The Vermont singer-songwriter, Noah Kahan, released his fourth studio album on April 24. This album was long awaited by his fans after his hit album, “Stick Season,” came out in 2022. Kahan has built his career on the importance of mental health, expressing that he too has his own struggles. This turned Kahan from a singer-songwriter only known in his small town up north to a familiar name to many nationwide.

Kahan’s album is filled with nostalgia, his lyricism rooted in seasonal shifts, and strained family ties. Overall, the album centers around the uncertainty of life. The album is truly about distance: between people, the past and the present, and expectations vs. reality. For many, even though the album focuses around the opposite ideas of closure, it still provides closure for many in not knowing.

The song “End of August” particularly encapsulates the album: the opening notes of slow piano notes and the sounds of cicadas during a late August night fuel nostalgia. Overall, the entire song lyrically is sad, the end of august used as a metaphor to savor the moment when you know something is silently ending, yet no one wants to admit it. Similarly, “Dashboard” uses familiar acoustic melodies in order to explain the emotional avoidance where someone physically or mentally runs away from the harsh truths.

While most of the album is emotionally devastating, “American Cars” is a slightly more uplifting song about outgrowing your hometown, yet still feeling that deep connection to it. While there is an insightful emotional layer woven into the acoustic guitar, light percussion, bass, and subtle electric guitar uplifts the listener to understand both the reality of moving away, but also the transformation of starting something new.

Overall, many Kahan fans describe this album as both emotionally gut-wrenching, but also emotionally transforming. The lyrics and instrumentals are truly impactful notes of the indie-folk style of music.