The long-anticipated extended version of Noah Kahan’s most popular album, “Stick Season,” has been released and is named “Stick Season (Forever).” Kahan’s inspiration for the final part of the album was Bon Iver, an Indie Folk music band. He has also been inspired by songwriter Frank Ocean, one of his songs being “White Ferrari.” Kahan’s end goal was to emulate the emotion in the falsetto. So, by the end, it will have a whole different feel, not just with the lyrics but with moments of tension.

Most people know Kahan for his song “Stick Season.” In this song, Kahan describes the end of a relationship. Even as you move further and further away from them, you still get reminders of them. With a rich voice that makes people feel moved by words sung with deep emotion, Kahan has touched many souls with the finale of the album “Stick Season (Forever).”

First listening to his song “Forever,” I could tell what he was going for. It starts slowly, with Kahan singing softly. A minute into the song, you begin to hear more instruments amplifying the sound. Right as the chorus started, chills ran down my spine, with goosebumps forming on my arms. Once I listened to the song over and over again, the lyrics started to make sense. It’s a very optimistic song. Once you let yourself be open, you can see what the world offers you.

On this album, there are a lot of songs that have already been released to the public. For example, “Dial Drunk,” was released in 2022. But the new version of this song on his new album is different because it features artist Post Malone. I think it is unique that Kahan has taken this approach. Kahan normally sings alone, but it’s nice to hear his and another artist’s voices intertwine.

My favorite song on this album is definitely “Everywhere, Everything (with Gracie Abrams).” “Everywhere, Everything,” has always had a special place in my heart as it talks about living life to the fullest. It’s a great message to spread since you only have one life, so why hold back? Kahan singing with Abrams in this song brings out the meaning even more.

One thing I am pretty disappointed in about this album is that it mostly contains songs that have already been released. It is an extended version, but I did hope that there were at least two more songs that have not been released yet.

Kahan writes about lyrics that a lot of people can relate to. From depression to heartbreak, you can tell how much emotion and love he has put into his songs. Overall, I give this album an 8/10. As I said before, I wish there were more unreleased songs on the album, but again, Kahan collaborated with artists, making his songs even more beautiful.