Photo credit: Colin Medley
Ryan Hemsworth has launched his new project, Quarter-Life Crisis, by sharing a collaboration with Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan. ‘Postcard from Spain’ will appear on the upcoming self-titled EP when it’s released on 4 December via Saddle Creek. Collaboration is a key part of this album and although Ryan produced all of the live instrumentation on the release, he left the lyrics and intention of each song up to contributors including Hand Habits, Charlie Martin of Hovvdy, Claud and Yohana.
Referencing the Indigenous musician and social activist Buffy Saint-Marie in its opening line, ‘Postcard from Spain’ is a fine piece of storytelling that finds Frances delivering eye-opening musings over a sonic Sufjan-esque dreampop sound: ‘Origin signifies a name and that’s it, simple, I like it. We’re late to our little apartment. It’s not you I’m angry with. How close from here do you think the ocean is?’ The melodic chorus is backed by a sweet children’s choir before Frances wistfully answers her own question about one of the song’s subjects: ‘Can you hear that old man running? He won’t make it back’
