Trending artist Noah Kahan focuses on the theme of his experiences as a New Englander and love in his album “Stick Season,” which was originally released in 2022. Recently, however, Kahan launched an extended version of this album, which features a plethora of other artists and an additional solo song. 

The 30 track album was long anticipated, as the artist had previously been teasing clips from the TikTok viral song “Forever” for months. While this wasn’t his first album, many would agree that it was the one that brought him into the spotlight. 

To take a look inside the northern-love references that Noah Kahan plants throughout his stories, I decided to take a look into other folk artists whose natural environments influence their songwriting. As I was drafting this idea, Hozier immediately came to mind. 

Hozier was not from the same region as Kahan – not even the same country – yet both of their storytelling strategies consistently input elements of their surroundings to express a love story. 

In the album’s first track, Kahan goes through a conversation that is seemingly two past lovers or friends catching up. To illustrate his Northern-born mindset, he sings, “If I get too close/and I’m not how you hoped/ Forgiving my Northern Attitude/ Oh, I was raised out in the cold.”

These lyrics of being “raised in the cold” is both a reference to the cold demeanor that those from the North have been rumored to have and the general chillier temperature that occurs at higher altitude. With either context, it’s clear that Kahan’s background shines through how he perceives relationships. 

With Hozier, the meanings of his lyrics take on a more poetic form. The environmental influence to his love stories is especially potent in the song “In a Week (feat. Karen Cowley)” from his self-titled album. This song is introduced with the lyrics “I have never known peace/ Like the damp grass that yields to me/ I have never known hunger/Like these insects that feast on me.” 

Looking at Hozier’s origin of Ireland, the typical climate there is a mild temperate oceanic climate, which is categorized as being humid and wet during the summers. The lyrics above show this through “damp grass” and “insects that feast on me.” 

These observations tell us that these artists find true inspiration in their surroundings and associate the good feelings of love with their homelands. 

Artist Jack Johnson plays with this, as well. Johnson has more of a rhyming rhythm to his songs, but he still maintains the analogical approach to his songs with nature. 

In his arguably most popular hit “Banana Pancakes,” Johnson uses rain to express his need to stay with his lover. He describes that there is “no need to go outside” because of the bad weather. This can be closely associated with “Baby, it’s cold outside” by Frank Loesser, except it takes on a more poetic approach. 

Kahan continues the theme about wishing to be with a past lover while incorporating his environment with the song “Strawberry Wine.” He says, “I said love is fast asleep on a dirt road with your head on my shoulder.” 

The inclusion of the dirt road with the sentimental act is crucial. He could have just said “road,” but to say “dirt road” specifically signals a more rural area, such as the one Kahan grew up in. 

Different interpretations of this song believe that “Strawberry Wine” describes the obsession and so-called “perfectness” associated with first loves. 

The list of folk artists who utilize a similar writing style to Kahan’s goes on, but my personal favorite is Trampled by Turtles. They are not a very well known band, and this makes their music community close-knit; they still deserve to be heard and appreciated for the art they produce. 

The nature theme takes an approach of both comparison and setting in their songs. From their album titled “Alpenglow,” the song “Nothing But Blue Skies” sought to compare the feelings associated with intimacy to getting lost on a path, presumably a woodland trail: “Part dirt from the dark woods/and part of the greater good/ I know where I’m going/ By the look in your eyes”

By saying this, the band implies that the love between their partner is so strong that no matter how lost – physically or mentally – you may be, looking into their eyes centers you. 

Trampled by Turtles are connected to Kahan in another way too: Both artists are from the New England area. Their homelands are separated by New Hampshire, with Kahan being from Vermont and the band coming from Maine. 

Outdoorsy students could find a relatability in folk songs like the ones discussed, more so than an average love or break-up song.

When asked in an Instagram poll, 88 percent of respondents believed that when they can find relatability in music, it’s more enjoyable. Whether this be a similar circumstance or environment – lyrics that we can sympathize with matter. 

Kahan may be newer and causing the folk/alternative genre to resurface, but using your environment to influence your art is not new. No matter the region, people will likely always favor music that has hints of their personal lives in it.