Quarter-Life Crisis - Quarter-Life Crisis (2020)

The Quarter-Life Crisis EP marks the eponymous debut of a project helmed by producer/songwriter Ryan Hemsworth. Following three solo albums and numerous EPs under his own name, the collaborative enterprise also sees Hemsworth shift from club-friendly material to reflective indie fare that dwells in washes of dreamy, layered guitars and synths. Perhaps the most newsworthy attribute of Quarter-Life Crisis is that it pairs Hemsworth's production, songs, and melodies with a different guest vocalist/lyricist on each track. The six-song set opens with the low-key, atmospheric indie folk-rock of "Waterfall," which features Hovvdy co-leader Charlie Martin. Its sustained thrum of out-of-tune rhythm and subtly melodic guitars is kept afloat by steady live drums as Martin enters with the line "It could just take a minute to tell you my whole life." This sets the tone for the hazy ruminations and blurry textures of the remaining songs, even as it picks up wiry synth timbres on a track like "Comfortable," featuring the murmuring vocals of Hand Habits' Meg Duffy. Alongside other singers that include Claud and Yohuna, the latter of whom delivers a particularly hypnotic entry in "Stars," Frances Quinlan's "Postcard from Spain" is the closest thing to an outlier here, with the Hop Along leader's quirky, vaulting delivery unaltered by noticeable effects. The song is still thoughtful and texturally cloudy in nature, however, making it more like surfacing to float face-up for a spell than actually coming ashore. One track, "Fatigue," is a quasi-instrumental with a hummable acoustic guitar melody and an uncredited filtered, recessed vocal sample. Together, they make for an immersive escape into calming, murky territory that's worthy of full-length exploration.