hemlocke springs
the apple tree under the sea
AWAL
A North Carolina native of Nigerian descent, Naomi Udu rose to fame in 2022 with the catchy, glitchy, bedroom-pop TikTok hits “girlfriend” and “gimmie all ur love” released under the name hemlocke springs, which put her on the map by making big fans out of huge stars like Chappell Roan and Doechii. On Udu’s debut album the apple tree under the sea, she creates the soundtrack to her journey of self-discovery through her own version of heaven and hell. It’s Paradise Lost meets Dante’s Inferno in a glitch pop–infused package, only instead of seeing the apple as the fall of man, Udu recontextualizes it as a catalyst for self-actualization. And she has no Virgil—instead, she’s forced to traverse her traumas and repressive religious upbringing using her own divine intuition.
The project kicks off with a tense intro that foreshadows a tough psychological battle. “I travel within the night / And ride for El Shaddai, El Shaddai,” Udu sings on “the red apple” (“El Shaddai” being a Judaic name for God). She bravely dives into her unconscious to understand herself at a deeper level, calling out for spiritual protection as she traverses unknown waters. Yet despite her courage to seek self-knowledge, it’s not without struggle: “I think I think I know / No I don’t,” she sings ambivalently on the next track, “beginning of the end,” struggling to learn new ways of living and showing that sometimes the one holding us back is ourselves.
Udu’s creativity and penchant for experimentation are at the forefront of the apple tree under the sea, especially on the manic lead single “head, shoulders, knees and ankles.” The song starts as an energetic pop anthem turned up to 11, invoking a hyperactive energy that feels inescapable, even suffocating. But that energy shifts toward the end of the track, as if Udu has found her footing to match the confident baroque-sounding melody that rises from the chaos, invoking a fearless Joan of Arc figure. Udu pushes the limits of her signature glitch-pop sound across the record, sprinkling ambient flourishes among more balladic structures to create a complex tapestry that evokes a plethora of emotions, all while staying true to the pop sound she first made a name for herself with.
Sometimes furious, other times introspective, the apple tree under the sea is a project that captures Udu’s growth as both an artist and as a person. Toward the end of the album, of course, love conquers all. It’s a bit of a cliché, but sometimes that’s just how the truth goes. Falsities break down; liberation and truth do not.
