Submitted by Cashbox Canada
Xondra, a.k.a. Alexondra O’Connell, the Long Island-based singer, releases her genre-fusing single, “Like You Used To.” Check it out on YouTube here:
Listen on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/4aAwwwX4PX0jeLWjnY7j3c?si=004063fc96d44e72&nd=1
An electric guitar walk of a smooth rhythm eases the listener into their silky lyrics.
“Well, well, well, well. You’ve been hiding from yourself, and everybody here can tell, so you might as well give up your spot. Well, Well, Well, l Well, I’ve been honest from the start, now I watch us fall apart. Your hand grasped my heart, and I want you to have it.”
The longing beat showcases a failing relationship, perhaps an unrequited love affair or one dwindling in quality. Xondra longs for the day the song’s subject treats her how they used to, despite their newfound strange behavior.
“You don’t touch me like you used to,” she admits in front of an accented drumbeat.
The refrain meanders where the past lover retreated to. A sensation of being physically present but mentally absent, causing Xondra to overthink what they’re doing wrong in the relationship. The bridge accelerates the beat with a more steady snare drum, leaning into Xondra’s talent for explaining real situations with melodies.
“I’m starting to think that I’m doing this wrong. I let my trauma tell me to withdraw cause I can tell just by the way that you’re breathing. I can see you’re having trouble sleeping. You’re dreaming about leaving me.”
Background vocals leap into the jazzy, solemn lullaby, following the mini bridge, further accentuating Xondra’s mixed palette of musical genres. This song shows their ability to pull the best elements from each genre and create a single medley of Pop/Rock/R&B/Indie. They add a universal question to the song, relating to a wide audience. “Where does it go when it’s over and done?”
As a child, Xondra discovered her musical affinity by sitting near the radio and sketching their favorite lyrics. Those fan projects inspired their own tracks, which she performed at local venues in New York. They’ve been performing in New York and the Tri-State area since 2014. Xondra began a professional music career while studying at SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory, where she learned how to fuse feminist themes with indie lyrics. A huge focus of their music revolves around the honest delivery of existing as a woman in a man’s world. Like other indie musicians, she favors dropping hidden connections and references to her other music throughout her discography.