Hemlocke Springs - The Apple Tree Under the Sea
Pop – Released February 13, 2026 – 10 songs, 33 mins
ROZ
This week, Too Sweet Reviews will be turning back the clock and looking into an album that laid down the foundation for indie rock music as we know it, Neutral Milk Hotel’s 1998 classic In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Actually no, scratch that – it seems that I’m slightly off. This week, the TSR crew will actually be looking at North Carolina native bedroom pop sensation Naomi Udu (professionally known as Hemlocke Springs), and her first ever studio album The Apple Tree Under the Sea.
Clearly a play on words rather than an egregious error on my part, the hype built off of the back of this album has been building up ever since Springs released her first official single Gimme All Ur Luv in 2022 as well as well the 2023 EP that followed it, Going…Going…Gone!. In the short amount of time that she’s been on the scene, Springs has blown up on social media and has gone way beyond her Soundcloud posting roots, gaining support from mainstream artists such as Chapelle Roan and Grimes in the process. One tends to wonder how artists in the modern age deal with the insurmountable pressures of Tik Tok fame and the ravenous fandom and hastening stardom that comes with it, so to me this will serve as the ultimate litmus test for this young artist to take.
To call this album ‘extremely impressive’ considering said pressure would be putting it lightly. Springs is able to weave her entire personality across the record, with the end result feeling like a theatre kids daydream come to life; renaissance-era strings and horns meet indie-inspired guitar and synth-pop arrangements to create a lo-fi sound that jams so many ideas and flavors into one that it almost feels uncanny. Heartfelt and danceable, retro-feeling yet also new age-sounding, it is a balance that is not easy to obtain by any stretch of the imagination. Udu and close collaborator Mattthew Burns serve as co-producers for every track and save for some backing strings, mixing, and mastering, this power duo is the entire heart and soul of the record. Burns himself has production and writing credits that span across a laundry list of hit celebrities (Lady Gaga, Ellie Goulding, Brittany Spears, and Charlie XCX, to name a few) which gives him all the tools to be the perfect foil to Springs’ whimsy.
Furthering the ‘nerdy sheltered kid coming out of their shell’ motif that is apparent from beginning to end, The Apple Under the Sea is very much a concept album that burns slowly along opening track the red apple before cutting straight to the chase on its follow-up the beginning of the end. Springs’ unique vocals have an energy that completely matches an individual who is developing their identity and confidence through the use of pen, paper and microphone. Sonically I found the percussion and bass elements the most intriguing, as the diverse set of foundations the duo used ensured that the textures would keep changing and the listener would stay engaged. On the beginning of the end: a straight-up rock kit is utilized. On head, shoulders, knees and ankles: syncopated off beat bass. On w-w-w-w-w: 90s style breakbeats. On moses: half-time drum and bass. On sever the blight: retrowave synth rolls. From top to bottom the album always switches its groove, and it’s this switch-up that really ensures the snap and the luster is never lost. Cap the entire experience off with the 2000s-coded set me free and the powerfully reflective be the girl! with its incredible tail-end key change? Damnit, you’ve got yourself one hell of a breakout album in front of you.
Hemlocke Springs makes her claim as one of the biggest up and coming stars in the pop music sphere with her debut studio effort In a perfect world, Springs evades the dreaded ‘Sophomore slump’ and continues her rise to fame with all of the style that she emitted across her debut effort. Considering her confidence across The Apple Tree Under the Sea, I have no doubt that this will be the case.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Song: be the girl!
REID
One of the best parts of Too Sweet Reviews continues to be constant exposure to new artists. Even a music lover like me can admit I would cover a small fraction of our portfolio on my own. I’d probably just stay in my lane of personal taste, take recommendations from friends and dig deeper for festivals I’m attending. Luckily TSR is thriving and I am regularly stepping outside my comfort zone, finding and appreciating talent I’d otherwise never think twice about. Isimeme "Naomi" Udu, also known as hemlocke springs, falls firmly in this category.
Before diving into the apple tree under the sea, let’s address the elephant in the room. What the hell is a hemlocke spring? Its origination ties back to how she established herself on the internet. Udu explained on a TikTok video she wanted to anonymously post content online. Combine the output of a couple random name generations and voila! From here, her singer, songwriter and production skills did the heavy lifting. Organic growth from singles led to a highly celebrated and acclaimed EP to performing as the opening act on Doja Cat and Chappell Roan tours and now, her first full length release. I respect the hell out of her and her label for sticking with the moniker.
