hemlocke springs Brings Her Whimsical World to Life at the Observatory
- Glenalyn Ann
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
The Observatory in Santa Ana was entirely something else last night for hemlocke springs’ the apple tree under the tree tour. Long before the doors opened for the evening, fans were lined up dressed head-to-toe in electric colors and elaborate outfits that felt straight out of a storybook. The theme was "neon fantasy," and the crowd delivered without hesitation, filling the venue with an energy that felt like stepping into another dimension before a single note had even been played.
Photo Cr.: Glenalyn Ann
hemlocke springs is a North Carolina-raised, Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and self-taught producer who stumbled into music almost by accident. While completing her master's in medical informatics at Dartmouth, she began making songs in her spare time, uploading them to SoundCloud, and deleting them almost immediately until one didn't disappear in time. Her debut single "gimme all ur luv" caught the attention of Grimes and Steve Lacy, but it was "girlfriend" that changed everything. A fizzy, synth-drenched burst of anxious affection that went viral after she posted herself dancing to it dressed as Dionne from Clueless, the song surpassed a million streams and launched her into a world far removed from the one she had planned. Her debut album, the apple tree under the sea, which released earlier this year, is a fever-dream concept of a record about self-discovery, personal reckoning, and the wild, winding journey of becoming who you're meant to be. It was the perfect vehicle for a night like this.
But before hemlocke took the stage, the show had a storyteller to introduce. The opener was none other than hemlocke herself in character as THE GIRL!, her whimsical storytelling persona who walked out to the unmistakable opening of "Lucifer" by SHINee, which immediately drew cheers from the crowd. What followed was something between a theatrical monologue and a fairytale reimagined. A new rendition of Snow White told entirely through hemlocke's offbeat humor and playful wit, she kept the crowd laughing and leaning in at the same time, weaving jokes and absurdity into a story that somehow felt both familiar and completely her own. By the time THE GIRL! took her bow, the room was loose, warm, and ready for whatever came next.
Then the lights shifted, and a narration began to fill the Observatory. hemlocke's voice guided the audience through her journey as an artist, setting the scene for a full production that was about to unfold. When she finally stepped onto the stage, the roar from the crowd was immediate and overwhelming. She opened with "sense (is)" and moved into "stranger danger!" and "heavun," which had the crowd on their feet jumping to the rhythms and vibing with her.
The set moved with purpose and momentum. "head, shoulders, knees and ankles" sent the crowd into a frenzy, and "the train to nowhere" and "the beginning of the end" kept the energy locked in. Her performance of "gimme all ur luv" hit like a full-circle moment as the song that started it all was now being belted back at her by a full house. You could see the moment it hit her. The slight pause, the wide eyes, the smile she couldn't suppress as she took in just how thoroughly this crowd knew her music. She leaned into it, even having the crowd do a call-and-response moment that turned the venue into something closer to a hangout with friends than a concert.
Photo Cr.: Glenalyn Ann
Then came "Fools", a Depeche Mode cover that she made her own, before diving back into the world of the apple tree under the sea with "w-w-w-w-w," "moses," "set me free," and "going...going...GONE!" The production throughout was stunning, theatrical, immersive, and completely in sync with the otherworldly universe hemlocke has built around her music.
As the main set drew to a close, she performed "enknee1" before landing on the one song everyone had been waiting for. When the opening notes of "girlfriend" rang out, the room practically lifted off the ground. She let the crowd carry it, their voices filling every corner of the Observatory. Then, just as the night seemed to be wrapping up, she asked them to wait for her and disappeared offstage.
Photo Cr.: Glenalyn Ann
She came back for the encore sporting fun headwear and, in true hemlocke fashion, a sword. The crowd lost it. She closed out the night with "sever the blight" and "be the girl!", two songs that felt like the most suitable ending. Before leaving the stage for good, she took a moment to connect with her fans in a way that stuck: she told them that after tonight, it was time to leave their old selves behind. Walk out differently. Walk out as the person they're becoming. For a show built around themes of self-discovery and transformation, it was the only way it could have ended.
We cannot wait to see what hemlocke springs has in store for the rest of the apple tree under the sea tour.
What's your favorite track from hemlocke springs? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by reaching out on Instagram or X!
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Edited by: Martina Yee
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