Ryan Hemsworth, recently welcomed into the Topshelf Records family, is gearing up for the release of his upcoming album Numbskull. Early reception has been positive, even before listeners hear the contributions from high-profile guests Tegan And Sara, MSPAINT, and Illuminati Hotties.
In the most recent move, Hemsworth unveiled one of those bold, cross-genre collaborations, “Never Learned” featuring Tegan And Sara. The track dives into a tightly packed emo/metalcore frame, complete with blast beats, delivering a heavier punch than what Hemsworth or the Quins typically offer. It isn’t what I anticipated, but it’s the kind of surprise that works.
Hemsworth offered this reflection on the song and its animated video, directed by 3DCG with art from HIRUCHI:
I’ve looked up to Tegan and Sara since my middle-school days. I clearly remember catching them on MuchMusic and becoming an instant admirer. Their sound sits in a sweet spot between emo, folk, and pop. I didn’t initially intend this as an instrumental for them, but in line with the project’s idea of sharing song ideas that aren’t perfectly aligned, they instantly connected with this one. They were incredibly gracious with their time to chat before we started creating anything together. It’s amazing to have gotten to know them and to witness how professional they are while honoring everyone involved. They made me feel comfortable giving feedback and bouncing melodies and structural ideas back and forth. It’s surreal to be collaborating with them now, especially on a track that ended up so energetic and heavy.
I’ve been watching a lot of Backrooms videos with my seven-year-old lately, so the image of escaping a labyrinth has been on my mind. I reached out to some animator friends in Tokyo who excel at crafting uncanny Blender videos. I wanted to see their interpretation of a video game version of myself stuck in a loop.
Sara Quin also offered some thoughts, hinting that this track has been in the works for a while:
Songwriting lets me take a feeling and blow it up into its own universe, its own history. Working with Ryan on this song gave me a reason to scream, to use my voice in a way I rarely do. I wrote alone in a new house during the mid-pandemic period, a year before I became a parent. Five years and two kids later, I don’t completely recognize the person behind these lyrics. That adolescent fever and angst has quieted. Some days I wish I were less visible, less known than that person so desperate for connection. I’m incredibly grateful for the chance to mine parts of myself that still exist.
Watch below.
Numbskull is scheduled for release on 10/21 through Topshelf. Pre-order it here.
