BO STALOCH RELEASES DRIVING ALT-FOLK SINGLE “I WON’T BE THERE WAITING FOR YOU”
21-year-old singer and songwriter Bo Staloch returns with “I Won’t Be There Waiting For You”, a dizzy ride through driving alt-folk and earnest slacker-rock out now on Capitol Records. The new single again shows off the Austin-born, Nashville-based artist’s gripping vocals, affecting poetry, and sonic breadth as he sings about a friendship that’s slipping through his fingers.
“I Won’t Be There Waiting For You” continues Staloch’s fruitful union with producer Brad Cook (Mavis Staples, Waxahatchee), who plays bass alongside guitarist Colin Croom (Twin Peaks) and drummer Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver), while Staloch also strums and sings. The end result feels lo-fi yet impeccably executed, pairing the sticky melody of the verses with a beautifully breathless chorus. “I lost my mind as you went and left my sight / How could two friends share love and watch it end?” sings Staloch as he looks on as a loved one rides off into the sunset. “How long will I keep living in this lie that / I won’t be there waiting for you.”
The song’s lyrical twist, that Staloch will in fact wait as long as it takes, spills into a heartfelt reprise that turns the back half of the song into one epic bridge and instrumental — a wave of feeling that carries us to the end. That dynamism has been a constant of Staloch’s work of late, including his staggeringly gorgeous last single, “Masks,” which overflows with the young artist’s palpable old-soul energy as he sings of serious heartache.
Leaning into a striking loud-quiet-loud sound, July’s “From a Different Age” was no less stunning. After Staloch performed it at the Rolling Stone Stateside Fourth of July festival in New York, Rolling Stone noted that the era-opening single “shows off what [Staloch] does well: achingly pretty folk-rock tunes that combine a delicate croon, subtly atmospheric kick, and gut-punch choruses, sort of like a more anthemic Bon Iver.”
Next month, Staloch will be bringing his renowned live show to Austin City Limits Music Festival — twice, now that he’s been confirmed to both weekends of his beloved hometown festival (October 2 and 9). Earlier this year, he co-headlined a special EU/UK acoustic tour with fellow Texan Abby Powledge. To commemorate the series, the pair released their cover of the iconic Once duet “Falling Slowly (Live From London),” which has become an unintended posthumous tribute to the late, great Glen Hansard. Watch the May duet HERE. Staloch also recently played the song in the midst of a series of impromptu NYC open mic performances.
As his devoted fans can attest, Staloch has been on a tear recently sharing acoustic, at-home performances of unreleased songs and some choice covers on TikTok — welcome movement after a breakout 2025 that saw him tour with John Vincent III, Houndmouth, and Ashe; open for Zach Bryan at London’s Hyde Park; make his Lollapalooza debut; and launch his first-ever North American headline run, which sold out in major cities.
All of that came on the back of his breakout EP, The Garden, which racked up raves from the likes of Atwood Magazine, who called it “a charged and churning folk-rock fever dream,” and declared that Staloch “cements himself as part of folk rock’s next generation.” Meanwhile, Ones to Watch dubbed the set “a real journey” and EUPHORIA. wrote, “He embodies the spirit of a California dreamer, an elder statesman with a guitar in hand.”
Before last year was out, Staloch followed with a series of singles that subtly expanded his world. “Angelina” was a raw ode to messy love written and produced with Elie Rizk (Claire Rosinkranz). “Born To” delivered indie folk-pop tenderness in collaboration with Jackson Shanks and X Ambassadors’ Sam Nelson Harris; and “Eastside” reunited Staloch with Andrew Wells (Phoebe Bridgers, Halsey) for a soulful meditation on youth.
Bo Staloch Live Dates
Oct 02 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct 09 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival
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