Studio album by
Ryan Ross HernandezRecorded: October 2023 - June 2024
Studio: Henson Recording Studios (Los Angeles)
Genre: Synth-pop, indie pop, folk, soft rock, funk, dream pop
Length: 36:44
Label: Studio 60 Records
Producer: Ryan Ross Hernandez • Ellie-Grace Summers
Singles from
Late Fragment1.
"Sky Eyes"
Late Fragment is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ryan Ross Hernandez. On October 14, 2022, Hernandez announced via Instagram that he was departing Studio60 Records upon the release of his next full-length project, which at the time was not revealed.
Late Fragment, came as a surprise release to streaming services on December 27, 2024, when Hernandez shared the album art on social media platforms. Exploring the different facades of falling in love and self-acceptance,
Late Fragment is a concept album inspired by Hernandez's personal life and a romantic partner, which at time of release, fans speculated it was fellow singer-songwriter and co-producer for the album Ellie-Grace Summers. The album has been described as a conscious attempt from Hernandez to distance himself from his highly publicized serial dater and celebrity status, which were frequent topics explored in his past records, as well as in the press.
Compared to the more bombastic pop melodies and sounds of previous album
Sex with Former Lovers,
Late Fragment's production is more restrained, relying frequently on vintage synthesizers, drum machines, and vocal distortions. The ten song set incorporates eclectic styles ranging from synth-pop and funk to soft rock and folk; containing confessional yet coded lyrics that explore love, commitment, lust, infatuation, and heartbreak; with some discussing anxiety, self-awareness, and disassociation. The title is taken from American writer Raymond Carver's last published poem of the same name, which he wrote shortly before he passed away from lung cancer at the age of 50 in 1988. The cover art features excerpts from the poem in its background, which its usage was reportedly approved by the late author's estate.
Hernandez, who has actively secluded himself more from media attention and public life since 2017, stated upon release that
Late Fragment will not feature a traditional promotional campaign, with no scheduled press interviews or television appearances announced. Instead, the album will rely heavily on social media and online fan-to-fan promotion, with Hernandez utilizing TikTok to share lyrics and short instrumental clips. The lead single "Sky Eyes" was released concurrently with the album release; which was chosen due to its "dopey, carefree, lovey-dovey" nature as described by Hernandez, and picked out by his friends as a standout track. The musician has also hinted that there will likely not be a supporting tour for the album.
Late Fragment received positive to mixed acclaim. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, the album received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 from 21 critic scores, the second lowest of Hernandez's career. Some reviewers highlighted the lyrical vulnerability, experimental sound, and Hernandez's vocal delivery as standouts. Critics found the album to be a departure from the "kiss-and-tell" songwriting found on preceding records and regarding his new approach as more universal. Many praised the inclusion of collaborator Ellie-Grace Summers as a producer, often citing as their work together bringing the best out of Hernandez's artistry.
Late Fragment marks the first time since 2010's
Running Changes that Hernandez did not self-produce his own album. Rolling Stone called the album "undoubtedly the best record [Hernandez] has ever made," giving it an impressive perfect 5 stars in its review.
On the other hand, a handful of critics found Hernandez's lyrics to be "cheesy" and his songwriting "dumbed down" in an effort to appease a mass audience, while also lamenting the musician's decision of largely leaving behind his more guitar-driven sound. In its most negative review upon release, Pitchfork writer Maddie Clark stated, "[The] Late Fragment strips away all the artistry that first made Hernandez a consistent, household name; instead giving us an uninspired, lazy effort," going on to criticize Hernandez's singing as "monotone". The publication gave the LP a final score of 3.4 out of a possible 10.
BackgroundLate Fragment is the last album under his 15-year or 5-album, 2010 contract with Studio60 Records; the latter clause subsequently ending his ties with the label upon this release. Both parties were able to reach a deal that allowed Hernandez to walk away from the label with master recordings to the albums he released during his time as a Studio60 artist; details were sealed upon agreement. In September 2016, upon completion of his
An Evening with Ryan Ross Hernandez world tour which spanned over three calendar years, Hernandez cleared his social media accounts and secluded himself from press attention. The decision came after years of his reputation being tarnished due to the publicizing of his romantic relationships and feuds with others in the entertainment industry. In mid-2016, the release of "The Younger Heart" which was heavily speculated to be about his relationship with American pop singer Isabel Merjos, and his breakup with rapper Miami around the same time, branded him once more as a "cad" and "womanizer", reigniting past accusations of gaslighting and serial dating. The same year marked the first time Hernandez publicly voiced his political opinion, supporting several Democrat candidates for the 2016 United States elections in his home states of California and Montana, as well as endorsing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her presidential bid. The decision was met with mixed reactions by both media publications and among his fanbase.
