Noah Kahan’s ‘The Great Divide: The Last of The Bugs’ delivers on folk sound and stunning lyricism

By Cadence Powers

Noah Kahan released his fourth studio album, “The Great Divide” on April 25, 2026, later releasing the exclusive edition: “The Great Divide: The Last of the Bugs.” The album presents the listener with well-rounded lyricism and production, allowing for deep enjoyment of Kahan’s folk sound.

Khan, who has joked consistently about the sad nature of his music, like in his previous album “Stick Season,” stated on Jimmy Fallon:

“Yeah, it’s pretty sad…If something’s going wrong in your life and it’s raining, I recommend,” Kahan said.

Sitting at 21 songs and nearly 1 hour and 36 minutes in length, it has the  second longest runtime of Kahan’s projects. While a long album, it presents a variety of songs that are well-written and well-crafted, which makes the album a cohesive whole. 

The opening song; “End of August” perfectly encapsulates the nostalgic feeling when summer is over. It is followed by the song “Doors,” a faster-paced more upbeat melody, with lyrics that explore what it means to feel you don’t deserve the love you have. 

The third track “American Cars” explores a longing for wanting someone to come home and patch up familial relationships. The fourth track “Downfall” prays for someone’s downfall in the hopes that they will come back home. “Lighthouse” slows the tempo down and explores the grief and loneliness that comes from missing someone. 

The next track “Paid Time Off” picks up a happier tone, arguably the happiest on the album, and is a love song about the contentness of being with the person you love. The following track, “Staying Still” picks up the sad vibe again, looking at a longing for something, or someone to consistently be in your life. “The Great Divide,” the title track, follows—as it mourns the loss of someone whose circumstances could only be seen in hindsight. 

The next track, “Haircut” provides an upbeat, folk melody while providing lyrics that explore what it means to be glad someone has changed, though still having some anger towards them for the things they’ve done. It is followed by “Willing and Able,” a slower song about what it means to heal a relationship. “Dashboard” looks with longing and anger towards someone who moved away, while “23” looks towards wanting someone to stay gone.

The second single, “Porch Light” longs for someone who the singer knows may never come home, while “Deny, Deny, Deny” looks at the exhaustion of someone not being willing to talk to you. The next track “Headed North” is a stripped-back song that looks at a town changing for the worse, and wishing for someone to come back to it even still. 

“We Go Way Back” explores the complexity of having a difficult relationship with someone, while “Spoiled” is Kahan looking at his own fame and his own future. “All Them Horses” follows—a song about putting up appearances while feeling your worst. 

“A Few of Your Own” is a more upbeat track in terms of production and lyrics, wanting someone to make a few memories and stories to tell others. “Oribiter” follows, a song with beautiful production and lyricism that explores a relationship. He closes the album with “Dan,” a song that is full of platonic love towards his best friend. 

Kahan’s raw lyricism and beautiful production lend themselves well to this album. It explores highs and lows of emotions and allows for the listener to be fully immersed in a folk sound that is both potent and relevant. 

Interview Courtesy of NBC 

Images Courtesy of Patrick McCormrick

The Great Divide is now available anywhere you stream music

Cadence Powers is a senior Professional Writing and Information Design major. She has cried to three albums in her life—this was one of them. She feels as though Noah Kahan has hit her with a stick.