Though Ryan Hemsworth has oodles of internet-only tracks, EPs and DJ mixes to his name, the Halifax beatmaker extraordinaire has yet to release an official full-length, but from the sounds of it, it won't be long.
"It morphed into an LP," Hemsworth tells Exclaim! of an EP he planned that quickly became something more. "The last EP I did was in the summer, and I started to feel the pressure of putting something out into the world, so I made three tracks, and then I had four, and six, and eight... It grew quickly, and I thought that it was a good time now to put out a full project, now that more people are listening."
The album, he claims, is finished, "more or less. I'm waiting on one or two features, but all my stuff is done for it." It will be released "by summer, at the latest," and is waiting only for Hemsworth to sign with a label, which he says will confirmed by the end of SXSW this week.
Hemsworth's debut will feature rappers Kitty and 16-year-old Haleek Maul, from Daytona Beach, FL and Brooklyn, NY respectively, as well as Lofty305 from Metro Zu and a couple more vocalists. Hemsworth says it won't feature any of the tracks he's yet released — "I wanted to make everything [on it] new" — but will continue in their atmosphere-focused tradition, more like the "headphone-music" of his Last Words EP than the more rhythm-centric Kitsch Genius.
"There's a lot more emotion that I've injected into it compared to my EPs. I made Kitsch a little dancier, with stuff that would work in a club, and from there, through Last Words to now, [my sound] evolved into what I've been trying to make for a bit, which is something more suited to listening at home. It will still work in a club, and I'll definitely be playing my songs live, but it will pick from influences throughout my life, including rap and rock."
Hemsworth cites Elliott Smith, John Frusciante, Radiohead and Bright Eyes as high-school favourites, and he used to play guitar and sing in bands, hinting that some of those influences might make an appearance on his LP as well, alongside his rap and electronic influences.
"I'm starting to bring back playing guitar and a little bit of singing," he asserts.
As of now, there's still no release date or title confirmed for Hemsworth's debut, but we'll update when we receive word. Until then, we'll still be blasting his mix for Rinse.fm below.
See all Hemsworth's SXSW appearances here.
"It morphed into an LP," Hemsworth tells Exclaim! of an EP he planned that quickly became something more. "The last EP I did was in the summer, and I started to feel the pressure of putting something out into the world, so I made three tracks, and then I had four, and six, and eight... It grew quickly, and I thought that it was a good time now to put out a full project, now that more people are listening."
The album, he claims, is finished, "more or less. I'm waiting on one or two features, but all my stuff is done for it." It will be released "by summer, at the latest," and is waiting only for Hemsworth to sign with a label, which he says will confirmed by the end of SXSW this week.
Hemsworth's debut will feature rappers Kitty and 16-year-old Haleek Maul, from Daytona Beach, FL and Brooklyn, NY respectively, as well as Lofty305 from Metro Zu and a couple more vocalists. Hemsworth says it won't feature any of the tracks he's yet released — "I wanted to make everything [on it] new" — but will continue in their atmosphere-focused tradition, more like the "headphone-music" of his Last Words EP than the more rhythm-centric Kitsch Genius.
"There's a lot more emotion that I've injected into it compared to my EPs. I made Kitsch a little dancier, with stuff that would work in a club, and from there, through Last Words to now, [my sound] evolved into what I've been trying to make for a bit, which is something more suited to listening at home. It will still work in a club, and I'll definitely be playing my songs live, but it will pick from influences throughout my life, including rap and rock."
Hemsworth cites Elliott Smith, John Frusciante, Radiohead and Bright Eyes as high-school favourites, and he used to play guitar and sing in bands, hinting that some of those influences might make an appearance on his LP as well, alongside his rap and electronic influences.
"I'm starting to bring back playing guitar and a little bit of singing," he asserts.
As of now, there's still no release date or title confirmed for Hemsworth's debut, but we'll update when we receive word. Until then, we'll still be blasting his mix for Rinse.fm below.
See all Hemsworth's SXSW appearances here.
