Acclaimed songwriter Donovan Woods will release his seventh studio album, Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now, due July 12 via End Times Music. Today he shares the record’s latest single, the breezy “116 West Main, Durham, NC.“ Woods is in the midst of a run of Australian live dates, before returning to Canada for summer festival season. Woods will head out on a run of U.S. headlining dates this autumn .
“I wrote this in a green room at The Carolina Theatre in Durham. I had a great day walking around (really nice town), and I was feeling hopeful. This is what passes as hopeful for me,” notes Donovan. “I’m trying to forgive myself more, and that’s what I’m doing here. I wanted it to feel like one of those days when you’re getting a lot of errands done. Maybe you’re walking, and your legs feel good. You feel like you could walk forever. It’s sunny, not too hot, and you think it’s good that time rolls on. Maybe it is actually good. Saxophones are the sound of moving on. Maybe you didn’t know that.”
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.
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 12 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.”
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.
Woods was joined in the studio by a number of friends, co-writing “Back For The Funeral” with Lori McKenna and Matt Nathanson, lead single “Rosemary” with Connor Seidel, “I’m Just Trying To Get Home” with Amy Wadge (Ed Sheeran, Kacey Musgraves, Noah Cyrus) and Matt Prime (Sam Smith, Aloe Blacc, Charlie Puth), and featuring William Prince. Along with “When Our Friends Come Over,” a gorgeous duet written and performed with Madi Diaz.
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.
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