Ryan Hemsworth – The Sincerest Form

A couple of months ago, BBC Radio aired a Ryan Hemsworth track and beyond a little rambling about the naughty name of the compilation it appeared on (Dope Valley Fuck, incidentally) speculated about who he was, whether the vocals on the track were actually him or not, and surely were thinking to themselves how weird it was that his warm, funk, soul, and R&B infused jams were coming out of  Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia – little did they know, Nova Scotia’s the second most densely populated province in Canada, and its capital Halifax is more populous than Pittsburgh. His debut reflects the same intersection of culture that occurs in any reasonably cosmopolitan locale, though we tend to think of Ryan’s work as being particularly exemplary, giving nods to and sampling a menagerie of contemporary musicians, referencing internet memes (track 5 is called “Benny Lava,” for example), synthesizing a distinctive, syncretic style and personal aesthetic.

“I’m hoping there’s cohesion in these tracks. Some of them were made weeks ago, some were made in 2010, but they’ve all stood out as one big thing I want to give to everyone. The concept behind No Plans references a few of concerns: having no plans with school, no plans with jobs, and no plans for the future. I’m hoping these songs can help you forget about those concerns, at least for 30 minutes of your day.”

-Ryan Hemsworth

We’re proud to be releasing in conjunction with The Villa, a cross-Canadian and international music/arts collective that Ryan’s set up with friends – hopefully it’ll be the first of many collaborations. We’re also unbelievably proud to have Ryan writing with us here at [^]LAND, so keep your eyes peeled for more posts from him and – of course – new music of his own.

Check out No Plans on our bandcamp.