British actor Louis Oliver offers a gorgeous piano ballad full of heart and soul with “Time Can Really Run Away,” his beautiful debut single as a singer/songwriter – finding clarity not in heartbreak or spectacle, but in mindfulness, presence, and the beauty of choosing how (and with whom) we spend our time.

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Stream: “Time Can Really Run Away” – Louis Oliver

Time doesn’t always slip away in moments of crisis.

Sometimes it disappears in comfort – in good evenings, long conversations, shared silences, and the strange safety of being “pretty happy.” Louis Oliver’s debut single “Time Can Really Run Away” is a reckoning with that quieter truth: The realization that life can feel full and meaningful even as it quietly rushes past you. Rather than dramatizing loss or heartbreak, the song lingers in something rarer and harder to name – mindfulness, intentionality, and the fragile responsibility of choosing how, and with whom, we spend our time.

A gorgeous piano ballad full of heart and soul, “Time Can Really Run Away” unfolds with a natural warmth that feels both effortless and devastating. Oliver’s performance is expressive and unguarded, his voice carrying a conversational intimacy that makes each line feel shared rather than sung. The arrangement is restrained but alive – gentle swells of piano, subtle dynamic shifts, and a sense of emotional churn beneath the calm, as if the song itself is holding time still while reflecting on how quickly it moves.

What a lovely evening
Sky above me weakens
And I think it’s time for us to
Call it a night

What a lazy morning
We were up all night talking
And I think it fair enough to let this
Hangover hang over us

Let’s get out of bed
Holding our sore heads
So we can get back in
After a few drinks

Released November 21, 2025, “Time Can Really Run Away” marks Louis Oliver’s first official step into the world as a solo artist, and it’s a stunning introduction. Hailing from south-west London, Oliver arrives fully formed – a songwriter with a storyteller’s instinct and a performer’s emotional clarity. Though music has always been his true center, some listeners may recognize him from his early acting work, including roles in Sherlock, Midnight Mass, and Inside Man. That narrative background shows in his writing: He understands pacing, presence, and how small moments can carry enormous weight.

While this is his debut single, Oliver is no stranger to the stage. His earlier EP Live at Eastcote captured four live cuts recorded in single takes, reflecting a performer who trusts feeling over perfection. “Time Can Really Run Away” sets the tone for what’s ahead – the first in a run of singles leading into his next chapter, all rooted in emotional honesty rather than spectacle.

And bitch about the friends we love
Cause they don’t think the same as us
And talk about important things
Like the economy and politics

And laugh about mistakes we’ve made
And how it feels like the other day
Time can really run away
Time can really run away

For Oliver, songwriting has always been less about invention than excavation. “The way I get inspired to write songs is both a curse and a blessing. I like to write solely what I know, and feel in the moment or upon reflection,” he explains. “Songwriting for me has always been a tool to process emotions and explore how I feel. The aforementioned ‘blessing’ is that the songs I come out with are so incredibly personal, which I think resonates with an audience. The ‘Curse’ is that there are moments when I have no strong emotions to explore, and thats exactly what this songs about.” The song’s central idea – that time slips fastest when nothing is wrong – comes from what he calls both the blessing and curse of that approach: Writing about the complete normalcy of being content, and realizing how quickly those days pass when you’re not paying attention.

Lyrically, “Time Can Really Run Away” finds its power in accumulation. Scenes stack gently – lazy mornings, late nights, sore heads, shared complaints and private jokes – building a portrait of intimacy that feels deeply lived-in. Lines like “No such thing as time lost / when you know how much time costs” land with quiet authority, reframing happiness not as stasis, but as something that demands awareness. There’s no grand twist here, only the growing understanding that presence itself is precious.

No such thing as time lost
When you know how much time costs
It’s a privilege to get you alone

No such thing as a wasted day
I could sit here ’til I waste away
And it’s a lovely image
Us sharing a home

Musically, Oliver lets the song breathe. The piano leads with grace, never overpowering the vocal, while the dynamics rise and fall like thought itself – moments of stillness giving way to emotional swells that feel earned rather than engineered. His vocal performance is the anchor: Warm, controlled, and deeply human, delivering each lyric with the kind of conviction that comes from having lived it rather than imagined it.

