Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Magpie,’ KHUSHI

ABOVE: KHUSHI. IMAGE COURTESY OF TASH BROMAN

Sunsets, the laughter of children, the films of Terrence Malick—sometimes we can’t help but, um, get something in our eyes (yes, both!) when confronted with pure beauty. “Magpie,” the latest single from London’s Kalim “KHUSHI” Patel, has a similar effect on us. 

Opening with an understated resonator guitar, the song builds slowly and spectacularly with the addition of tumbling drums and a synthesizer. It’s a cinematic sound that couples seamlessly with KHUSHI’s lyrics about the dissolution of a relationship. “The silence will take care of itself,” the chorus repeats, “but I want you and not somebody else.”

“[It’s] the desperate last cry of dying love in denial,” the singer confirms. And, as it turns out, the pain behind the music was real, but not in the way you might expect. “It was written on a terrible hangover,” KHUSHI confesses. “And in the absence of painkillers, the chords went a little way to soothing my head.”

Since we first caught wind of “Magpie” earlier this year as part of the Burberry Acoustic series, the single’s calming qualities have been steadily honed. It’s not often that listeners get to hear a song develop, but with the October 7th release of the Laissez Faire Club recording, that’s just what has happened for “Magpie.” The rough edges of the acoustic track have been polished and developed in the studio. Quite simply, it’s a gorgeous track, and worth listening to whatever version you can get your hands on.  

‘MAGPIE” IS OUT AS A SINGLE ON OCTOBER 7 ON LAISSEZ FAIRE CLUB RECORDS. FOR MORE ON KHUSHI, VISIT HIS WEBSITE.