On Friday April 24, 2026, star songwriter and musician, Noah Kahan released a brand new album. This album is called “The Great Divide.” If you are looking to listen to a variety of songs focusing on fallouts in past relationships, self-doubt, nostalgia, or just an overall sad album, then this is definitely for you. This original album was supposed to have 17 brand new songs and when it was released, he dropped 4 additional songs than his listeners anticipated. The 17 original songs were called “End of August”, “Doors”, “American Cars”, “Downfall”, “Paid Time Off”, “The Great Divide”, “Haircut”, “Willing and Able”, “Dashboard”, “23”, “Porch Light”, “Deny Deny Deny”, “Headed North”, “We Go Way Back”, “Spoiled”, “All Them Horses”, and “Dan”. Then the 4 additional songs added to the album were “Lighthouse”, “Staying Still”, “A Few of Our Own”, and “Orbiter”. A few of my favorite songs from the album are definitely “End of August”, “Willing and Able”, and “All Them Horses”.
The song “End of August” has a nostalgic feel and it focuses on new beginnings and it captures the feelings of seasonal depression as winter approaches. A significant lyric from this song is “Endin’ of August, the bugs are just starting to die.” This phrase captures the transition from late summer into the inevitable seasonal sadness as winter approaches. Another one of Noah Kahan’s new songs, “All Them Horses”, is about the guilt and stress from moving on and leaving home. The chorus of this starts off with the lyrics, “Know I wanna beat it, wanna beat it bad. Oh, everyone looks happy in a photograph. I’ve crossed the county line, I cannot go back. I’m always on my own.” These symbolize how he wants to genuinely be proud and happy with his success, however he feels detached from his hometown because of his fame. Lastly my current favorite song from the album, “Willing and Able”, focuses on strained relationships between old family or friends due to trauma or other issues such as addiction. Some lyrics from this song are “I wish you could know me. And I wish I could know you much more sometimes” and “Oh, we can fight like we used to fight. Bony-limbed, red-faced, and teary-eyed.” These lyrics highlight the tension between the two people and the regret of not mending their relationship over the years.
Noah Kahan’s song lyrics are extremely meaningful and intricately chosen which makes me love his music even more. If you’re interested in learning more about him, there is a documentary on Netflix called “Noah Kahan: Out of Body.” This documentary takes a deeper look into his personal life and he shows vulnerable aspects of his life such as mental health, body dysmorphia, and more struggles correlating to his fame. Aside from Noah Kahan being down to Earth despite his extreme fame, he also is extremely talented live as well. I have seen him in concert twice now and he was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend Noah Kahan and his new album called “The Great Divide”!
