A-1 – “Summertime Sadness” (Prod. Ryan Hemsworth) Video (Stereogum Premiere)
Although Canadian producer Ryan Hemsworth has moved on to releasing his own material, he first made a name for himself by slightly tweaking other people’s songs in a way that turns them inside out and brings out unforeseen layers of beauty. In a one-off collaboration with San Francisco rapper A-1, Hemsworth turns his attention to Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness.” The EDM version of the song that became a big hit this year was already a remix, but Hemsworth’s version unsurprisingly steers away from that kind of full-fledged bombast toward something more airy and spacious. Still bangs though. A-1 contributes energetic bars about, you guessed it, being sad in the summertime, and director David Dutton assembled a shadowy video featuring the rapper alongside a sad-eyed Sky Ferreira type. Watch below.
“Summertime Sadness” is a one-off, A-1’s The Thurl Tape and Hemsworth’s Album Of The Week emeritus Guilt Trips are out now.