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Max McNown - 'Same Questions'
Release Date: May 2nd, 2025
The Background:
Max McNown has been keeping his fans well-fed throughout 2025, following up Night Diving in January with a smattering of stellar singles throughout the first few months of the year.
First, we got the yearning ‘Call Me If You Miss Me’, followed by the nostalgic ‘St. Helen's Alpenglow’, and now, to ring in the start of May, we have been treated to ‘Same Questions’.
The undulating ode finds McNown fretting about the potential end to a relationship, with his mind straying into the future as he worries about having to go on first dates again. ‘Same Questions’ is set to appear on McNown's double-album version of Night Diving, which is expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The Sound:
‘Same Questions’ sees the return of the sparse, intricate compositions Max McNown favours, with the country prodigy's charismatic vocals floating over the meandering acoustic guitar. The instrumental is bright and hopeful, seemingly symbolising the protagonist's wish for the relationship to continue, despite warning signs.
The Meaning:
“Few months back
Choosing venues
A white and golden wedding theme is finally coming true
You were mine
And I loved you
But that love is getting blurry and you’re slipping out of view
Tell me
Where’ve you been sneaking off to
Late at night since last June
You’ve been distant
Why are you distant?”
The protagonist looks back to a happier period in their relationship, when they were planning a wedding. Now, he feels concerned about the fact that his lover has been “sneaking off” late at night, and seemingly growing more and more distant. He describes their love as being “blurry”, suggesting he's no longer sure where they stand.
“Well I hope this ain’t the part
Where your last words rip through my heart
And then I lose you
And then I have to
Start over with some small talk
A fake smile at the bar
Say “Nice to meet you””
And “Can I call you?”
What will replace all that space left in my mind
It’s like the furniture is gone but there’s an imprint left behind
Say where you’re from
What do you do
Ask all the same questions
To somebody new”
He makes it clear that he is still in love with his partner, with McNown anxiously looking ahead at the prospect of having to start over with someone new. His main concern appears to be having to reach the level of intimacy that he shares with his current partner all over again with someone else, conveying his reluctance to do this by framing dating as simply asking “the same questions / to somebody new”.
The fact that the protagonist's primary fear is meeting someone new suggests he's not necessarily still in love with his partner. Perhaps he simply doesn't want to start again, and is holding onto this relationship out of comfort and safety, rather than love.
“Am I paranoid
Or just spinning out
Why’ve you been so quick to hang up while you keep your phone face down
Who’d keep the house
Who’d get the dog
Who’d make the phone call to your Mom
Am I overthinking
I’m overthinking”
He introspectively asks if he's just overthinking things, or whether he has good reason to fear the impending breakdown in their relationship. McNown introduces a flurry of additional questions, such as who would keep their dog and who would tell his lover's mother that they'd called it quits. The rapid-fire delivery of these questions accentuates the sense that the protagonist's mind is going into overdrive.
“What will replace all that space left in my mind
From our deepest conversations flying through the coastal pines
Like where you’re from
What do you do
Don’t make me ask the same questions
To somebody new
Don’t want to ask the same questions
To somebody new”
McNown concludes by reiterating that he doesn't want to let go of his lover, particularly seeing as they have made so many visceral memories that are imprinted on his mind.
We don't get to find out how this story ends, but it must be said that, judging by the first verse, it certainly seems as though the romance is sadly coming towards an end.
For the full lyrics to Max McNown's 'Same Questions', see below:
“Few months back
Choosing venues
A white and golden wedding theme is finally coming true
You were mine
And I loved you
But that love is getting blurry and you’re slipping out of view
Tell me
Where’ve you been sneaking off to
Late at night since last June
You’ve been distant
Why are you distant?
-
Well I hope this ain’t the part
Where your last words rip through my heart
And then I lose you
And then I have to
Start over with some small talk
A fake smile at the bar
Say “Nice to meet you”
-
And “Can I call you?”
What will replace all that space left in my mind
It’s like the furniture is gone but there’s an imprint left behind
Say where you’re from
What do you do
Ask all the same questions
To somebody new
-
Am I paranoid
Or just spinning out
Why’ve you been so quick to hang up while you keep your phone face down
Who’d keep the house
Who’d get the dog
Who’d make the phone call to your Mom
Am I overthinking
I’m overthinking
-
But I hope this ain’t the part
Where your last words rip through my heart
And then I lose you
And then I have to
Start over with some small talk
A fake smile at the bar
Say “Nice to meet you”
And “Can I call you?”
What will replace all that space left in my mind
Like the furniture is gone but there’s an imprint left behind
Say where you’re from
What do you do
And ask all the same questions
To somebody new
Mmm somebody new ooh
-
What will replace all that space left in my mind
From our deepest conversations flying through the coastal pines
Like where you’re from
What do you do
Don’t make me ask the same questions
To somebody new
Don’t want to ask the same questions
To somebody new”
For more on Max McNown, see below:
