Ryan Hemsworth, Canada's all-feels golden-boy producer, is back and he's brought a friend. The lesser-known Lucas has been limited to a selection of Soundcloud releases up until now, but really shows his strength on Taking Flight. The EP comes via Secret Songs, a non-label set up by Hemsworth as a platform for sharing the music of friends and bringing some unknowns to light. As with all the Secret Songs releases, this one's free and can also be downloaded from the website.
While it might be easy to think that the weightier, more established Hemsworth runs the show here, it's simply not the case. The polished sound that Hemsworth has been cultivating over the last few years is eroded on Taking Flight, gnawed at and chiselled into a coarser form. Lucas' fondness for the hiss and crackle of found sounds dominate the tone on this EP, and to great effect; both "Long Time" and "White Light" have a kind of roughened beauty to them, like scarred vinyl or a painting with water damage.
Though they have never been too energetic, the releases on Secret Songs have always had a certain bounce to them, a trait that meant Hemsworth could slip them into one of his sprawling DJ sets. Taking Flight, on the other hand, doesn't really allow for that, with the notable exception of "From Grace," a track that somehow simultaneously boasts a club flavour and wistful Maritime tones at the same time.
On the whole, however, this EP is downtempo, and while it isn't for everyone, this is still a good spot for Hemsworth to be in. It's music for a coastal stroll, when the weather's just on the wrong side of pleasant.
(Secret Songs)While it might be easy to think that the weightier, more established Hemsworth runs the show here, it's simply not the case. The polished sound that Hemsworth has been cultivating over the last few years is eroded on Taking Flight, gnawed at and chiselled into a coarser form. Lucas' fondness for the hiss and crackle of found sounds dominate the tone on this EP, and to great effect; both "Long Time" and "White Light" have a kind of roughened beauty to them, like scarred vinyl or a painting with water damage.
Though they have never been too energetic, the releases on Secret Songs have always had a certain bounce to them, a trait that meant Hemsworth could slip them into one of his sprawling DJ sets. Taking Flight, on the other hand, doesn't really allow for that, with the notable exception of "From Grace," a track that somehow simultaneously boasts a club flavour and wistful Maritime tones at the same time.
On the whole, however, this EP is downtempo, and while it isn't for everyone, this is still a good spot for Hemsworth to be in. It's music for a coastal stroll, when the weather's just on the wrong side of pleasant.