Ryan Hemsworth, now part of the Topshelf Records family, is ramping up to the release of his new album Numbskull. Early returns were strong, and that was before we got to hear the contributions from high-profile guests Tegan And Sara, MSPAINT, and Illuminati Hotties.
This week, Hemsworth dropped one of those big-swing collabs, "Never Learned" featuring Tegan And Sara. Delving into a hyper-compressed emo/metalcore sound complete with blast beats, it rocks harder than we're used to hearing from Hemsworth or the Quins. Not at all what I was expecting, but it's the good kind of surprise.
Hemsworth shared this statement on the song and its animated video, directed by 3DCG with art from HIRUCHI:
I've been a big fan of Tegan and Sara since like seventh grade. I remember seeing them on Much Music and instantly becoming a fan. There's something in their sound that is a real sweet spot between emo, folk, and pop. I did not initially make this instrumental for them, but continuing the philosophy of this project by just sharing song ideas that don't seem perfectly fitting -- they immediately took to that one. They were really gracious with their time to talk with me for awhile before we made anything together. It's been amazing to get to know them a bit and see how professional they are while being respectful to everyone involved in the process. They made me feel really comfortable to give feedback and bounce a lot of ideas back and forth for melodies and structure. It's surreal to be working with them now and especially on a song 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 are great at making uncanny Blender videos. I wanted to see their interpretation of a video game version of myself eternally stuck in a loop.
Sara Quin also offered some words, which suggest this track has been in the works for some time:
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 an excuse to scream, to use my voice in a way I rarely do. I worked alone in a new house, mid-pandemic, a year before I became a parent. Five years and two kids later, I don't fully recognize the person in these lyrics. That adolescent-fever and angst has gone quiet. Some days, I wish I were less visible, less known than that person so desperate for connection. I'm so grateful for the chance to mine parts of myself that still exist.
Watch below.
Numbskull is out 10/21 on Topshelf, you dumbfuck. Pre-order it here.
