Divine Feelings came on this morning and I switched it right off. I vaguely remember a host telling me that it was about him locking eyes with his future wife in a market and having “divine feelings”. Wimpy, Taylor Swiftesque, sappy, music. The song’s not bad, but with only 11million listens, he may be passed his prime. For reference, Riptide has 3.5 billion since 2014. That’s about 300 million a year. Enter Noah Kahan.
Stick Season was a fine song by my accord. Aside from that there’s “covid on the plane” line. Maybe if I hear it again in 5 years I’ll like it. The issue with this type of music is that it gets played. And played. And played until your ears can’t stand that infuriating sack of shit season. It’s not the artist fault. It’s the fans. They like him too much they want to own his soul like Godzilla the Gorilla (if anyone gets that, hats off). Which is essentially what is happening now with another complaining hit “The Great Divide.”
I believe the gist behind the song is religion and leaving it behind. It’s once again a catchy song that reached #1 on the Alt-18, which if you didn’t guess, means people like it. There have been 81 million listens this year on Spotify. If extrapolated, this would pass Riptide, but that’s an unfair comparison based on how many users there are in 2026 vs 2014. Bottom line, it’s not going away any time soon.
My point is that he’s done it again. A white guy from Vermont who puts introspective lyrics to catchy choruses has become a fan favorite with folksy pop. I wish Vance Joy was from the Northeast (he’s Australian), so it could really drive my point of where these guys come from, but the style will have to be enough. I’ve asked myself, “why are they so popular?” My #1 answer is relatable. Taylor Swift is relatable to teenage girls, new mothers, and Sam, this music is the same crowd…it has to be women. That’s not to say that men don’t like the music, but I’m not making the Great Divide #1. Listen to Slumber Party by Brigette Calls Me Baby and tell me it’s not a better sounding song? It’s a Smiths sound that rocks.
So then I was wondering if Vance Joy is pissed there is another Vance Joy in Noah Kahan? I don’t know many Australians, but my general feeling is they are easy going, and he’s probably not that upset. A random Google search said he’s worth $40 million, so it’s probably hard to get him mad. However, if he moved from selling out the FU Wachovia Wells Fargo Xfinity Mobile center to selling out the Keswick, he may say this isn’t worth it. Then again, if it was me, I’d probably be friends because why not? It only must be hard when someone younger comes along and steals your shit and your out with the old. There are artists who can re-invent themselves (Robert Plant is still making music with new bands), but I would guess if you could never reach that Riptide plateau again, you choose to get taken away by the current.
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