ACCLAIMED SONGWRITER DONOVAN WOODS RELEASES NEW ALBUM, THINGS WERE NEVER GOOD IF THEY’RE NOT GOOD NOW, OUT TODAY VIA END TIMES MUSIC
WATCH / SHARE “WHEN OUR FRIENDS COME OVER” FT. MADI DIAZ
BUY / STREAM THINGS WERE NEVER GOOD IF THEY’RE NOT GOOD NOW HERE
“This emotional and gritty seventh album is his most vulnerable and open…mellow, warming and shot through with genuine emotion" The Sun (UK)
"When things are good and when they’re not, Donovan Woods has a song for it all."
No Depression
“Despite the difficult sentiment, the song itself is imbued with a nostalgic warmth as the artist questions if the person ever really knew him with his signature heartrending honesty." - Exclaim! (on “Rosemary”)
“It is the microscopic observation of ordinary lives that makes Woods, the alt folk equivalent of the writer Raymond Carver” - RnR Magazine
BUY / STREAM THINGS WERE NEVER GOOD IF THEY’RE NOT GOOD NOW HERE
Photo Credit: Brittany Farhat // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, acclaimed songwriter Donovan Woods has released his seventh studio album, Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now, via End Times Music, and shares a video for the record’s latest single, “When Our Friends Come Over” ft. Madi Diaz. Fresh from his debut tour of Australia, Woods continues to perform at select summer festivals across Canada, before returning to the road on a run of headlining dates throughout North America. Full dates can be found below.
Discussing “When Our Friends Come Over”, Woods notes, “Madi Diaz and I wrote this in Nashville the first time we met. I love Madi and I love the ache in her writing. I had this idea about a song that celebrates how nice it is when you and your romantic partner have friends over. Their presence seems to renew something in your coupledom. You see yourself through their eyes, and you appreciate each other more. I don’t think there are enough songs about friendship. Friendship is so much more important than romance throughout your life. I love how Madi extends notes a millisecond longer than I think she’s going to.”
WATCH / SHARE “WHEN OUR FRIENDS COME OVER” FT. MADI DIAZ
Throughout his distinguished career, Woods has built a devoted following who cling to the acclaimed songwriter’s every word. Never one to mince them, Woods is one of music’s most vulnerable storytellers and on Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now, Donovan takes that a step further. Perhaps his most open, honest and self-reflective collection of songs, Woods takes a long look inside himself and isn’t necessarily thrilled with what he sees. For an artist who isn’t afraid to bear his soul, this is as emotionally gritty as he has ever been.
WATCH / SHARE “116 WEST MAIN, DURHAM, NC” HERE
Long known as a masterful storyteller, Woods is at his absolute best on Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now. Across the album’s 11 sparse, intimate songs, Woods finds himself reflecting on the ups and downs he has been through since 2020, when he dropped his acclaimed, award-winning last album, the breakthrough Without People. Through his songwriting, Woods opens up and addresses the complexities of life, and all that he has been going through. He notes, this album serves as “a funeral to the life I was living.”
WATCH / SHARE “BACK FOR THE FUNERAL” HERE
Co-produced with longtime collaborator James Bunton over much of 2023, the album’s delicate nature is reflected in its lyrics. The psychology of people’s actions always fascinated Woods and informs much of the record. Focusing on carefree, celebratory feelings has never necessarily appealed to him. Many of the songs that comprise Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now focus on the intricacies of friendships and relationships, looking at the little moments in life, and hopefully, eventually taking joy in them.
As Donovan continues to work on himself, Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now is the portrait of a songwriter at his creative best. Addressing the truths and pains of life is never easy, and here, he does so in a way that’s brutally honest.
WATCH / SHARE “ROSEMARY” HERE
TOUR DATES // TICKETS
07/25 – Burlington, ON @ Royal Botanical Gardens #
08/03 – Ben Eoin, NS @ Live at the Lake Songwriters’ Circle
09/27 – Palmer Rapids, ON @ Highlands Music Festival
09/28 – Souris, PEI @ Goolaholla! Festival
10/03 – Victoria, BC @ McPherson Playhouse Theatre
10/05 – Vancouver, BC @ The Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts
10/06 – Kelowna, BC @ Community Theatre
10/08 – Edmonton, AB @ Winspear Centre
10/09 – Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Concert Hall
10/11 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
10/13 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
10/15 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s Tavern
10/16 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
10/24 – Huntsville, ON @ Algonquin Theatre
10/25 – Peterborough, ON @ Market Hall Performing Arts Centre
10/26 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre
10/29 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PTB
11/01 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
11/02 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
11/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
11/04 – Washington, DC @ The Atlantis
11/07 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
11/09 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
12/04 – Kitchener, ON @ Centre in the Square
12/05 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
# co-headline w/ Hayden
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THINGS WERE NEVER GOOD IF THEY’RE NOT GOOD NO
01. Rosemary
02. 116 West Main, Durham, NC
03. Trompsingel (Another Life)
04. It’s Been Like That For A While
05. Living Well
06. Well Read
07. Back For The Funeral
08. Don’t Talk to Her at Night
09. I’m Just Trying To Get Home (feat. William Prince)
10. When Our Friends Come Over (feat. Madi Diaz)
11. All Raked Flat
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