Pop super producer and songwriter Benny Blanco taps Halsey and Khalid for his new single, “Eastside.” It’s a pleasant though imperfect listening experience.

Ah, we have a superstar collaboration on our hands.  Benny Blanco is one of pop’s premiere songwriters and producers, period.  Halsey, considered ‘alternative’ to an extent, has had roaring success with her two studio albums Badlands and hopeless fountain kingdom.  Khalid has been extremely busy throughout the course of 2018, building off from a successful, Grammy-nominated debut album in 2017, American Teen. Put these three together, and is there any possible way that single “Eastside” could be a flop, right? For the most part, that’s true.

For the most part, “Eastside” is a bop.  The best part of the song comes at the hands of Khalid.  His voice is simply amazing and incredibly distinct from many of his contemporaries.  He dominates the first part of the song, which is definitely the right choice, engaging the listeners from the get-go.  The production by Benny Blanco, who co-produces with watt and Cashmere Cat is characteristic of modern-pop, with elements of dance and electronica.  Nothing brand new or groundbreaking, but sound.  Then comes the weakest link, Halsey.  Halsey sounds breathy, and shaky, contrasting the richer, more robust tone of Khalid.  Her approach could be successful mind you, but she’s simply not as strong or commanding as Khalid is.  It’s even more obvious on their joint parts (chorus, bridge, and outro).

Final Thoughts

All in all, “Eastside” is a pleasant pop collaboration.  To reiterate, Khalid is first place, Benny Blanco and associates second, while Halsey is last place.  The biggest rub is that Khalid and Halsey don’t seem to mesh as well together on this particular song.  Would they ever mesh? Maybe, maybe not, but even solo, Halsey doesn’t bring the same oomph, which is hard to do when singing in an undertone.  Imperfect, but again, pleasant.

Benny blanco (with Halsey & Khalid) • Eastside – Single • Friends Keep Secrets / Interscope • Release: 7.13.18

Photo Credits: Friends Keep Secrets / Interscope