Chris Douglas Debut Single Ain’t Getting Any Younger

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/5EsOQJiNbqw81mdU3uBOoQ?si=wT-LV9l7TtOUkh3fn7A-Hg

There’s a storm raging somewhere on the Front Range, and it’s driven by a divine set of riffs strung together in the most epic of fashions. With the force of a thousand winds combining together all at once, Chris Douglas is slicing through the dark and depraved landscape of today’s popular music with his country anthem “Ain’t Getting Any Younger,” and regardless of the weather wherever you might be, it’s got the power to transport you to a place of rip-roar catharsis that so many modern country songs try to take us too but, admittedly, so very few ever can.

After years of penning material for his own pleasure and honing his skills from the shadows of the underground, Chris Douglas is making it very clear that he’s ready for the limelight of the primetime stage in “Ain’t Getting Any Younger,” and if you had any doubts about an underground performer breaking out of the crowded talent pool that Nashville is boasting in 2019, you’re about to be pleasantly surprised at what this new kid on the block is capable of.

Let’s start by breaking down this master mix. In comparison to its counterparts in both commercial and indie country, it’s really well-defined and sophisticated without coming across as overtly intellectual, egocentric or self-indulgent, but to be perfectly honest, I get the feeling that this song wasn’t necessarily crafted with steady radio rotation in mind. Obviously this was meant to tease the upcoming EP Ain’t Getting Any Younger (which is expected out roughly one year from now), but there’s a flexibility to the framework here that leads me to believe that this single was always meant to be heard live and in-person, where Douglas would be able to soak up all of the energized emotion that a packed concert hall could provide him. The riffs leave enough room so that the track could be extended into a ten minute jam if Douglas and his backing band saw fit, and as someone who is addicted to experimental country/rock, I think that it might make this song even more engrossing than it already is. This is nonetheless a legitimate hit as a single, but it makes me really curious to see its singer on stage for myself sometime in the near future.

Country just got a little sexier this summer thanks to this contribution from Chris Douglas, who is playing like he’s been in this game for more than a couple of seasons in this Grade-A debut. Debut singles can be some of the hardest tracks that an artist will ever record, because they’re not just about introducing yourself to the fans, but more relevantly, they’re typically the only chance that a lot of listeners will ever give you or your music. Douglas won me over big time with “Ain’t Getting Any Younger,” and something tells me that it’s only a glimpse into what he could really come up with if given the proper room to grow and the right backing to make the music that truly represents who he is as a composer. This is a terrific start, and by now, most of you know that I’m not the only one saying as much.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thechrisdouglas

Michael Rand