That honesty extends to how Oliver thinks about his path forward. He’s not chasing grandeur for its own sake. “My bucket list in music doesn’t include stadium tours and stupid amounts of money,” he says. “I just want the songs to sound great, while preserving the whole reason I do it in the first place.” What matters most to him is giving everything he has – whether to a packed room or a quiet crowd – and letting the songs do the rest.

What a perfect picture
The winds just a whisper
And I’ve never felt a day
Just simply melt away
I have to tell you babe
I think it’s getting late

We’ve had to much to drink
And the room starts to spin
And there’s no arguing
Just staying up for hours and

Talk about the harder times
And how we danced to the other side
Love is not an easy game
Can’t wait til we meet again to

That intention is exactly why “Time Can Really Run Away” matters. It speaks to a version of fulfillment we don’t always validate – the beauty of ordinary joy, the danger of drifting through it unconsciously, and the gentle urgency of paying attention before it’s gone. It’s not a warning so much as an invitation: To notice, to choose, to stay awake inside your own life.

For Oliver, the hope is simple and sincere: He wants listeners to step through this first doorway and follow him further – to hear more songs, share more moments, and let music be a place where cluttered minds can exhale.

As a debut and as a song, “Time Can Really Run Away” stays because it understands something essential: That time doesn’t need to be wasted to be lost, and that the most meaningful lives are built not from drama, but from presence. It’s tender, wistful, achingly human – music that settles into your bones and reminds you, quietly and unmistakably, to look up before the evening fades.

Louis Oliver recently sat down with Atwood Magazine to discuss the writing, reflections, and emotional honesty behind “Time Can Really Run Away” – and what it’s meant to finally begin sharing his inner world out loud. Read our candid conversation below, and dive into “Time Can Really Run Away” wherever you stream music – we promise it’s well worth your time.

Bitch about the friends we love
Cause they don’t think the same as us
And talk about important things
Like the economy and politics

And laugh about mistakes we’ve made
And how it feels like the other day
Time can really run away
Time can really run away

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:: stream/purchase Time Can Really Run Away here ::

:: connect with Louis Oliver here ::

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Stream: “Time Can Really Run Away” – Louis Oliver

A CONVERSATION WITH LOUIS OLIVER

Louis Oliver: That (so far) everything I’ve written (which is a lot) I did so alone, and I felt what I wrote with every fiber of my being. I’m not saying that’s the precedent, but for now, I’ve written music since I was 8 because I am utterly consumed by it. It has been essential for my brain to function and process things. I have done and will always do it, regardless of the outcome or success.

Louis Oliver: I like the term ‘musical north stars’ a lot, it’s not the usual ‘inspirations’ question. I try not to be influenced by other music, I want to keep the source a pure stream of my consciousness. My bucket list in music doesn’t include stadium tours and stupid amounts of money (as lovely as that would be); I just want the songs to sound great, while preserving the whole reason I do in the first place, and when I perform live, I want to give the audience, regardless of the size, my absolute all. That’s all I care about really.

Louis Oliver: To be honest, it’s a straight shot down the middle of what I do, it’s got a bit everything I like in one song. A good way to present myself to a new audience.

Louis Oliver: Touching on my earlier point, I write what is true to me and my experience. I don’t write stories about other people, not saying that I won’t – just haven’t. At only 23, there’s a limited amount of experiences to churn into a song. So the solution is to write exactly that, write about not having anything to write about, or write about life being good. Write about the constants that will always be true, one is – the passing of time. Talk about being relatable, you can’t say time doesn’t move. Ha. Checkmate.

Louis Oliver: I don’t know what my sound is, but it’s great so there you go. I jest. If one day I can give someone the full body wash of chills Celine Dion gives me every time, then I will be a happy man.

Louis Oliver: I hope they come away with the urge to listen to the rest of the tracks I release, I mean that’s the dream. I have a lot of exciting stuff ready in the wings. I’m happy people can hear a window into my brain and it doesn’t sound awful. I get to cleanse my cluttered mind and people get to hear good music. Everyone’s happy.

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:: stream/purchase Time Can Really Run Away here ::

:: connect with Louis Oliver here ::

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Stream: “Time Can Really Run Away” – Louis Oliver

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