The Key Studio Sessions: Hemming

If you’ve been paying attention to the Philly music scene for a few years, the voice behind emerging local act Hemming will sound rather familiar to you. Candice Martello is the expressive singer and songwriter at the helm here, and she caught our ear in the DIY punk duo Omar back in 2010. Last year, Omar landed on VH1’s Make or Break: The Linda Perry Project, but it was Martello’s more personal, introspective solo songwriting that caught the host’s ear and landed her a record contract with Perry’s label, Custard Records.

Hemming’s self-titled debut is a remarkable set of pop anthems – powerful vocals at the core of songs that range from rousing country and pop-rock to aching, solitary folk. There’s seriously something for everybody here, whether your point of reference is Liz Phair or Lucinda Williams. Songs of mid-20s ennui, cigarettes and beer bottles; songs of loss and abandonment; songs of friendship, both toxic and uplifting.

The album is out on July 24th and you’re totally going to want to hear it; you can grab a few advance tracks if you pre-order from Hemming’s website, or get a taste in the four songs Martello performed for us live in the studio for this week’s Key Studio Session. Stream the set below and download it here, via Soundcloud.