the apple tree under the sea

the take

I'm going into this album fairly blind. Chappel roan recently knighted hemlocke springs as the next big thing and so obviously here I am, on release day, a certified locket after just one song. She first gained prominence for her second self-produced song "Girlfriend" achieving viral popularity on video-sharing platform TikTok in 2022 I'm immediately taken back by the sonic universe I have found myself in. I'm sitting here trying to think of something, anything to compare it to. Listening to the beginning of the end, It's giving angry indie rock band one moment, and the next groovy synth pop, I actually had to listen to this song twice to fully comprehend its glory, and now I'm in it- Head shoulders knees and ankles is a symphony of spooky murder ballad goodness. It feels like this could be the 2026 version of a pretty little liars intro. From the plucking of the glockenspiel to ya know, the context at hand. I am transported to a creepy abandoned mansion in the middle of a corn field. Hemlocke has an absolute gift for creating a universe, not only sonically but lyrically as well. There's not a single part of this project that wasn't completely intentional. It feels like it was meant to be listened to as an album, but each single also totally stands on its ow. Moses is when we see hemlocke show off her way with words. The intro feels like a protest. Her voice finally the forefront of the song with a building, electronic/strings soundscape behind her. I'm also realizing it's the perfect pace for my incline treadmill walk. Something about this song is giving me Britney, but maybe that's just me So now that we are halfway through the album I absolutely understand hemlockes vision. It's going futuristic grimms tale, trudging through the forests and monsters of other galaxies. 2026 is all about escapism, and hemlocke is delivering just that. (More on insta)