As debut album titles go, 'Oh Really, What's That Then?' invites you to ask just that question. An introspective journey through psychedelic glam-rock nightmares, woozy flows of self-discovery and beguiling lyrics delivered with subtlety and intensity. Jemma is your guide in this strange country. In reality, they're as lost as the listener. In this hinterland, thoughts tumble on top of each other and the shadows cast by their images overwhelm. Hear a track in isolation and you might expose roots of its origins - from the exuberant T. Rex -Esque strings of 'Black Rain', to the snarling Hole like guitars of 'Tasteless' - but the archaeology of their sound is not so easily uncovered. When an album opens with a distant primal scream, you know it's not going to be an easy ride. As the album's last-gasp, 'Tasteless', slowly dissipates from cacophony to complete stillness - like the universe ending, all energy exhausted - you'll feel the same. The journey is intense. Not that it's all a trudging grind, there are moments of pure exhilarating pop joy along the way. Songs like 'Keytar (I Was Busy)' hiding the darkest lyrical themes in the brightest of melodies. Jemma says of the record: "I was trying to photograph the space between emotions and actions, feeling like an outsider, some of the songs are indirectly meant to demonstrate solidarity with others that identify with that." Initially, every part was written and performed by Jemma, but over time the sessions became collaborative. Hamilton Lee was brought in to play the drums and having worked together in several other bands with Jemma, they had pre-existing musical telepathy. Jemma and Mark became finely attuned to each others' production ideas and the relationship between the three became symbiotic, intrinsic to the sound of the record. " As Jemma's sweeping vocals flow with an hypnotic majesty, eerie hooks underpin catchy melodies, taking your ears on a spacey sonic journey ." Get In Her Ears // " Jemma Freeman & The Cosmic Something bring an artful mix of glam rock theatrics, spacious psych explorations and crunchy earl-PJ Harvey style alt rock ." Joyzine //
