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Background
Beck broke into the mainstream in the early 1990’s with an experimental and indie sound on his single "Loser". The accompanying album Mellow Gold is still described as "a quintessential piece of alternate rock." His 1996 album Odelay established Beck in the industry, winning a Grammy and reaching 16 in the US billboard charts. Stylistically, Beck has been known for blending a wide range of genres. Critics say Hyperspace in collaboration with Pharrell Williams is no different, incorporating minimalist electronic and pop elements, taking his sound to a "gently psychedelic landscape."

After concluding the tour for Colors in September 2018, Beck "wanted to seize the moment" to collaborate with Pharrell Williams, something he had wanted to do since 2012. Only once they were in the studio did the idea of a full-length album occur, Beck revealing that their collaboration was initially "going to be a single or an EP, but I think we were both surprised when there was a body of work here".

In February 2019, during the recording on Hyperspace, Beck filed for divorce from Marissa Ribisi, his wife of 15 years, an experience he described as “heartbreaking.” Critics expected to see this reflected in the album, though many noted upon release that Hyperspace lacked the somber tone of Sea Change, another album Beck released after a breakup. This detachment of Beck’s personal experiences from his music is intentional, Beck stating he believes detachment leads to better music. Pitchfork writer Sam Sodomsky agrees with this sentiment, writing “It’s been a long time since he successfully integrated his personality and his music”.

Musical Style
Beck sought to produce a more stripped back sound on Hyperspace. He said he wanted the songs “to be simple, and let them breathe,” which is a departure from his historically fuller and maximalist songs. Beck accredits this simplification to Pharrell, who he has described as a “master minimalist.” In contrast to the upbeat and fast-paced songs on his previous album Colors, Beck says in Hyperspace “the songs are a bit slower and have a little bit more of a spell in them; more of a mood”.

Recording and Production
Recording sessions for Hyperspace began after Beck concluded his Colors tour in September 2018. The album credits Pharrell Williams, Cole M.G.N., Greg Kurstin, Paul Epworth, David Greenbaum and Beck himself as producers. Critics primarily focus on Pharrell's influence, who co-wrote or co-produced seven tracks in the album. Known for producing tracks like Happy, Blurred Lines and Get Lucky, Beck describes Pharrell's influence on the album as “embrac[ing] this kind of post-digital sound”.

Hyperspace is the first project that Beck and Pharrell have worked on, though each artist has expressed respect for the other throughout their careers. In early 2018 Pharrell approached Beck for help on a N.E.R.D. song, and from there they “reconnected” and started to work on Hyperspace.

Title and Packaging
Beck released the title Hyperspace alongside the first single “Saw Lightning” in April 2019. The title is inspired by the 1980’s video game Asteroids. The ‘hyperspace’ button in the game allows the player to teleport out of harm's way, saving their life. Beck has stated that “each song has kind of a different way that different people hyperspace, or deal with the world,” tying the title to the theme of the album.

In October 2019, a month before the album's release, Beck posted the album cover alongside the words “In hyperspace / electric life is in my brain.” The cover artwork features Beck standing in front of a Toyota Celica, with the katakana word ハイパースペース, translating to hyperspace. Beck, who is credited for the design concept, says he chose to have the Celica on the cover due to its humble status as “an everyday kind of car” that “lets us transcend the everyday.” The inclusion of the title in Japanese on the cover was beck’s first instinct and “just felt right.” Although not directly stated by Beck himself, critics pick up on the strong influence of the vaporwave aesthetic on the album's artwork. Features of vaporwave aesthetic include 1980’s arcade games, vintage cars and Japanese consumer electronics all of which are prominent in the albums cover artwork. The accompanying artwork in the vinyl version of the album is similar, the inner spread showing the dashboard of the Celica with the title on the steering wheel, and the back cover showing Beck and the car from a different angle.

Hyperspace: A.I. Exploration
In August 2020 Beck released a visual component of Hyperspace in collaboration with NASA JPL called Hyperspace: A.I. Exploration. The collaboration pairs each song in the album with a set of visuals to create an "interstellar journey combining publicly available NASA mission images, curated with assistance from NASA JPL, visualizations, animations and data with revolutionary Artificial Intelligence tech." The videos are produced by OSK Studios, who specialize in creative applications of artificial intelligence.

Beck also announced a deluxe reissue of Hyperspace to accompany the collaboration. The limited edition vinyl includes two extra songs; a new version of “Dark Places” and an acoustic rendition of Chris Bell’s “I Am the Cosmos.” The vinyl also features new mixes of four songs, and a 24 page booklet containing the A.I. generated imagery and NASA data.

Marketing
Prior to the release of the album, Beck and Capitol Records released 4 singles. “Saw Lightning”, released April 15 was co-written by Beck and Pharrell Williams and also included vocals, drums and keyboard from Pharrell. Additionally the title Hyperspace was also revealed, a press release stating that the upcoming album would come out “at an as yet undetermined point in the space time continuum.” The second single “Uneventful Days” was released October 17 alongside a music video directed by Dev Hynes. The single was well received, peaking at #1 on Billboard’s US Adult Alternative Songs. On November 7 “Dark Places” was released with a lyric video made by Eddie Obrand. “Everlasting Nothing”, another song featuring Pharrell’s writing and instrumentals, was released 14 November, a week before Hyperspace’s release.