Subsequently, he cancelled the entirety of
Sex with Former Lovers which was completed and set to be released in the spring of 2017, and removed himself from the spotlight. The project officially came out years later in March 2021 after certain songs leaked online due to a stolen laptop. Upon its release, Hernandez admitted to feeling a detachment to those songs because they were "no longer relevant" to who he was as a person or wanted to be perceived as. After releasing two one-off singles in 2020 upon his comeback "In Hate We Trust, USA" and "Darkness in the Light / Light in the Darkness", Hernandez began working with Ellie-Grace Summers in secret by the fall of 2020 on a collaborative album that was first announced in April 2021 where the two performed the lead single "Company Amongst the Madness" together at the Fan Choice Awards. While "All In" and "Blind Faith" were both released from the project in the summer and fall of 2021 respectively, from there the joint album has been placed in development hell reportedly due to Hernandez and Summers' roll out plans for it not aligning with the label. The release date for their
Amongst the Madness LP is currently unknown.
In his personal life,
Late Fragment marks the first album cycle since Hernandez reached celebrity status where the public has no prior knowledge of who might be the inspiration behind his songs; with Hernandez having not dated publicly since 2016. In a review written by Rolling Stone's Anna Walters' she explains that "[Hernandez] spent the bulk of his two decade long career as the most prolific dater in Hollywood - now on
Late Fragment - the singer-songwriter is highly protective of his personal affairs and his girlfriend," going on to share that the lyrics on
Late Fragment keep his muse cryptic, leaving tabloids grasping at the bits for the "slightest" of clues.
Writing and productionAccording to Hernandez, the idea for
Late Fragment came about in early July 2022 after he and Ellie-Grace Summers completed their first headlining shows together at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, although recording sessions did not start until a year and a half later. Hernandez enlisted Summers to produce
Late Fragment, which was made over a six month stretch between late 2023 and mid 2024 with the bulk of the sessions happening at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, where the former owns a recording lot at. It was the first time in his solo career where Hernandez says he stepped into the studio with no demos or lyrics, rather using the studio time to figure it out as they went along.
Late Fragment was written and recorded with a "regular day job" approach, Hernandez explaining that most days it was just him and Summers in the studio for about eight hours at a time. The duo are credited as the sole writers and producers for the entire album with Hernandez describing it as the most "selfless" process he's had when making a solo record.
Most of the tracks on
Late Fragment are open-hearted love songs examining the whirlwind of experiences and emotions found in a budding romantic relationship. Its lyrics are about Hernandez's personal life but several critics have agreed that he uses open-ended universally relatable feelings and descriptions that can be applied to many people's relationships, differing from his more direct conversationalist style of songwriting in the past.
From the Los Angeles sessions, there were a total of 16 songs recorded, however Hernandez and Summers cut the track listing down to the songs that best fit their vision and the core themes of
Late Fragment, resulting in ten tracks making the final cut. As opposed to previous experiences where he began writing on guitar, Hernandez pushed himself to explore new ways of constructing melodies and lyrics, with the bulk of songs that ended up on the final track listing starting with synthesizers and drum beats before being expanded on.
Track ListingAll songs written by Ryan Ross Hernandez and Ellie-Grace Summers.
1. "The Man I Used to Be" (4:26)
2. "Days Go Dark" (2:58)
3. "Lily of the Valley" (3:53)
4. "Sky Eyes" (3:05)
5. "Sanctifying" (4:09)
6. "In Perfect Rhythm" (3:14)
7. "Memories You Left" (3:42)
8. "Second Best" (2:59)
9. "Only Getting Older" (3:35)
10. "Entirely Yours" (3:13)
