XOLEX – Ain’t Buyin’ It
From one verse to the next, there’s not a stitch of inauthenticity for us to look past in the new single “Ain’t Buyin’ It” from Xolex – if anything, there are so many raw lyrical barbs being thrown in our direction that trying to evade them becomes next to impossible by the completion of the first stanza. Xolex delivers an emotional performance for the ages in this track, but when compared side by side with the other elements here, there’s no deeming the vocal the lone reason to listen to “Ain’t Buyin’ It” this spring – it’s simply too multidimensional a tune.
The strings in the background here are stoic and colorless, but they’re backed by a synthetic bassline component that is almost fluorescent, balancing out the aesthetics while adding a uniquely experimental finish to the big picture. Some might look at the conceptualism in “Ain’t Buyin’ It” as being a little over the top for what Xolex needed to make a statement with her melodies, but to me, it fits her level of ambition just fine. There’s something wrong with a media that challenges a woman of her pedigree to stay in her lane, and for me, her attitude is exactly what we need in country music right now.
Everything in this track is structured off of the vocal’s control of the master narrative in the lyrics, but it’s important to distinguish this content from any of the verse-centric country to have climbed the charts in the last few months. Just because Xolex doesn’t mind putting some of the weight on her words when it fits in well with the moodiness of a melody doesn’t make her the kind of cheap, low-value alternative artist that depends on a big synthetic poeticism to make their point. She’s the opposite, and if that wasn’t known before now, it will be as “Ain’t Buyin’ It” finds a home on country’s college radio.
The percussion in the mix contributes a lot of tension to the back half of the chorus’ harmony, and I think it’s partly what makes the climax extend as long as it does as the hook fades into the main riffing in the song. Keeping us engaged is the name of the game in this genre of music, and for Xolex, she’s not willing to limit herself to singular-minded weaponry in waging her war on mainstream boredoms in “Ain’t Buyin’ It” – which is an act that deserves quite a bit of commendation from both critics like me and fans alike.
I’m probably not the only person who will tell you so, but if you’re the type of country fan that lives and dies by the emotionally-charged balladry of the genre’s most skilled voices, Xolex is an artist that needs to be front and center on your radar in 2023. “Ain’t Buyin’ It” has the look and feel of an introduction to her sound, and for all intents and purposes, I think it’s going to pave the way for a long and successful career in the years still to come.
If you enjoyed Ain’t Buyin’ It, check out XOLEX’s official website by clicking here. Give her a like on Facebook by clicking here & a follow on Instagram by clicking here.
