“BURNING” By Naomi Neva

Oakland-based singer-songwriter Naomi Neva has just released her harsh yet sweet, bitter alt-rock anthem “Burning.” The single is now available on multiple platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Tidal. Ms. Neva is always up to something, as her latest release shows how a fresh voice in the industry carefully “smolders with clarity,” only pain, rage, and conviction tracks as the strumming of the guitar resonates from the very beginning and does not rest until the last haunting note.

The song is a powerful sonic storm fueled by “urgently strummed guitars” paired with raw vocals from Naomi herself. The single was self-produced in her home studio, then professionally mastered at Abbey Road Studios. Amid the world burning, listeners will undoubtedly resonate with the first few syllables as they tackle the bizarre sweetspot between grief and calamity. The combination of visceral alt-rock and intimate confessional songwriting truly tells a story that will grab anyone's attention gracefully while forcing the need for emotional balance.

Metaphorically and literally, the song “Burning” delivers vivid imagery. Naomi recalls a childhood memory of evacuating her house while wildfires were threatening to consume her neighborhood. I remember thinking, “Our house barely made it.” This feeling of surviving with shreds of hope is present in every lyric. However, the fire described in “Burning” not only rages through forests, it flickers in hospitals, in weak friendships, and in systems that are supposed to keep us safe but instead leave us unprotected. The way she framed this betrayal was brutally intense and vulnerable, showing aching discontent with her words trembling in the first verse, then screaming in the next.

What shocks me about “Burning” is the fact that it goes beyond an autobiography and into something much more powerful. I recall gaining insight from previous albums that her songwriting has always been quite personal, like in “In Parking Lots” and “Still Singing for You,” but here, her vision broadens. It appears as though she is not just singing on behalf of herself, but also for an entire generation that is educated but cynical, apathetic, emotionally sapped, caught within institutional fragmentation, and might I add, surrounded by chaos. In portraying this, she channels not only trauma, but strength. The song’s chorus is so powerful, yet fierce, the way it feels like a battle cry, or a beacon for every person who has felt betrayed and is forced to pick through the debris.

Naomi Neva emphasizes the emotional nuances of her lyrics while still maintaining her place within the alt-rock genre. Her soft voice paired with gut-wrenching themes melts the heart of a listener who admires Phoebe Bridgers, Sharon Van Etten, and Big Thief. Her chaotic yet grounded guitar playing is melodically soothing and filled with just the right amount of distortion, like feeling released as the wildfires her song speaks of drench everything while building slowly to a simmering explosion.

In a landscape filled with shallow hooks and superficial connections, Neva’s refusal to adhere stands her out as an artist willing to put in the effort to master the craft. Bridging isn't a mere song but an artifact unto itself, encapsulating wounding alertness, the result of struggling through so many life obstacles and battles and having the bravery to acknowledge it. This is where it gets fun. In doing so, listeners are gifted with losing themselves in the feeling of overwhelming grief and anger while embracing the strength to keep pushing forward.

Naomi Neva’s “Burning” is now out everywhere you stream music. Make sure you check it out, as it is not a song you just hear, it's a song to be felt. If you have ever been enveloped in the smoke of something you couldn't quell, this song will reach out to you…and it certainly will not loosen its grip.

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For more information, updates, and upcoming music, visit https://www.naomineva.com/

Written by Manuel