Love You Later
Girl With Headphones
Release: February 24, 2023
Review by Jaylen Heady
From opening for One Republic to selling out the EXIT/IN in Nashville, Love You Later is quickly becoming a meteoric alt-pop it girl. With her hit single Keepintouch rising to more than 500,000 Spotify plays since its release last year, it comes as no shock that Nashville-based singer-songwriter Lexi Aviles (better known as Love You Later) has dropped another brilliantly euphoric jam.
PHOTO BY SOPHIA MATINAZAD
Girl With Headphones is destined to be on the soundtrack of your next favorite indie coming-of-age film. It's commandingly effervescent as the song opens with a nostalgic synth and maintains its momentum with glimmering guitars, a euphonious melody, and her signature cool-girl breathy vocals.
Aside from the purely cinematic production and relatable lyrics, her voice is the driving force that makes the track so excellent. She has the kind of angelic tone and gentle whine that is absolutely addicting. Girl With Headphones is one of those songs that deserves to be restarted and put on a loop before you can even make it through the first listen.
Despite the dazzlingly airy feel to it, the song is vulnerable and profound. She puts into words so perfectly what it feels like to lose yourself (and hate yourself for it). The lyrics are a desperate cry for some sort of normalcy as she explores an introspective take on unearthing happiness. A pivotal moment in the song is the poetically juxtaposed bridge. It's both hopeful and harrowing which makes for a pretty interpretation of discerning emotions bigger than us.
About the song, she notes: "'Girl With Headphones' is about feeling out of place like you’re the only one living in your world. Things were feeling very dim at the beginning of this year, and it made me think about how when I was a kid I would feel like the main character in my own indie film, staring out the window of the passenger seat and romanticizing everything the world has to offer. There's a true vulnerability and weight in this song as I pretty much admit I haven't been feeling like myself lately. The song also comes with a sense of letting go and realizing maybe that's what's stopping me from being truly happy. 'Girl With Headphones' is about me, the main character, experiencing what it feels like to grow, let go, embrace the unknown, move on, and return to myself. It's a cathartic rollercoaster."
Stunningly candid and comforting, Love You Later is an artist that has the ability to grab your heart right out of your chest and give you the right words when you struggle to find them.
Catch her upcoming EP From The Window Seat out May 5th and listen to Girl With Headphones on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow Love You Later on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
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