When NME first met Hemlocke Springs in her North Carolinian hometown of Concord, she was aiming to release her debut album in April 2023. Her breakout hit ‘Girlfriend’ had put TikTok in a stranglehold, hurling the artist born Isimeme ‘Naomi’ Udu into the havoc of the music industry. In actuality, it wasn’t long before she realised the need “to slow things down”. Nearly three years after that admission in her interview for NME’s The Cover, she’s finally ready to unveil her labour of love, titled ‘The Apple Tree Under The Sea’.
Spearheaded by her colourful underbelly of ’80s synth-pop, Udu’s vocal style has been compared to Kate Bush, and she’s gained praise from the likes of Chappell Roan, Doja Cat and Steve Lacy. Visually, the world of Hemlocke Springs is an overload of radiance – whether it’s her ever-changing hair colour, unorthodox music videos or the album’s dazzling artwork. Where some TikTok sensations smash and grab their 15 minutes of fame, Udu conceptualises her music with a remarkable level of totality.
Udu’s 2023 debut EP ‘Going…Going…Gone!’ mirrored her coming-of-age journey in real time, unexpectedly pivoting from a career in medicine to music while her fanbase formed around her in real time. ‘The Apple Tree Under The Sea’ is even more adventurous, incorporating heaps of fresh sounds while a wide-eyed Udu explores shifts in her own identity through the concept of a girl who stumbles upon a red apple.
Raised in a Christian household – a faith where an apple can symbolise original sin – the record sees Udu open the can of worms and discover life beyond her religious bubble. ‘Set Me Free’ unloads the lust Udu had to restrain as a teenager who was banned from dating, while ‘Be The Girl!’ theatrically draws a line under her past, accepting she “can’t be the girl I used to know”. This particular goodbye is an outpouring of euphoria, with no hard feelings: “Even after all that I’ve been put through / Deep down, I sincerely wish the best for you”.
Over the strings-fuelled breakbeat-pop of ‘Moses’, Udu reclaims another religious motif, declaring she’ll carve out her own path and “use my two hands to part the sea like Moses”. ‘The Beginning Of The End’ climaxes with high-octane rock, and ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Ankles’ gives the spotlight to an organ. Even Udu’s alt-pop comfort zone lands with far more precision on ‘Sense(is)’, ensuring that intersection between old and new remains absorbing.
Not only is ‘The Apple Tree Under The Sea’ worth the wait, but it vindicates all the early hype around Hemlocke Springs, who faced her fair share of ‘industry plant’ accusations. The album suitably builds on everything that ‘Going…Going…Gone!’ teased, re-confirming Udu as one of the most flamboyant and honest artists in the pop space right now.
