Everything about “Don’t Want This to Change” leans into the romantic, but not in the overdone, movie-soundtrack way. It’s gentler than that — a kind of ‘70s-drenched R&B-pop hybrid that trades drama for intimacy. The guitars are jazzy and unhurried, the horns curl around the melody like smoke, and the vocals — well, they just glide. Gatus and James aren’t trying to outsing each other; they’re weaving something together, like two people in sync even when they’re far apart.
The lyrics read like a long-distance love letter scribbled between time zones: “I don’t need nobody else but you, and I don’t want that to change.” It’s earnest in a way we don’t get enough of anymore — open-hearted, maybe even a little naive, but that’s kind of the charm. The bridge, written in two different keys to highlight both voices, doesn’t feel like a gimmick — it feels like design with feeling. And then there’s the sax. Gatus’ signature. It slides in exactly when it should, never overstaying, just offering little bursts of smooth reassurance that this is, in fact, a love song.
And what a love song. This is the kind of track that works on a wedding playlist and a solo Sunday morning walk. It’s cinematic without being showy — you can feel the fingerprints of old jazz standards, the ghost of a Tony Bennett ballad, the glint of something Laufey-adjacent but more laid-back. And while the sonic landscape is undeniably retro-tinged, it never feels pastiche. It’s grounded in emotion. Cool but never cold.
About Austin Gatus:
Austin Gatus is one of those artists whose backstory could easily eclipse the music — childhood cancer survivor, jazz prodigy, saxophone sideman for Harry Styles, co-writer for Rufus Wainwright, and now front-and-centre again as a vocalist and songwriter. But instead of getting lost in the accolades, he uses that journey to inform the depth of his songwriting. This latest single kicks off his upcoming EP “You’re My Muse”, a love-letter-turned-breakup-record with plenty of heart and not a shred of bitterness.
Sophia James, known to some from her top 11 American Idol run, brings that soulful richness that lifts this track from sweet to unforgettable.
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