Breakout alt-pop artist hemlocke springs has announced her debut album the apple tree under the sea, due for release on February 13 via AWAL, marking an exciting new chapter for the singer/songwriter/producer.
The announcement comes on the heels of recent support dates with Chappell Roan and Conan Gray across the US, as well as the release of the lead single ‘the beginning of the end’ which picked up critical praise across the board.
the apple tree under the sea is a fever dream of a concept album in which our hero, hemlocke springs, sets off on a journey of self-discovery -one that requires her to confront the chaos and repression of her past in order to claim the full, liberatory life she once didn’t even know was possible. Sprinkled with references to her Christian upbringing with Nigerian immigrant parents, the project begins with her coming across a red apple – a symbol of knowledge or “worldly” things, as hemlocke explains, and then tracks her inner transformation as she unpacks the traumatic memories and longheld beliefs that held her back from self-acceptance.
“I grew up very religiously—Christianity is very pertinent in Nigerian culture and the Black community—and I was also obedient to my elders,” hemlocke says of her childhood years in Concord, North Carolina. “This album starts with a character going through the desert who says, ‘I’m going to do your will.’ They could be saying it to God or a man, but then they come across the apple. It’s about me being in this bubble, and realizing that being in that bubble was tougher than I thought, and then finally getting out and exploring who I really am.”
hemlocke displays her most adventurous songcraft and playful vocals yet while co-producing the apple tree under the sea with close collaborator BURNS (Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Charli xcx). To illustrate the disorientation she felt while emerging from her cocoon, she dramatically gasps and wails on songs such as new single ‘head, shoulders, knees and ankles’, which was inspired by a formative nightmare of fighting off an attacker.
Once upon a time, an artist named hemlocke springs dared to create fantastical worlds by weaving hyper-personal tales into exuberant art-pop anthems. Now residing in the faraway land of Los Angeles, hemlocke was crowned a bedroom pop star in 2022 with her very first songs (‘gimme all ur luv’ and ‘girlfriend’). She went on to amass praise from visionary creators like Grimes, Steve Lacy, and DOECHII, becoming one of Chappell Roan’s favorite artists, and embarking on tours with fellow world -builders like Doja Cat, Ashnikko and most recently Conan Gray and Chappell Roan.
After seeing her career take off while pursuing a master’s in health informatics, hemlocke released her ebulliently eclectic 2023 EP going…going…GONE!, featuring medieval-coded single ‘sever the blight’, which NME dubbed “creativity of the highest order.” In 2025, hemlocke invites us into a world born entirely of her imagination. Prepare thyself to be verily charmed for the next chapter.
When is hemlocke springs’ debut album ‘the apple tree under the sea’ released?
‘the apple tree under the sea’ will be released on February 13, 2026 and is available to pre-order now.
Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez
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