From the mind of singer/songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Eli Hurts [Eli Hirsch] comes his debut single, “What If?” The track, which originally premiered with Variance Magazine, has elements of alternative, pop, punk, emo and synth music, and emulates all the moments we always wonder about. The thought-provoking track delivers a message that inspires listeners to ponder missed opportunities, connections, and all the possibilities of what could’ve been.

Created after a 20-minute writing session with producer Ethan Gruska [Phoebe Bridgers, Fiona Apple, Adam Melchor], Eli shares the meaning behind the piece: “It was one of those weird ones that came out done. It’s kind of like a stream of consciousness of what’s going on at least in my head, but I assume a lot of people’s. It’s about the time we waste worrying. I had this really shitty acoustic demo of it, but when Ethan heard it, he was stoked and really brought it to life.”

Eli is one half of the indie duo courtship which also featured Micah Gordon, with whom he released debut album Denial in Paradise with in 2018. Their debut single, “Stop For Nothing,” accumulated over 3 million streams in its first year. While he was last on the road, he dealt with a big break up and a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. “But not the kind where you need things to be tidy in your space – the kind where you have obsessive thoughts,” Eli shares. He took to writing down all those thoughts to help cope, which eventually inspired him to create Eli Hurts. Now based in LA, Eli uses his talent to work through his thoughts as he creates unique sounds and relatable lyrics that many can empathize with.

He was influenced by bands like My Chemical Romance, and wrote “What If?” while listening to artists like Smashing Pumpkins, Neutral Milk Hotel, 100 Gecs, Lil Peep, Weezer and even some Stephen Sondheim. He is continuing to collaborate with Ethan Gruska, and also working with songwriter Katie Pearlman. Eli Hurts is primed to make waves and will continue to release more music soon.

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