We’ve covered the Maine-based songwriter Max García Conover numerous times in the past few years—from the records Stagger and Motorhome in 2018, to a collaboration with Haley Heynderickx for Son Canciones and most recently the single ‘Handsome Suit‘ in April 2020. “The track is rooted in the folk tradition,” we wrote of the latter, in what also stands as a neat summation of his entire oeuvre:
Influenced not only by the likes of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen but more contemporary songwriters too, with echoes of Josh Ritter and Joe Pug present in the sound. But Conover is more than capable of standing on his own amongst such songwriters, having developed a distinctive balance between wistful reflection, playful observation and a pervasive sense of emotion that wavers between subtle ache and urgent sting
Max García Conover returned last year with what we described as his most urgent sting yet. As the title suggests, brand new track ‘world war 3 is gonna be so dumb’ is rooted in the curious blend of foreboding and farce that is the contemporary moment. “The connection with American politics is obvious,” Conover explains. “But I wasn’t trying to comment on them really. I just wanted to think about how I was experiencing them.” It turns out the song is now part of deer, a brand new album out now on Son Canciones, and serves as a great introduction to the record for those unfamiliar with Conover’s work.
‘world war 3 is gonna be so dumb’ unfurls with a kind of pressing breathlessness. A sense of processing the endless stream of developments and possibilities, reacting minute by minute, hour by hour, and wondering how each incremental change might impinge upon regular life. An intuitive reaction to the times. “I wrote many verses and recording new ones was sort of a daily ritual for me,” Conover continued. “I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to finish it or if I cared to. Then one day I happened to record a take that felt true and then my wife went into labor with our first baby and then some truly dumb people attacked the capitol and it suddenly felt like a good time to post it.”
when none of our questions revealed our condition
were we part of the story were we even omissions
were we bound by our badness were we misunderstood
did the future come save us did we think that it would
and when the darkness appeared as relentless
riding a gray horse vicious and headless
did i say anything
when they said they could fix it
did i say anything
when they said it’s just business
when they said to get hungry
when they said to get rich
when they said to have fun
when they said to have kids
when they said to get happy
when they said to stay true
when they said to keep laughing
when they called it the blues
are there ways to be dying