LATEST LP, WITHOUT PEOPLE, EARNS JUNO AWARD NOMINATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ROOTS ALBUM
WATCH / SHARE THE “LEAVE WHEN YOU GO” FT. RALPH
BUY / STREAM BIG HURT BOY
CANADIAN TOUR DATES BEGIN APRIL 20 - TICKETS ON SALE HERE
Photo Credit: Bree Fisher // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, the JUNO Award winning, and once again nominated, singer-songwriter Donovan Woods has released the Big Hurt Boy EP via his own End Times Music, which includes the latest single, “Leave When You Go” feat. Ralph. Woods will head out on tour across Canada this spring in support, with U.S. dates in the works. Full tour dates can be found below.
WATCH / SHARE THE “LEAVE WHEN YOU GO” FT. RALPH
Woods was in on the joke when he named Big Hurt Boy. Riffing on a lyric from a Martin Simpson song (“Never Any Good”), the six-song collection explores how our failures — and our fixations on them — not only shape but enlighten us. “I write about them again and again, just hoping people will still be interested. So the title is poking fun of myself, that I’m theoretically this big sad guy who keeps getting dumped and writing fucking songs about it,” he notes. Or you could think of it this way: Woods’ deep curiosity about the human condition is why we so clearly hear our own stories in his. The details differ, the characters change, but at their core, Donovan's songs are for and about everyone.
WATCH / SHARE “I WON’T MENTION IT AGAIN” VISUALIZER
With this record, Woods looked to capture more of an ‘undone’ quality, wanting to “get back to the feeling that my early recordings had,” notes the winner of the 2019 JUNO Award for Contemporary Roots Album (for Both Ways). And yet, while Big Hurt Boy was recorded largely live, harnessing the electricity of a roomful of musicians laying down tracks in the studio, the collection brims with some of the luminous production touches Woods has been adding to this repertoire lately, such as on “I Won’t Mention It Again”, which opens featuring just Woods on banjo and vocals, before fading into a spectral backdrop of electronic textures and layers of lush harmonies.
WATCH / SHARE “I HOPE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
Woods released a first taste of Big Hurt Boy, “I Hope You Change Your Mind” co-written with David Hodges (Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood, Ed Sheeran), this past autumn, an understated tearjerker on tune. The tracked wrapped a transformative year for Woods, which included a duet with GRAMMY Award winning singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan on “IOWA”, a foray into anthemic dance pop as the featured vocalist on Dabin & Nurko’s “When This Is Over”, and the release of a deluxe edition of his acclaimed 2020 album Without People, which recently earned a JUNO nomination for Contemporary Roots Album.
Along with his work as an in-demand songwriter, whose work has been recorded by the likes of Tim McGraw (“Portland, Maine”) and Lady A’s Charles Kelley (“Leaving Nashville”), and co-writes with a diverse group of songwriters, such as Tom Douglas, Lori McKenna, Brandy Clark, Ashley Monroe, Dustin Christensen, Femke Weidema, Steve Robson, and Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies), a budding truth about Woods has emerged: as respected as he is as a solo artist, he’s evolving and upending our expectations of how his music sounds. His songs have grown more dimensional, emboldened by new sonic landscapes, reminding us that classic songwriting transcends genre.
BUY / STREAM BIG HURT BOY
BIG HURT BOY TRACK LIST
01. I Won’t Mention It Again
02. Leave When You Go [feat. Ralph]
03. I Hope You Change Your Mind
04. Cheyenne
05. A Picture Of Us Smiling At A Party 5 Years Ago
06. No Time Soon
DONOVAN WOODS TOUR DATES // TICKETS HERE
04/20 – Sarnia, ON @ Imperial Theatre*
04/21 – Sarnia, ON @ Imperial Theatre*
04/22 – Meaford, ON @ Meaford Hall*
04/23 – Huntsville, ON @ Algonquin Theatre*
04/28 – Kingston, ON @ Sydenham Church^
04/29 – Kitchener, ON @ Centre in the Square^
04/30 – London, ON @ London Music Hall^
05/04 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre*
05/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre*
05/08 – Edmonton, AB @ Winspear Centre*
05/09 – Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Concert Hall*
05/10 – Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre*
05/11 – Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre*
05/12 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre*
05/17 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre^
05/18 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre^
05/19 – Montreal, QC @ L’Astral^
05/27 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall~
With special guests:
* Cassidy Mann
^ Madi Diaz
~ Matt Nathanson
PRAISE FOR DONOVAN WOODS
"He’s got a knack for slice-of-life storytelling that blends heartache and hooks." - Rolling Stone
“Donovan Woods is no stranger to making music that tugs at the heart-strings.” - The FADER
“Woods' brand of folk-pop is both grand and unassuming.” – The Line of Best Fit
“Capturing the early optimism of new-found love, the singer pours his heart out for this emotional and moving tune.” - Wonderland
DONOVAN WOODS ONLINE
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ABOUT END TIMES MUSIC
Founded by Donovan Woods and his long-time manager Michelle Szeto, the core of End Times’ mission is transparency and adaptability. In the world of streaming, the data is available. Artists should understand their expenses and their earnings as well as anyone they work with. It allows us to interpret and react to how, why, and where songs are being discovered.
There are many pathways to success, and success looks different to everyone. Every artist and every project is unique and artists should be confident that the team built around them is being created thoughtfully and purposefully in service of their individuality.
We’ll focus on songwriters, regardless of genre, and work together to make their music valuable by getting it to people who will use it and love it.