April 29, 2026 | Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
“The Great Divide” has finally arrived, and with it, the full sail of emotions that always accompany a Noah Kahan album.
After announcing the album Jan. 28, 2026, Kahan followed up two days later by releasing the title track as a single and unveiling a North American tour. When tickets for this tour went on sale, they sold out before they could even reach general sale.
On March 13, 2026, the album’s second single, “Porch Light,” was released, and helped continue to generate excitement surrounding the album.
When “The Great Divide” and “Porch Light” were released, I immediately knew I was in for the wave of nostalgia that always hits when I listen to Kahan’s music. There’s something about his voice and the way he writes his songs that makes me feel like I stepped back into my junior and senior years of high school.
The rest of the album is no different. “The Great Divide” and “Porch Light” are the eighth and 13th tracks, which leaves plenty of room for a hole to be split in one’s chest.
However, the ache this album creates is much different from Kahan’s past albums. After all, I’ve always considered his previous albums to give off more fall and winter vibes in their sound, especially with the title of his third studio album, “Stick Season,” being a common New England term for the transitional period after the leaves fall but before snow settles in.
Instead, the sound of “The Great Divide” brings to mind late summer days and nights, sleeping in crappy tents, standing around a bonfire beneath the stars and drinking cheap beer. Heck, the album’s 21st and final track, “Dan,” talks about camping and summer.
Immediate responses to the album, however, have already begun generating buzz online. Users have taken to Threads, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, with their observations.
“Is it just me or is the new Noah Kahan album not that sad? Am I just more depressed than him?” user @nostalgiakills posted to Threads. Other users agreed, saying they felt the album was one of healing and hope, rather than one of anger and feelings of unworthiness.
I, however, think this album was worth the wait and am happy for the more upbeat sound. While the lyrics still hit hard, they do reflect the healing that comes after one has been filled with an unshakeable rage for years. And as someone who was once filled with rage but has now healed, this album is absolutely for people like me.
Out of all the songs on the album, my favorite is currently a tie between “Headed North” and “Staying Still.” Both are songs about someone who tends to leave, and Kahan sings from the perspective of the one left behind. However, one major difference between the two is that in “Headed North,” Kahan has already been left, whereas in “Staying Still,” he is trying to avoid it. The only reason that “Headed North” would win this face-off is because of its line about Tesla Cybertrucks: “But if I see one more Cybertruck, I swear to God I’m gonna floor it.”
“The Great Divide” is available on Apple Music, Spotify and other music streaming platforms.
11/10.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
