Achtung! Dark Electro Synthwave Art Pop - Gemma Cullingford & "Tongue tied"

Gemma Cullingford

Known as one half of acclaimed Norwich duo Sink Ya Teeth, following last year’s debut LP Let Me Speak, musician, songwriter and producer Gemma Cullingford has now announced her sophomore album, Tongue Tied, set for release on 2nd September 2022 via Elmo Recordings. 

The first taster of the album comes in the form of title track, ‘Tongue Tied’. A reflection on feeling struck by shyness and being lost for words - not just in front of those you may be attracted to, but when speaking to anyone you respect - it offers a danceable vibrant soundscape. 

Building with a frenzied drive and glitchy, pulsating beats, it interweaves zesty electronic hooks with Gemma’s distinctive sensuous vocals.

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Gemma Cullingford is...?

I am a musician, songwriter and producer from Norwich. I am also one half of duo Sink Ya Teeth. I describe myself as DIY electro as I do everything myself with a kinda DIY punk attitude. I released my debut album Let Me Speak in 2021 and have another album called Tongue Tied coming out later this year in September.

Who inspired you to make music in general?

I've loved playing music all my life, I grew up playing the flute after the obligatory recorder lessons at school. When I was 13 I decided I wanted to play the guitar after having watched Glastonbury on TV and I decided that I wanted to be in a band and play on a big stage like that one day.

What's the story behind your latest release "Tongue tied", what or who was your inspiration, respectively?

It's about not being a great speaker sometimes. I've always found I jumble my words up quite a lot and sometimes when I'm talking I see people's eyes glaze over or I get interrupted so I tend to rush what I say and then it makes no sense! 

Or if I think they're actually listening I get self conscious and then my mind goes blank and I can't get words out. And it's even worse when it's someone I admire. That's why I would never want to meet my heroes!

Tongue tied sounds fantastic, what can we expect from the Album?

Thank you! The album is full of dark disco but with a pop sensibility behind it. It's similar to my debut record but a little more sure of itself and with a little more progression in my songwriting. 

It explores lots of feelings in relationships including yearning, paranoia, shyness and hopelessness. Sounds a bit depressing doesn't it?! The songs are all quite uplifting though! There's influences from 80's New Wave, 90's Madchester, 00's electroclash and even from the 1930's with my dark electro rendition of Daisy Daisy (I do like a cover!)

How would you describe your songwriting process?

Pretty random. Unplanned. Disorganised. And fairly quick. I don't plan anything or write words first, it's always just sit at my computer, find a sound I like (if I've not found something within a minute I leave it for the day - I don't like to think about things too much) and just build from there, see what comes out. 

Then when I've got a backing track I might hum into my phone while I'm walking my dog first thing in the morning and then my boyfriend Mark might sometimes help me with lyrics, and in some cases I've taken old poems of his and put them to my music. Then it's a case of listening to them a million times over, I guess that's the bit that takes the time - to check I'm definitely happy with them.

Do you remember your first ever self-written song?

I used to write raps to casio keyboard demo's when I was really young. I remember being inspired by The Bart Man by Bart Simpson and my friend and I wrote an 'Environment Rap'. Does that count??

Otherwise my songwriting has been very scarce until the last 5 or so years, mainly because I struggle with writing words. But I've been co-writing in bands, usually on the bass or electronically, since the age of 17.

What’s next for you?

I'm self releasing this next album so in the near future it's all the admin and promotional stuff that goes with that. I have some tour dates in the Autumn when the album comes out which I'm really excited about, but I have no plans after that. I may even take a break for a bit, who knows? But every time I say that it never happens! So I guess watch this space!