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A TRUE NEW ENGLANDER: STICK SEASON

A REVIEW By Abby Filmore

  “Stick Season’’: a phrase to describe the transition from fall to winter. In artist Noah Kahan’s case, it is the transition from being at home and being homesick. 

  Noah Kahan released this album on October 14, 2022 and it has been a popular hit since.

When the first song on the album started playing, Northern Attitude, I instantly felt a wave of nostalgia of my childhood and going on adventures and hikes with my family. As someone who grew up in New England, these songs in the album, specifically Northern Attitude and Stick Season, really fit this “New Englander vibe.” These two songs bring out my New England roots. l should be getting ready to go on a hike up in the white mountains and eat my homemade granola and just live. I relate to the lyrics “forgive my northern attitude, oh, I was raised out in the cold,” because it is true. This song represents my youth and just growing up in New England.   

  Personally my favorite song from the album is Northern Attitude. The beginning beat has a very memorable, sappy feeling. The song is 4 minutes and 27 seconds long and I feel that is a very appropriate time length. When songs are only two minutes, or at most seven minutes, I don’t enjoy that. When a song is too short, the actual meaning behind it is lost and you don’t get to experience it for the right amount of time. When a song is too long, I tend to just skip to a new song because it feels like a drag. Even though it could be an amazing song, my attention span can’t deal with a long song. This album is a mix of the perfect length songs ranging from 3 minutes to almost 5 minutes.

  A particular song that hits close to home for me right now is “Home Sick” and Kahan sings “I would leave if only I could find a reason”. He seemed to have left because he found that reason to and as for me, a senior in high school, in less than a year I will be off somewhere completely new away from my home, my parents, my friends, my town I grew up in. It is like I do not want to let go from my past, but I also need to start a new chapter. Along with that Kahan’s song “Halloween”, touches on leaving everything and everyone from your past. 

  If you haven't listened to “Stick Season” yet and you are from New England, you are not a true New Englander. This album will make you feel at home and nostalgic in a way that is very comforting.