Exclusive Interview: Max Boyle Talks “Don’t Make It Easy,” Upcoming EP, and Nashville Music Scene

Max Boyle has quickly emerged as one of music’s most exciting up-and-comers. With over two million streams under his belt, Max has captivated listeners around the world with his genre-defying sound, receiving praise from publications including Country Living and Wonderland Magazine.

This August, he releases his new single, “Don’t Make It Easy.” The song talks about the challenges we face in life and in relationships and how sometimes the best thing to do is say goodbye.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Max about “Don’t Make It Easy,” his upcoming sophomore EP, the Nashville music scene, and more!

PC: You’ve spent the last few years creating music in Nashville. How has that city impacted your artistry?
Max: Oh my gosh. It opened my eyes a bunch when I moved down here. Just being immersed in the music culture, songwriting scene, being around people that are super talented, and working really hard. It opens your eyes to the level of talent that is out there, instead of being in your own hometown, city, and little world. Being down in Nashville has helped open my eyes to how hard I need to work and what it takes. I’ve grown a lot as a songwriter, as an artist, and discovered who I am. It’s been great.

PC: You’re dropping a new single on September 16. Tell us about “Don’t Make It Easy” and the inspiration behind the song.
Max: This song was written by my friend Gabriel Thomas Broussard. It deals with how in life and in relationships, sometimes things need to end when neither of you really want it to. But sometimes, life makes it hard. Careers make it hard. Sometimes, the right thing to do is call it quits, whether you still love each other and all of that. Sometimes, that’s the only answer.

PC: “Don’t Make It Easy” is coming off your upcoming EP. What can fans expect from this next body of work? What do you hope to say as an artist?
Max: I’ve grown so much as an artist. I’ve come into my own a bit more as a songwriter and everything feels a bit more authentic. It feels finer tuned and more professionally done. It just feels like an overall solid piece of work that I’m very proud of. This EP has a bit of all the influences that I draw from. I’m pop, but I also say that I’m pop-soul, and also singer-songwriter, folk. I got all of that mashed into one. That’s all in this EP. There are different elements of those things in each of the songs.

PC: I imagine as a songwriter, you’ve written tons of songs throughout the years. What was the process like figuring out which five songs would make this EP?
Max: There was one clear one that definitely was going to be released, and that was “Cold As Ice.” I loved that song as soon as I wrote it. With the way it grew from the beginning going from an acoustic guitar to the production with Joey Liechty, it became one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever made. That was a clear winner.

It comes down to what I’m going for. “Cold As Ice” and “Bad For Me” both hit those mainstream, pop, catchy-type vibes. I wanted a couple of those. I love writing and releasing ballads, so I wanted to make sure that I had some of that in there as well.

I wrote “Sweet July” by myself. Then, when I heard “Don’t Make It Easy” from my buddy Gabe, I was like, “You doing anything with that, man?” He was like, “No. Do you want it?” I was like, “Yeah. I got to have that, please.” We added a couple of tweaks to that.

The last one that’s coming out with the EP is called “When You Know.” It’s a feel-good, lovely-dovey, cutesy pop song that I like to have out there as well. I wanted to make sure I touched all those elements. Going through the songs, I wanted to make sure I had a bit of everything, and those are the ones that I ended up with.

PC: Speaking of growth, how has your songwriting evolved throughout the years? What is that process like for you now, and how does it differ from when you first started?
Max: It’s a lot of the same from when I first started. If I’m writing by myself, a lot of the time, I’ll just sit down with a guitar. Sometimes, I don’t even have any lyrics or an idea, but I’ll just sit there and mess around. I’ll sing whatever feels good to me with no words. I’ll see what comes out of that and roll with an idea—that’s something that I’ve always done. But something that’s been new for me, that I never did much of until I moved to Nashville, is co-writing.

There’s been a lot of collaboration on this project. Three of the songs were co-written and that process is fun. You get other ideas and perspectives…it maybe even takes a song in a different direction that you wouldn’t have by yourself. I think learning to write with others and collaborating with others has always been something that I’ve benefited a lot from.

PC: If you had to pick a song on the new EP that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Max: It’s hard to pick one that encompasses me as an artist because there are some differences. “Cold As Ice” is pop rock with a lot of runs. “Don’t Make It Easy” and “Sweet July” are more intimate, softer, and soulful. I think I’m all of those things. It’s hard to pick one.

“Cold As Ice” shows off my vocal chops a bit. It shows that poppy vibe and feel, so probably a combination of “Don’t Make It Easy” and “Cold As Ice.” If you mash those together, that’s who I am as an artist.

PC: You’re also somebody who’s constantly performing live. How much do you use that live stage to test out this new material?
Max: All the time. There are things in Nashville called Writers’ Rounds. It’s when three or four people are up on stage with their acoustic guitars. You go one by one, and you play your original music. You play three or four songs. It’s a great place to test how a song feels. I’ll write a song maybe the day of or the day before. I’ll pull up the lyrics. It’s very raw and laid-back. A lot of the time, I’ll mention that I just wrote it today. I’m playing that every week and it’s a good opportunity to feel out how a new song feels.

I recently opened up for Girl Named Tom for my first arena show a few weeks back. Those experiences always remind me how much I love doing this and how much I want to keep making great music so I can get up on a stage and perform. I love connecting with an audience because that feeling is unparalleled. Feeling that connection in an environment like that always reminds me, “This is what you want to do. This is what you have to keep striving for. This is what you got to keep working towards.”

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2022, what can fans expect from you? Will we be seeing you on the road around the States?
Max: Coming up, I’m playing in Atlanta at Eddie’s Attic. I don’t have a tour put together at the moment, but I’m working on it. Hopefully, I’ll be on the road, maybe closer to late 2022 or early 2023, but my goal is to get on tour with somebody or to open up for someone. Hopefully, we can make that happen. But right now, I’m pretty much hunkered down in Nashville and just writing here, just playing some shows here. I have some stuff out of town as well. I’ll be back in Ohio playing a show in October, then Eddie’s Attic. There will be a couple more things like that, but nothing for a steady three-week tour or anything like that.

PC: What’s your dream venue and must-have on the road?
Max: Red Rocks—that’s somewhere I would love to perform at. I haven’t seen a show there, but you can go and see it. It’s such a cool environment. I’d probably cry if I sang there or played a show there.

PC: Essential on the road?
Max: You definitely need snacks. My go-to has been changing up. It used to be Combos for some reason. Now, I’ve been going to cheese Chex Mix. Besides that, my phone. I’m always playing chess. If I’m not driving, I’m playing chess online. I’m addicted to it. That’s my video game.

To keep up with Max, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Pick up or stream “Don’t Make It Easy” today.