Boasting 11 songs and a 34-minute run-time, Neggy Gemmy packs a quick and concise punch with her latest release She Comes from Nowhere. Released on June 20, singer, songwriter and producer Lindsey French, also known as Neggy Gemmy, takes fans on a mysterious journey using a variety of instrumentals that manage to evoke a different, but exciting sound.
As the album lead, “High Fashion Slag” has a handful of chaotic sounds that blend together to create a soft electric dance track to match Gemmy’s silky vocals. Near the end of the song, there is a beat change that gives listeners a jolt from the trance-like state and flows right into the hauntingly dreamy track – “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing.”
Following a track like “High Fashion Slag” that implores you to “just move to the beat like you’re about it,” Gemmy is making it clear that she doesn’t feel like dancing and “you can leave me out of it.”
While the title track is introduced with the same drums as “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing,” “She Comes from Nowhere” has breathy vocals that were fighting to be heard over the production that sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack of Mad Men. It was a game of tug of war, and production was the winner.
“Mysterious Girl” brings back the balance of soft vocals with a busy but complimentary beat. Arranged as the fourth track on the album, “Mysterious Girl” was the first single released and its futuristic, bubblegum sweet sound is reminiscent of Gemmy’s 2023 album, CBD Reiki Moonbeam.
That same sound is continued with “The Stranger at Twilight.” The heavy electric synth-filled interlude is 86 seconds long and sounds like a song that would play as the Powerpuff Girls take off to save the day. Light, exciting, and an easy listen.
“Polly Pocket” and “Who Wanted” are tracks that had more warring vocals and production. While the first 17 seconds of “Polly Pocket” tickled a crevice of the brain, it quickly fell apart as both vocals and production failed to clear up and leave an impression.
“Blue Eye See Through,” while fun and different, was a jarring change from the rest of the album and added to the list of songs that became an unwanted break from the deliciousness that was being served up until “Polly Pocket.”
The album got back on track with “Doll,” as balance between vocals and fun production was finally restored. The record scratching that is present in “Blue Eye See Through” carried over into “Doll,” but since it was done in moderation and in collaboration with Gemmy’s smooth and dreamy vocals, it meshed well and caressed the ears. As the ninth track, “Doll” was a much-needed palate cleanse from the murky tracks of the three that preceded it.
“La Nuit du Chat” is the tenth track on She Comes from Nowhere and translates to “The Night of the Cat” in English. The song paints the scene of a sleek black cat roaming the streets of Paris while completing side quests while on its way to get dinner. It is a fun song that is the perfect reminder that this is a Neggy Gemmy album.
“Dream” closes out the album, and while the battle between vocals and production reemerges, the muffled lyrics and soft production support the song’s title and create the feeling of being in a dream state. And as “Dream” comes to a close and the album restarts, a whole new level of appreciation for “High Fashion Slag” develops. The first 15 seconds of the song evoke the feeling of waking up after spending a long night out on the town, but ready to do it all over again.
Although it felt like She Comes from Nowhere had trouble with finding balance between the production and vocals on a few tracks, the overall project was a great reintroduction to who Neggy Gemmy is – an artist open to experimenting with sound and production.
Image taken from Spotify/Neggy Gemmy
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