), slide guitar (12, 18), baritone guitar (16, 20); acoustic guitar, banjo (16); background vocals (18)
  • John Mailander – fiddle (tracks 17, 18)
  • Hazel Lewis – spoken word (track 21)
  • Melvin Coburn – spoken word (track 21)

Technical

  • Noah Kahan – production
  • Gabe Simon – production
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Ryan Hewitt – mixing (tracks 1–4, 6–21), engineering (16–18, 20, 21), immersive mix engineering (15–21)
  • Konrad Snyder – mixing (track 5), engineering (1–15, 17, 19–21)
  • Dan Rome – vocal production (track 2)
  • Todd Clark – vocal production (tracks 14, 21)
  • Jordan Silva – mixing assistance (1–4, 6–14)
  • Maddie Harmon – mixing assistance (tracks 15–21)
  • Matt Hall – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 3–15, 17, 19–21)
  • Louis Remenapp – engineering assistance (tracks 16–18, 20, 21)

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Stick Season
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[32] Platinum 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[34] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Ellis, Maddie (July 28, 2023). "Noah Kahan wrote a hit folk album with 'Stick Season.' He almost 'crumbled' trying to do it again". Today. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  2. ^ White, Logan (May 19, 2023). "Noah Kahan To Release Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever) On June 9th". Substream Magazine. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  3. ^ Miskelly, Colin M. (March 6, 2023). "Figure 16 from: Miskelly CM (2023) From farm to forest – 50 years of ecological transformation on Mana Island, New Zealand. Tuhinga 34: 1-46. https://doi.org/10.3897/tuhinga.34.98136". dx.doi.org. Retrieved January 25, 2024. {cite web}: External link in |title= (help)
  4. ^ Dailey, Hannah (October 12, 2022). "Famous in a Small Town: Noah Kahan, 'Stick Season' and the Art of Looking Forward and Backward All At Once". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Sistrand, Carolyn (November 3, 2022). "Vermont musician Noah Kahan reflects on new album, 'Stick Season,' during international tour". WPTZ. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Darro, Thomas (July 8, 2022). "Noah Kahan Releases Highly-Anticipated Stick Season & Tour Dates". Road Trip Playlists. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "Noah Kahan Shows "Northern Attitude" On New Single – Enigma Online". Enigma Online. September 16, 2022. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  8. ^ Vigil, Dom (July 17, 2023). "Noah Kahan Teams Up With Post Malone on New Version of "Dial Drunk"". Prelude Press. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  9. ^ "New Releases: Noah Kahan & Sam Fender, Green Day, Yard Act and more". Official Charts. January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Ryan, Elise (October 12, 2022). "Review: Noah Kahan summons stick season and nostalgia". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Noah Kahan - Stick Season Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  12. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Noah Kahan – Stick Season" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Noah Kahan – Stick Season" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  15. ^ "Noah Kahan Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Noah Kahan – Stick Season" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Noah Kahan – Stick Season" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  18. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 19, 2023. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  20. ^ "Album 2023 uke 24". VG-lista. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  23. ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  24. ^ "Noah Kahan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  25. ^ "Noah Kahan Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  26. ^ "Noah Kahan Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  27. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart for 2023". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  28. ^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  29. ^ "End of Year Albums Chart – 2023". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  30. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  31. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  32. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Noah Kahan – Stick Season". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  33. ^ "British album certifications – Noah Kahan – Stick Season". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  34. ^ "American album certifications – Noah Kahan – Stick Season". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 31, 2023.