[Cover photo credit to Kelly Segre]

Jen Wood and formerly Seattle-based Electronic musician Ted Chen (now based in Sebastopol, CA) are part of a duo called Gemz, a new Synthpop project. Their debut single “Younger” has now been remixed by Lick, who is signed to Deadbeats. “Younger” (LICK remix) creates the mood of a “trancendental dancefloor” and is out from Sonic Ritual.   

Jen Wood says of the remix:

This remix that LICK did totally takes ‘Younger’ to the next level. I absolutely love how the song seems to sparkle and glimmer even more than our original GEMZ version.

The original version of “Younger” (released earlier this year) was the duo’s single debut which started as a voice memo in 2017 and was fleshed out in 2022 by Ted Chen.

Jen Wood explains:

This was a slow process of Ted and me building this song out, bit by bit, with thoughtfulness, love, and attention towards cultivating the sincerest, most epic, energetic signature. Taking our time to grow this song was a beautiful process and I really hope that people who hear it will truly enjoy the experience. The song is about loving life again, through the eyes and spirit of your younger self, before all the fucked-up shit happened to you. When we do the work and heal, it brings us back to the innocence and wisdom of a child. The pure heart of a younger version of yourself never dies.

As a solo artist, Jen Wood has put out nine indie releases between 1993 and 2014, while taking a short diversion in 2003 to join The Postal Service as guest vocalist on its debut album Give Up and also performed with them at select live shows. 

Ted Chen has been a part of a range of Seattle-based indie projects including an Electro-Pop band he started with his sister called CMYK (a.k.a. The Long Ranger) from 2004 – 2010 who became an opener The Go! Team, Jamie Lidell, Digitalism, Tegan and Sara, and Ghostland Observatory, to name a few. In 2004, he was signed to Delicious Label with indie rock band The Stereo Future.