Time flies. We hear it on a regular basis, nevertheless it doesn’t actually hit till someday you look again and marvel the place the years went. XOLEX, the Iowa-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter, is right here to remind us that these phrases aren’t only a cliché—they’re a intestine punch. On her newest single, “Time Gained’t,” she takes that feeling of nostalgia, remorse, and realization and turns it into one thing hauntingly lovely.
Together with her signature mixture of nation storytelling, pop hooks, and somewhat rock ‘n’ roll grit, XOLEX delivers a tune that feels each deeply private and universally relatable. “Being a songwriter, I needed to put in writing one thing that was laying heavy on my coronary heart just lately,” she shares. “After I was youthful, everybody would all the time inform me ‘time flies.’ Now that I’m grown, that saying haunts me every single day.” And you may really feel that weight in each lyric, each notice, each breath of “Time Gained’t.”
From the very first strum, the tune units a reflective tone. The association is stripped again simply sufficient to let her uncooked, addictive vocals shine. There’s a vulnerability in her supply that brings to thoughts Kelsea Ballerini’s “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat,” however with the smoky, impassioned energy of Adele’s 30. It’s not only a tune—it’s a dialog with the previous, a plea to the current, and a warning to the longer term.
The lyrics hit onerous: “Want I might return to 1997 / So I might see my grandma as soon as once more.” It’s the sort of line that sneaks up on you, making you need to pause no matter you’re doing and simply be. That’s precisely what XOLEX hopes for: “I would like folks to take heed to this tune and acknowledge we should always by no means take time as a right—to be the place your two toes are and absorb each second.”
XOLEX has by no means been one to draw back from actual, trustworthy storytelling. Whether or not she’s belting out anthems about poisonous relationships (“Ain’t Buyin’ It”), reclaiming her wild facet (“Insurgent Baby”), or embracing her country-rock swagger (“Daisy Dukes”), her music all the time comes with an unfiltered edge. “Time Gained’t” is not any exception—it’s not only a tune about time slipping away, it’s a reminder that we have now the ability to be current.
The manufacturing, helmed by Nashville veteran Bobby Terry (who’s labored with legends like Garth Brooks and Religion Hill), completely enhances the tune’s message. It’s intimate but expansive, permitting XOLEX’s voice to do a lot of the heavy lifting. No overproduction, no pointless frills—only a superbly crafted tune that looks like a late-night drive by way of recollections you didn’t notice you missed.
XOLEX isn’t simply making music—she’s creating moments, the sort that linger lengthy after the final notice fades. And if Time Gained’t is any indication of the place she’s headed, she’s not simply one other rising nation star—she’s an artist with one thing to say. “It doesn’t matter what, my vitality speaks for itself and I hope that individuals can really feel that and join with me by way of my music, to know they’re not alone.” Mission achieved, Lex.
Mindy McCall
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