It’s safe to say that Ava Max fans are more than puzzled by the pop star’s rollout for her album Don’t Click Play. Since a Fourth of July performance and a single release on July 1, Max has largely vanished from social media and has shared little to no promotional posts to build anticipation for the record.
Despite her seeming disappearance online, sources close to the project confirm to Rolling Stone that Don’t Click Play is still coming soon. “Ava’s third studio album is in fact still set to be released on August 22nd,” one source says.
Rolling Stone also acquired the track list and credits for the 12-track project, which hadn’t been previously revealed. The album features songs titled “How Can I Dance,” “Take My Call,” “Skin in the Game,” and “World’s Smallest Violin.” Most of the project was produced by Pink Slip and Inverness, and also features some songs produced by David Stewart, Johnny Goldstein, along with Ammo and Fede.
In recent weeks, fans have been posting reaction videos and questioning the lack of promotion from Max. One fan questioned on TikTok, “Does Ava Max know she is supposed to release an album next week?!” Another pointed to the cancellation of her Don’t Click Play tour, which was set to kick off in L.A. next month.
Max’s last post came on July 7, featuring a carousel of selfies, memes, and a photo of herself at rehearsal. “Ava, are you alive? Love u and impatient for DCP,” commented one fan under the post recently. “Where are you queen? I miss you,” wrote another.
So far, Max has released a trio of singles — February’s “Lost Your Faith,” May’s “Lovin Myself,” and July’s “Wet, Hot American Dream” — all of which featured videos but seemed to lack much promotion from the star. When she dropped “Lovin Myself,” she told Rolling Stone that the “song came from a moment where I finally realized I didn’t need anyone else’s validation to feel whole.”
She added at the time: “I’ve been through a lot of phases in my career, highs, lows, public scrutiny, private growth, and through all of that, I started to understand that the most important relationship I’ll ever have is the one I have with myself.”
Ironically, this is the first time that Max has not postponed an album release. Both her debut LP, Heaven & Hell, and her sophomore album, Diamonds and Dancefloors, were pushed back because of leaks. “I have a lot of demos I’ve written that are not finalized records, and I’d appreciate it if you stop leaking these records like this one,” she said in January.
Don’t Click Play Track List
1. “Don’t Click Play”
2. “How Can I Dance”
3. “Lovin Myself”
4. “Sucks To Be My Ex”
5. “Wet, Hot American Dream”
6. “Take My Call”
7. “Know Somebody”
8. “Lost Your Faith”
9. “Fight For Me”
10. “Skin in the Game”
11. “World’s Smallest Violin”
12. “Catch My Breath”