Worth the wait! Ava Max confidently returns with latest album, “Don’t Click Play”

Ava Max’s third studio album has finally seen the light of day, released on August 22, 2025, through Atlantic Records.

After a few false starts (the 2024 singles "My Oh My" and "Spot A Fake" were ultimately scrapped from the track list, record label cutbacks and a supposed fallout with longtime producer Cirkut and songwriter Madison Love), people wondered if Max could stand on her own -especially without her go-to music duo. With “Don’t Click Play”, Max proves she can. And the results sure paid off.

“Don’t Click Play” bursts out of the gate with the title track, as Max takes aim at her detractors, who regularly accuse her of relying heavily on music samples (and copying Lady Gaga). “She’s a sample-singing Gaga imitation” Max sasses before quipping, “…can’t kings and queens look good with poker faces?”, sharply recalling both her own [“Kings and Queens”] and Gaga’s [“Poker Face”] song in the same sentence. Touché.

The second track, “How Can I Dance”, is my favorite on here! With soaring vocals, Ava wonders longingly, “How can I dance when you tie my hands up?”, as she just wants to be free to be herself. The celebration of loving yourself continues on the appropriately titled, “Lovin’ Myself” -all innuendos aside. “Sucks To Be My Ex” finds Ava dismissing a former lover as she dances the night away in a “revenge dress”.

“Take My Call” follows a simple, yet catchy, singalong melody that vaguely recalls Dua Lipa’s “New Rules”. The supposed Tate McRae outtake, “Fight For Me”, pulses over a tribal-like beat. There’s also the interesting “World’s Smallest Violin”, which smartly incorporates namesake instrument throughout over a frantic beat.

You can picture Ava riding off into the sunset on the album’s closer, “Catch My Breath”, leaving her haters in the dust. Very fitting for the final track, as Ava Max - once again - proves her detractors wrong.

Listen to Ava Max’s “Don’t Click Play” here: https://open.spotify.com/album/48fwvNa8p0qrqO5RKEnOTI?si=Bubl4D_4QMmNvvuvJfeIlw