Student Blog: Noah Kahan’s “The Great Divide” is Taking Over My Brain

For as long as I can remember, I have been in love with music. Not only from a songwriting lens, which was part of my life from the moment I could write, but from an art and emotional lens. 

Most recently, I have been in love with Noah Kahan’s recent album, The Great Divide, as well as the deluxe The Last of the Bugs version. It came out last Thursday night on April 24th, and I have not listened to anything else since. It is an album that tells stories of love and grief, all through a banjo-playing, folk-dancing, insect-hissing production.

Much of what Kahan talks about in his work is sadness and the ways himself and people in his life have coped with sadness in a small town. Lyrics like, “Look at you go, crossin’ state lines with your shadow / Trying to run away / Change your zipcode…” really hit like a punch to the gut of emotion, allowing listeners to relate the songs to multiple different relationships and feelings in their lives.

I have always journaled about music as well. Any time a new album comes out that I am excited for, it receives a spread in my journal. Usually in the form of a ranking, favorite lyrics, or even just writing all of the lyrics from one song out onto the page. It’s a ritual I care deeply about and admire my own dedication to.

The Great Divide may already be my top album of 2026, and we are not even halfway through the calendar year yet. The emotional impact it has had on me in less than a week of binge-listening is astounding, and more intense than I have felt about a piece of musical work since Taylor Swift released The Tortured Poets Department two years ago. 

There are more albums to be released this year that I am highly anticipating, though none are as high on my list as The Great Divide was. On May 1st, Kacey Musgraves’ Middle of Nowhere is being released. Both Niall Horan and Olivia Rodrigo have albums coming out in June, and Ariana Grande just announced her next album, Petal, being released at the end of July. All in all, 2026 is shaping up to be a great year for music, especially for us pop music fans.

I can’t imagine that there will be a time when I don’t get excited for an album release, even those that I’m not already a huge fan of. Music is a universal language. It brings people together and tells the stories of those who aren’t able to tell them themselves. 

Side note: for anyone wondering, my top three from The Great Divide are, “We Go Way Back”, “Willing and Able”, and “Downfall”.