MAX MCNOWN RELEASES HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DELUXE ALBUM NIGHT DIVING (THE COST OF GROWING UP)
Featuring 11 New Songs Exploring Grief, Healing, Young Love, And The Pursuit Of Purpose
NASHVILLE, TN. – Today, critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Max McNown releases the highly anticipated deluxe album Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up), a powerful blend of folk and country that explores themes of grief, healing, love, and hope, with soul-baring lyricism and compelling instrumentation. Featuring 11 never-before-heard songs, the new, expanded edition of his stunning sophomore album is out now on Fugitive Recordings x The Orchard x Columbia Records.
Listen to Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up) here
“Even though ‘Night Diving’ was the length of a full album, in my heart it never felt complete to me” shares 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 mesmerising sound, spotlighting an earthy tonality informed by his upbringing in the Pacific Northwest and warm vocal presence honed partly by busking on the San Clemente pier.
“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 intimate storytelling.
Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up) Tracklist:
- 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 (feat. Cameron Whitcomb)
- 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
With standout songs such as the chart-climbing ‘Better Me For You (Brown Eyes)’ and the joyful focus track ‘Forever Ain’t Long Enough’, McNown lets his inner hopeless romantic shine. Whereas on the heavy-hearted but catchy ‘Same Questions’ and the ode to old love with ‘St. Helen’s Alpenglow’, McNown explores everything that’s lost following a breakup. The gorgeously textured track ‘The Cost of Growing Up’ arrives as a clear-eyed but melancholic reflection on the inevitability of pain.
Revisiting the title track of the original album, Max recruited country artist Cameron Whitcomb for a new, heartfelt rendition of ‘Night Diving’, a profound meditation on the cycles of addiction, set against a spellbinding backdrop of otherworldly textures, moody guitar tones, and strangely haunting rhythms. Watch Max and Cameron poke fun at each other in this hilarious clip promoting the single (which has earned over half a million views within just one week).
(Credit: Benjamin Edwards)
Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up) is a powerful milestone for a prolific young artist rooted in his craft. Even as his star quickly rises, McNown stays true to his small-town soul, anchored by humility, heart, and a deep love for honest songwriting. With every track, he continues his mission to make music that lets folks feel seen, heard, and understood.
In celebration of the new music, McNown is continuing on the road hitting Lollapalooza, The Grand Ole Opry, and recently announced his massive North American headline Forever Ain’t Long Enough tour, before returning overseas to perform a fully sold out headline run across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France and the Netherlands in December. Full dates below.
UK/EU Tour Dates:
1st December – Dublin, Ireland – 3Olympia Theatre – SOLD OUT
2nd December – Glasgow, Scotland – Barrowland Ballroom – SOLD OUT
3rd December – Manchester, England – Albert Hall – SOLD OUT
5th December – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg – SOLD OUT
6th December – Hamburg, Germany – Fabrik – SOLD OUT
8th December – Paris, France – Alhambra – SOLD OUT
9th December – London, England – O2 Forum Kentish Town – SOLD OUT
10th December – London, England – O2 Forum Kentish Town – SOLD OUT
ABOUT MAX MCNOWN
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, he 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 2.4M 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.
Within just a year of teaching himself to play guitar, the Nashville-based artist set off on a meteoric rise largely fueled by his breakout single ‘A Lot More Free’, the RIAA Gold-certified track whose explosive success earned him a #1 spot on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart and has currently been flying up the radio charts. Currently, the track is Top 10 at Hot AC and Top 20 at Top 40.
Following the release of his widely lauded debut album Wandering, the Willfully Blind EP, and his acclaimed sophomore album Night Diving, the Oregon native continued his fast ascent to stardom appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show (watch here) and TODAY (watch here) and selling out his first-ever headline tour within just hours.
Recently, McNown also made his debut on the Billboard Hot 100 with his song ‘Better Me For You (Brown Eyes)’. The song, which has continued to fly up the charts, has now amassed over 130 million global streams and has been a mainstay at Country radio, currently #39 on Top 40 Country. McNown was also named a 2025 Artist To Watch by Amazon Music, Holler, and Country Now, and has performed at C2C Festival, CMA Fest, and other large festivals.