We are thrilled to announce that Max Subar has signed with Merge Records! The Chicago singer-songwriter will release his debut album, Anything Could Be, on July 17, 2026. Its lead single and title track is out today, accompanied by a dreamy, Bobby Butterscotch-directed music video that finds Subar fishing for a vision in the Chicago River and reeling in the unexpected. Listen to “Anything Could Be” wherever you stream music and reserve your copy of Anything Could Be on CD or LP from the Merge store!

“Anything Could Be” is a stunning means of introduction to the album and the singer-songwriter who crafted it, a generous exploration of personhood and growth.  The space Subar creates with his croon, a hazy melange of cascading guitars, and his brother Sam Subar’s drumming is utterly gorgeous, a space he invites the listener into when he sings, of his memories, “you can have any you please.” Subar’s hand, open and extended as it is on this track and across Anything Could Be, is impossible not to take in kind.

Max Subar on “Anything Could Be”: 

This song is about waking up to life and its offerings. How choosing curiosity can spark, growth, meaning and a sense of possibility when we’re left feeling stagnant or lost. I hope it’s a beacon for others, a reminder during trying times that anything could really be. 

When I was a kid, my friend and I would sneak onto a nearby golf course late at night just to fish some pond with headlamps on. There was pure discovery in it, no expectations, lots of patience and content in that time spent - regardless of the outcome. Life for me has continued to feel better as I learn to live this way. That's a lot of what this record is about, too.

Subar will celebrate the release of Anything Could Be with a string of full-band shows this July — tickets for all newly announced datesgo on sale Friday, May 15. He can also be seen slinging the guitar with his bandmates in Case Oats, who are currently on tour in support of their 2025 Merge Records debut, Last Missouri Exit.

Max Subar on tour: 
Jul 07 Evanston, IL – Harbert Payne Park
Jul 21 New York, NY – Nightclub 101
Jul 22 Philadelphia, PA – Ortlieb’s
Jul 23 Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe
Jul 24 Chicago, IL – Hideout
Aug 22 Green Lake, WI – Avrom Farm Party