Lauded by the likes of Chappell Roan and Doja Cat, and now with a big Tiktok fanbase for her oddball videos, a quirkily original, humorous, melodious DayGlo DIY-ethic 80s-influenced synth pop debut by North Carolina’s Isimeme Udu. A dash of Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Prince, Stevie Nicks, show tunes, pizzicato and piano classical, and even metal guitars all come into play in numbers which are anything but lyrically predictable, her voice moving from the sweet and silly to the raucous and brash, such as on on the catchy, madcap Head, Shoulders, Knees and Ankles, with lines such as “I wonder who's walking around with fertilizer / And amplifying all the tension in her head (He-he-he-head) / She'll wander far and wide from the Garden of Eden / To the tenebrous festered corners of your bed.” On w.w.w.w.w.w., a shimmering, bright, slightly menacing synth-pop number, addresses arranged marriage (Udu herself hails from a strict Nigerian Christian heritage): “I would rather kill myself than look him in the eyes and say I want you love you”. Moses has a rich layering of Prince-style harmonised vocals before intricate electronica-pop. In Sever The Blight she sings high, almost Kate Bush-style, before transitioning into grandiose, cinematic 80s retro electro-pop. Sense (Is) her voice now more purified, has a confident, punchy theatricality and a dash of Lady Gaga, while closer Be The Girl! swirls with a soft-focus synth dreamscape with a wistful melancholy with 80s beats, bell sounds, and a strong, singalong melody. Eccentric, unpredictable, Hemlocke Springs brings forth quite a cocktail - pop oddness flirting with old ingredients yet with a flavour all her own. Joyously different. Self-released and distributed via AWAL.
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