What would you do if the acclaimed drummer for an all-time favorite band announced they would play on any song sent their way ? If you’re Scott Hinkson, you get them to bash the heck out of the skins on your 2022 album “>>” and your upcoming release in 2025, “The Betterment”. That drummer? Kellii Scott of art-rock space lords Failure. For Hinkson, a fan since catching the group’s opening slot for TOOL back in 1994, the chance to have the group’s notoriously heavy hitter keep time was a dream come true. “There’s an element of ‘pinch me, this isn’t real,’” he admits. “Kellii was the natural choice for this new one, especially since I didn’t want to take my foot off the gas for the whole album” From the outset, Hinkson was up to the task to create his favorite record, a tall order for his sixth studio album. He strived for a consistent, punchy delivery, resulting in the first single, “Rental” as a fast paced, undeniably hooky, rock-pop departure…one that sets the pace and stage for the rest of the 11 songs on “The Betterment”. “Kellii proposed the tune as a lead track and his flawless execution on this banger affirmed that decision”, Hinkson reflects. Failure’s star drummer is similarly generous in his praise for the veteran Winnipeg songwriter. “[Hinkson] creates those rare and wonderful moments when the mind stops and music just pours out of me, unfiltered, unedited,” he says. “These moments are exactly why I love participating in music that beckons my true self.”