Jaded from Illuminate by The Heroic Enthusiasts

“In the spring of 2023, Stephen Hague approached us with a song idea that he felt we might be interested in,” says The Heroic Enthusiasts’ guitarist Thomas Ferrara. “Once we heard his song sketch, we knew it would fit right into Illuminate’s musical lane. I told James we could make it ours, and as I dug into working on a pre-chorus and chorus, James dug into the lyrics. Stephen ran with us, and voila, ‘Jaded’ was born.”

“Jaded,” and its accompanying music video (directed by Sports Illustrated photographer and filmmaker Taylor Ballantyne), continues a meteoric rise for The Heroic Enthusiasts. They’ve amassed a fanbase on four continents and nearly 700,000 streams across the release of previous singles “All I Want,” “Wake Me When It’s Over,” and “Clear,” along with two critically-acclaimed EPs, two groundbreaking covers of 80s classics, and two stunning remixes of Lesley Gore’s classic “You Don’t Own Me.”

Lead singer James Tabbi addresses the dichotomy of their success coming during a time of global upheaval and uncertainty. “It’s been striking to experience our rise during such a dark time. I’ve wanted to make it clear that we can’t give up, in fact, that we must make our own light.” Indeed, Illuminate (out April 11th) acknowledges the darkness Tabbi describes, and offers a ray of hope in a world on fire. “Sometimes,” adds Tabbi, “when the world conspires against you, you just need to go out and dance.”

Tracklist

2.	Jaded	4:13

Lyrics

Let’s go out tonight
You could use a little fire
Grab your things; let’s take a drive
‘Til the neon dims the starlight

Melting into place
Just a face in the crowd
Forget about that story ending
We’ll go dancing ‘round this jaded town

Let’s climb through the haze tonight
Let’s get out tonight
We’ll shadow in the fading light
Let’s get real tonight

We’re jaded
With the whole charade
We’re jaded
Throw it down and make us stay
We’ll dance the night away
We’re jaded

Count the shallow dreams
With a cautionary sigh
Wishing you were trading places
With the host behind those haunted
eyes

But still they can’t resist
The saddest face in the crowd
Don’t believe in bitter endings
We’ll go dancing where the music’s loud

Let’s break through the haze tonight
We’ll let it out tonight
Let’s shadow in the fading light
Let’s get real tonight

We’re jaded
With the whole charade
We’re jaded
Throw it down and make us stay
We’ll dance the night away
We’re jaded

Falling up the stairs
You can pretend you didn’t see
The mirror in the fading light
But if you say that you didn’t feel
Love cutting like a diamond
Well, it’s alright
It’s alright

We’re jaded
With the whole charade
We’re jaded
(oooooo)

Credits

from Illuminate, track released February 27, 2025
Written by Stephen Hague, James Tabbi, Thomas Ferrara

James Tabbi: Vocals, Composer, Lyricist, Main Artist, Associated Performer, Programming, Synthesizers;
Thomas Ferrara: Guitars, Composer, Main Artist, Associated Performer;
Stephen Hague: Associated Performer, Programming, Synthesizers, Guitars, Percussion;
Produced by Stephen Hague and The Heroic Enthusiasts
Mixed by Stephen Hague in Hastings, UK
Engineered by James Tabbi in Rochester, NY
Mastered by Dick Beetham, 360 Mastering Ltd., Hastings, UK

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