Max McNown Releases Sophomore Album ‘Night Diving’
Nashville-based Oregon-raised singer-songwriter on the rise Max McNown released his stunning sophomore album, Night Diving, on Fugitive Recordings x The Orchard x Columbia Records.
A graceful fusion of folk and pop from “[one of the] brightest newly minted stars to come out of Nashville in recent years” (GRAMMY.com), Night Diving arrives as the promising followup to McNown’s critically-acclaimed debut album Wandering (released April 2024). Produced by Jamie Kenney (Colbie Caillat, Laci Kaye Booth), Night Diving is a body of work that explores new and daring sonic terrain while fully affirming McNown’s extraordinary capacity to ease the mind and strengthen the soul.
With its otherworldly textures, moody guitar tones, and strangely haunting rhythms, the focus track “Night Diving” serves as a lived-in meditation on cycles of addiction, co-written with Kenney and singer/songwriter Erin McCarley.
“We stepped into the writing room and Erin asked, ‘What’s something in your life that you keep fighting and can’t seem to overcome?’” McNown recalls. “‘Night Diving’ became the answer to that question—it’s a song that addresses addiction and I think it’ll resonate with people on a lot of different levels. The ‘Night Diving’ song and video contain the deepest waters of symbolism I’ve created to date.”
Other standout tracks include “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes),” offering a personal reflection on rising to the occasion for a once-in-a-lifetime love, “Roses and Wolves,” featuring beautiful vocals from country artist Hailey Whitters, and “Hotel Bible,” a warmhearted antidote to the soul-crushing effects of self-doubt. In bringing the music to life, McNown and Kenney incorporated a number of inventive sonic elements, including a beat constructed from train tracks and banging chains against the floor. McNown’s sophisticated songwriting and arresting voice is set to establish him as country-folk’s fastest rising stars.
McNown’s latest triumphs include being named Billboard’s Country Rookie of the Month for November of last year following his feature as CMT’s Next Up Now artist, when we saw the release of Willfully Blind. The EP landed as the Oregon-born artist made his AmericanaFest debut, and as we saw another major resurgence of his breakout hit single “A Lot More Free.” Since the single’s release it has recently achieved RIAA Gold certification, earned McNown a top spot as #1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, peaked at #1 on the iTunes singles chart and #1 on the TikTok Breakthrough USA chart, climbed the Canadian Hot 100 chart, and was placed on Spotify’s Hot Country and Viral 50 global playlists.
At 23, McNown has already been on a storied musical journey. Taking control of his future, overcoming personal challenges, and drawing inspiration from his brother who was bravely fighting cancer, McNown packed his bags and drove from remote Oregon to Southern California. From there, videos of him busking on a pier made an impact online and eventually grew into a legion of supporters on TikTok (currently has 2M followers). After attracting interest from major TV talent shows, McNown auditioned for one and then decided it wasn’t for him, and gracefully turned them down as he knew he needed to walk his own path.
In April of 2024, McNown earned ample support for his first full-length record, Wandering, which was listed as a top debut album of the year by Whiskey Riff, and lauded by Holler, American Songwriter, People Magazine, and more. He then went on his first tours supporting folk band Briscoe, Australian artist Blake Rose, and opened for major country stars such as Wynonna Judd, plus made his Grand Ole Opry debut.
The rising singer-songwriter’s debut headline tour has completely sold out with stops in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Nashville, and more. McNown will also be performing at Arizona’s Extra Innings Festival – visit maxmcnown.com for more information.