As soon as I heard hemlocke springs yearningly screech "Secretly I'm aiming for a freedom that exceeds my expectations" on TikTok last year, I was sold. going...going...GONE!, her debut EP, proves she has more than just a lightning flash of viral luck on her side as her desperate, drama–soaked pop pulls off every stunt it attempts.
When "girlfriend" blew up in November, Isimeme "Naomi" Udu was poised to lead the indie sleaze revival, with her synthy bedroom recordings giving MARINA-esque theatrics. And while there's still much of that on going…going…GONE!, she's eager to pull from wherever makes sense to her. Her innocently oversexed prose gets the Soft Cell treatment on the new wave-y "heavun" — though a vocal run evoking "I Feel Love" still fits. On "gimme all ur luv," her '60s girl group shoo-wops flood her fantasies. Somehow, she knows how to stitch everything she desires together.
While Udu is quick to show off her rich background of taste, it would be a disservice to call her debut EP a firm nostalgia project. Her authenticity is the true resonator, most of which is tied directly to her girlhood. She's unashamed of the rawness of being a woman in her mid-20s — whether it's longing for love and attention from anyone who deems her worthy, to owning the deprecation that comes with accepting herself. No matter the stakes, she will be brutally honest. If radical sincerity is in, hemlocke springs could become the pop girl for the most unhinged of us.
(Good Luck Have Fun Records )When "girlfriend" blew up in November, Isimeme "Naomi" Udu was poised to lead the indie sleaze revival, with her synthy bedroom recordings giving MARINA-esque theatrics. And while there's still much of that on going…going…GONE!, she's eager to pull from wherever makes sense to her. Her innocently oversexed prose gets the Soft Cell treatment on the new wave-y "heavun" — though a vocal run evoking "I Feel Love" still fits. On "gimme all ur luv," her '60s girl group shoo-wops flood her fantasies. Somehow, she knows how to stitch everything she desires together.
While Udu is quick to show off her rich background of taste, it would be a disservice to call her debut EP a firm nostalgia project. Her authenticity is the true resonator, most of which is tied directly to her girlhood. She's unashamed of the rawness of being a woman in her mid-20s — whether it's longing for love and attention from anyone who deems her worthy, to owning the deprecation that comes with accepting herself. No matter the stakes, she will be brutally honest. If radical sincerity is in, hemlocke springs could become the pop girl for the most unhinged of us.