Her reputation for bedroom synthpop precedes her and it’s in overdrive on the first two full length songs. Perhaps the middle-aged white man in me is experiencing an Abe Simpson yelling at cloud moment but they are both a little too bubble-gummy for me. The chorus transition in the beginning of the end does well to accentuate her vocal but feels very cheap, almost Disney-like. Those feelings continue into head, shoulders, knees and ankles as the upbeat, quirky synth and her playful vocal sounds like something my seven-year-old niece would listen to.
Luckily that’s where the harsh criticism ends because things turn on a dime with w-w-w-w-w with a much more mature sound. This continues to moses, where she has stacked two in a row with soundscapes comparable to legendary producer, Fatboy Slim. From here on out you have a quality collection of catchy pop tunes that will satisfy any fan of the genre. Combined with the prelude, the build of the six-minute sense (is) heightens its impact, making it feel like her climax. The vocal harmony to close out the album on be the girl! figuratively places you at a stadium concert with thousands of screaming teenagers.
While Udu’s music may attract a younger audience, it shouldn’t overshadow the depth of her songwriting. apple tree leans into themes of good vs. evil and this blogger can’t help but wonder if it relates to her newfound fame. There are many examples of young celebrities losing themselves to the Hollywood lifestyle and unlimited temptation. Here’s to hoping she continues to showcase her undeniable talents and staying on the healthy path to stardom.
Three weeks ago I would’ve guessed hemlocke springs were essential components of an excavator’s suspension. Now I see her alongside Olivia, Sabrina and Chappell as the future of pop music.
Overall Rating: 7.7/10
Favourite Song: w-w-w-w-w
LUNDI
Even with both eyes focused on the music industry, one blink and you’ve missed the ascension of the next pop star. Today a single viral hit is enough to vault a pop artist from near nothing to tens of millions of streams, sold out stadium shows, and bold font placement on festival posters. But behind every one of those seemingly out of nowhere rises is a massive backing team that isn’t just supporting the music but also the style, headlines, and social media, right down to the smallest of details you could ever imagine. Building a pop star is an immersive and comprehensive process. That mere concept is what makes the hype behind DIY artist Hemlocke Springs all the more impressive, but her debut album The Apple Tree Under The Sea also shows the limitations of that path.
The forbidden fruit is at the forefront of the fantastical storyline of Apple Tree firmly supporting the mystical world Hemlocke wants to present through her keen lyricism, but it also plays double duty on a grander scale as the symbol of an artist that is going about things her own way, like it or not she is defying the rules. The album is a triumph years in the making and it hits you early and often with its best ideas. The tidy 33 minutes is a wonderful alternative spin on synth pop with the beginning of the end through w-w-w-w-w landing as trio of highly memorable bangers that already feel like they’ll be influential for many artists and years to come.
Springs’ piercing vocal is a gift that keeps on giving. It shocks on first exposure as it cuts through heavy handed synths with ease but once the ears are calibrated to the known output it truly works, growing in admiration with each listen. She captivates with music much more rash and firm than her pop contemporaries yet delivers radio friendly ear worms indie artists can only just dream of. She has all the makings of a crossover star that wins over the mainstream, critics and music snobs alike.
It is however hard to ignore that the album slows down towards the back half where it repeatedly feels like Springs is just rehashing the ideas from the early songs or tracking less fleshed out tunes. Her best came with emphatically integrating musical expansion through crisp guitars and deep bass, elements that disappear as the tracklist moves on. The album becomes more pop generic as repetitive song structures and lyricism are used frequently in later stages of the runtime.
Now, Apple Tree certainly never drops below a high quality output but you have to wonder if even with her whole life to craft album one, the DIY direction hits a bit of a ceiling. While common in pop the album does have a narrow spectrum of sonics and experimenting further with some bass or acoustics would do wonders for helping deviate any semblance of repetitiveness. In very recent memory we’ve witnessed Rosalia go full music theory on her expansive LUX and Charli XCX team with the most in the moment producers for the breakout brat, two major stars that don’t feel out of the reach for Hemlocke Springs, but ultimately it’s just hard to see her getting there without some much recommended support. The bright side is the success of Apple Tree should allow her to maintain artistic direction and she’ll no doubt have producers lined up to work on her next project. The debut is a resounding successful effort, one of the best in recent memory, but the nagging feeling is the next step requires Hemlocke to pop the DIY bubble and allow her ideas to be built upon by some of music’s other brightest minds.
The world of pop music is a well oiled machine that’s difficult for even the biggest of stars to navigate. There’s certainly no doubting Hemlocke Springs is the full musical package, but the faults on The Apple Tree Under the Sea appear mostly due to an artist a bit out of her depth. Fleshing out a support system and expanding her wealth of musical theory would go a long way towards superstardom.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Song: the beginning of the end