Today, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Max McNown releases the sublime new single “The Cost of Growing Up“ alongside a new album announcement. An expanded edition of his stunning sophomore album with 11 new tracks, Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up) is slated for release on 18th July via Fugitive Recordings x The Orchard x Columbia Records. Available for pre-order on Signed D2C Exclusive Clear Black Ice Colored Vinyl, Amazon Exclusive Opaque Maroon Colored Vinyl, Indie Exclusive Opaque Bone Colored Vinyl, Opaque Tangerine Coloured Vinyl, and Standard CD.
Listen to “The Cost of Growing Up” HERE / Watch the performance video HERE
Anchored in the charmingly warm vocal presence that McNown partly honed by busking at the beach in Southern California just a few years ago, Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up) takes the latter half of its title from a gorgeously textured track that perfectly exemplifies his newly refined sound. With its rootsy and ethereal instrumentation, luminous steel guitar, lush mandolin, and soulful organ, “The Cost of Growing Up” arrives as a clear-eyed but melancholy meditation on the inevitability of pain.
“To me, the cost of growing up is an acceptance that difficult things are going to happen—from minor inconveniences to devastating loss, it’s all a part of life” says McNown. “But there’s also beauty in that because, without those hard moments, you wouldn’t be able to truly love.”
The new single is one of the 11 never-before-heard tracks featured in Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up), the drastically expanded edition of his sophomore LP. “Even though Night Diving was the length of a full album, in my heart it never felt complete to me” reveals McNown. “All of these songs were written in the same time period, and my intention was always to have them be one body of work.” The previously unreleased songs surfaced from a recent evolution of his mesmerizing sound, spotlighting an earthy tonality informed by his upbringing in the Pacific Northwest.
“Since my first EP I’ve been on the hunt to find myself as a musician, and with this album, I’ve officially made something that fully represents me, both sonically and in my songwriting” he continues. Produced by Jamie Kenney (Colbie Caillat, Laci Kaye Booth) and made with an A-list lineup of session players, Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up) ultimately provides an extraordinary vessel for his profoundly moving and soul-baring storytelling.
Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up) Track List:
- Forever Ain’t Long Enough
- Better Me For You (Brown Eyes)
- St. Helens Alpenglow
- The Cost of Growing Up
- Same Questions
- Call Me If You Miss Me
- This Side of Heaven
- Marley
- Wherever I’m Going
- Where to Start
- Night Diving (New Feature Version)
- It’s Not Your Fault
- Take This Plane
- Hotel Bible
- Roses and Wolves (feat. Hailey Whitters)
- Won’t Let Me Go
- Azalea Place
- Love I Couldn’t Mend
- Freezing in November (Revisited)
- Night Diving
- Hindsight & Photographs
