“This remix that LICK did totally takes ‘Younger’ to the next level,” says Jen Wood of GEMZ about the spin that the Arizona-based bass music producer put on their original. “I absolutely love how the song seems to sparkle and glimmer even more than our original GEMZ version.” Helmed by LICK (who is signed to Deadbeats, the label run by underground electronic outfit Zeds Dead), “Younger” (LICK remix) infuses the dreamy original with steady, pulsating rhythms and sparkly shimmer, readying it for a trancendental dancefloor.

Along with bandmate, former Seattle electronic musician Ted Chen (now based in Sebastopol, CA), GEMZ is a new synthpop project has nods to the nostalgic pulsating electronic echoes of The Postal Service for which Jen has lent vocals (she duets with Ben Gibbard on “Nothing Better” and provides backing vocals on “Such Great Heights”). Ted says he loves LICK’s remix because he takes the core themes of the original song and puts the idyllic bliss on full blast. “I imagine hearing this song in the middle of a gigantic sea of people just losing myself dancing and laugh-crying the whole time with my friends.”

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. Shaping it into the stunning full-fledged track that it is today, his evolved version floored Jen who was “blown away” and “beyond delighted” with the “magical ideas” he added to her little gem of a song. “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,” she adds. “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.”

Order “Younger” HERE