Artist(s): Khalil Ferreira, Elyar Black
Title: lonely hearts club excerpt
Genre(s): House, Dance
Length: 4:23
Writer: Khalil Ferreira
Producer: Khalil Ferreira
Label: Five Pesky Kids
From The Album: Pulsate
Lonely Hearts Club Excerpt (stylized in lower caps) is a song by Turkish DJ/producer Khalil Ferreira featuring vocals from American singer Elyar Black. The song was released worldwide on December 3rd 2018 and serves as the lead single from Khalil's forthcoming debut album, Pulsate. It also marks his first release in over two years, following the successes of previous singles "Tribal" which featured Deneil and "Halcyon", featuring Brian B. The song marks a slight departure from Khalil's previous two hits, still maintaining a dance sound but verging into a more house music direction intended for the clubbing scene rather than mainstream radio. "Lonely Hearts Club Excerpt" is a glimpse into the life of a singleton who is hooked on the nightlife and club scene culture and, despite knowing that it's impacting their health and daily life, they cannot escape this vicious circle. The single is noted for having an unconventional structure: repeating several lines and swapping out and interchanging the places of hooks and verses.
Khalil began to work on his debut album in 2015 after gaining attention in the club scene for his DJing in high profile events and his bootleg remixes of popular songs at the time. This resulted in him being signed to Five Pesky Kids as both an artist in his own right and as an in-house producer for other acts on the roster. Khalil experienced immediate success with his debut single Halcyon, featuring The Stat Nerd member Brian B. (Brian Bodkin). The track debuted at #1 and remained there for three weeks. Despite only being released in December 2015, Halcyon became one of the biggest selling singles of the year and also made the list for 2016. His second single, Tribal, which featured UK grime star Deneil also experienced high levels of success, peaking at #2. Khalil, however, was unhappy with the majority of his album. He cited pressure from the instant success of "Halcyon" as the reason for the lackluster material, feeling like he needed multiple radio hits to keep momentum going and impress his label. Khalil eventually made the decision to scrap the project and start afresh. Previous singles "Halcyon" and "Tribal" will now only appear on the deluxe version of "Pulsate" while the rest of the tracklist is comprised of completely new material. "Lonely Hearts Club Excerpt" is the first taste of his tweaked sound.
The single was written in July 2018 with Elyar only cutting the vocals in early November. Khalil prefers to make a beat first with only a certain "vibe" in mind when creating it. He then writes lyrics and demos it himself before sending it out to other vocalists who may be interested in the track. It is believed that Joshua Grimmie, a fellow label mate was initially in line to record the track but plans fell through when Ferreira and Grimmie could not work together due to creative differences and tension. Ferreira approached Black, another act on the same label, in late 2018 and finished the song quickly. Khalil described the process as "smooth and natural", complimenting Elyar's professionalism and open mind:
"Not a lot of mainstream acts would willingly hop on a song that's this heavy in sound. It's still a dance record but it's harsher than the stuff top 40 radio plays. When I put the call out for artists and said that I'm growing and evolving in sound, I didn't have as many people lining up to work with me like I had when Halcyon dropped. Elyar was one of the few to completely trust and believe in me. Everything about working with him felt right. So much so that I've chosen it as my new single and the opening track for the album."The new direction and single itself has so far received critical praise. Louisa Green from Pitchfork called the track a "glorious electronic riot" filled with "impassioned and compulsive beats and emotive vocals". Ben Sandford of AllMusic lauded the song as a "towering anthem of electro-house brilliance" before referring to Elyar Black's inclusion as "unexpected but ingeniously crafted". Joe Goggins of Drowned in Sound stated that "Lonely Hearts Club Excerpt is a bold return for both artists involved" and that the change in sound and collaboration with Black could have been "a disaster waiting to happen" but comes off sounding "brave, bold and refreshing". Caitlin White of Consequence of Sound viewed the single as "a smart reintroduction for both acts heading into 2019" and commended Ferreira's production by saying "it's the perfect balance of gritty yet euphoric. It's harsh enough for the raving crowd but still holds a sugary sweet pop center underneath the bangs and bleeps". Killian Fox of The Observer noted and praised the departure in sound from his hits Halcyon and Tribal by stating that "Khalil was a heavy hitter in the club world before he broke into the charts. The meatier beats and expletives scattered throughout show us that he hasn't sold out as an act and while it may not receive the same radio support as his first two singles, this new track has some balls and proves Ferreira's worth in the dance music scene".
Lonely Hearts Club ExcerptThis drinking is killing me
This city is killing me
These shoes are killing me
This club is killing me
This beat is killing me
This beat is killing me
This beat is killing me
This beat is...
This beat is...
This beat is...
This beat is...
I just wanna get away from it all
Every sound and every taste is so illicit
I just wanna get away from it all
Every look and every hook is so explicit
I just wanna bang my head against the wall
My nervous system has reached it's limit
I just wanna bang my head against the wall
I bang to the beat and get lost in it
Make space for my body, astral or physical
I'm ready for the drop no matter how typical
BPM in flux, situation's growing critical
I'm waiting for it, I'm waiting for it
I'm waiting for it, I'm waiting for it
I'm waiting for it, I'm waiting for it
Here it comes, let's ride the buildup
There's no escaping now
This shit's about to go down
It hurts so fucking good, it hurts so fucking good
Better than the pain of what tomorrow brings
It hurts so fucking good, love it more than I should
Doses of pleasure outweigh everything
This beat is killer and I can't escape
This beat is killer and I can't escape
It hurts so fucking good, it hurts so fucking goodThis drinking is killing me
This city is killing me
These shoes are killing me
This club is killing me
This beat is killing me
This beat is killing me
This beat is killing me
This beat is...
This beat is...
This beat is...
This beat is...
Make space for my body, astral or physical
I'm ready for the drop no matter how typical
BPM in flux, situation's growing critical
I'm waiting for it, I'm waiting for it
I'm waiting for it, I'm waiting for it
I'm waiting for it, I'm waiting for it
Here it comes, let's ride the buildup
There's no escaping now
This shit's about to go down
It hurts so fucking good, it hurts so fucking good
Better than the pain of what tomorrow brings
It hurts so fucking good, love it more than I should
Doses of pleasure outweigh everything
This beat is killer and I can't escape
This beat is killer and I can't escape
It hurts so fucking good, it hurts so fucking goodI just wanna get away from it all
Every sound and every taste is so illicit
I just wanna get away from it all
Every look and every hook is so explicit
I just wanna bang my head against the wall
My nervous system has reached it's limit
I just wanna bang my head against the wall
I bang to the beat and get lost in it
Make space for my body, astral or physical
I'm ready for the drop no matter how typical
BPM in flux, situation's growing critical
I'm waiting for it, I'm waiting for it
I'm waiting for it, I'm waiting for it
I'm waiting for it, I'm waiting for it
Here it comes, let's ride the buildup
There's no escaping now
This shit's about to go down
It hurts so fucking good, it hurts so fucking good
Better than the pain of what tomorrow brings
It hurts so fucking good, love it more than I should
Doses of pleasure outweigh everything
This beat is killer and I can't escape
This beat is killer and I can't escape
It hurts so fucking good, it hurts so fucking goodThis drinking is killing me
This city is killing me
These shoes are killing me
This club is killing me
This beat is killing me
This beat is killing me
This beat is killing me
This beat is...
This beat is...
This beat is...
This beat is...
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