Neev is here to start the conversation, expect a few swear words and a lot of strings.

When the music industry seems to be in an utter state of flux with everyone trying to disrupt labels and destroy any sense of belonging, in an act of almost double-rebellion, Neev settled on a mission to find a home. In her newest EP ‘Currants’, she explores the idea of roots and a sense of comfort in familiar surroundings. Feeling lost and detached from the hectic reality, she made peace with the need for safety. While it’s always exciting to ride the experimental wave, sometimes all you need is to melt away to minimalistic melodies and let the most soothing vocals warm your heart up a bit. Neev knows it best so she’s here to blanket us tightly with her tender tracks. This Autumn, we like it cosy.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

I’m Neev, I’m from Glasgow but now live in London. I’m a singer-songwriter, I’m interested in writing songs that are conversational and require a few listens. Currently, I’m really delving into instrument arrangements alongside engineering and mixing. I love the whole process of making music and want to know as much as I can from front to back! 

How did it all start?

I moved to London in 2017 for a Masters and stayed there. In 2019, I decided to dive headfirst into performing, writing and releasing. I’d dabbled up until then but thought it was worth really immersing myself in when I was in a great city for it. I started performing a lot, collaborating with musicians I met along the way and it all grew from there really.

If you were to describe your sound to someone who’d never heard you before, what would you say?

Warm, with a few swear words and a lot of strings.

How are you feeling about the release of your new EP Currants?

I’m really excited, I loved making this EP, it feels closer to what I want to sound like that ever before really. It felt like a very natural and unforced development for me and I just enjoyed bringing it all together. I think because it felt like such a rewarding process, release it is just a bonus.

What inspires your music?

Conversations, the way people speak and communicate with one another. I often try to address the listener, bring them into the song, make them listen to the lyrics and all the little details I try to slot in. I usually cling to themes that start to come up in my writing and re-visit those.

Can you tell us more about the themes behind this EP?

My new EP felt really connected to the idea of roots, home and grounding. I think the songs explore all the feelings related to understanding what your home is. Feeling lost, found, disorientated, comforted or at a tipping point. The reason it’s called ‘Currants’ is that all of the songs grew from the same root and around the same time, it felt like they grew in a cluster. Writing it just before and then going into lockdown really made me think about what home is to myself and the people around me. As it was a time where home really mattered to everyone. Either you were safe at home or separated from your home, I think that’s something I wasn’t really thinking about or taking seriously prior to lockdown. Now I really value the feeling of feeling safe, secure and at home. It’s important to me that I can feel settled.

What’s it like working with the label Trapped Animal? 

Really great, I originally planned on releasing this EP independently but after chatting to Trapped Animal about it I just felt really on the same page as them. I’m someone that really enjoys the back end of releasing, marketing, creating campaign etc and they were really happy to have me involved and never took away my voice or opinion from conversations. So much of the EP was already sorted, the visuals, the artwork and Trapped Animal just came on board to enhance things and make things like vinyls and publicity more of an option for me. I really like working with them and am looking forward to future projects with the team.

What advice would you give for anyone trying to achieve a similar sound to your band? 

I’d say: don’t be afraid to let go of songs even if they’re good. There’s a lot of songs I’ve written over the years that I think are objectively good, they’re catchy, they may be really strong in a particular live setting or good at engaging a crowd but writing this EP made me really think about how much I value cohesiveness in a body of work. Think about where your music is going, think about what interests you and what you keep coming back to, and delve into those things, that’s where you’ll be happiest writing. 

If your music were a film or TV show which would it be?

I love a crime drama, I’d love ‘Darling, Home’ to be used for a particularly dramatic scene, that’d be fun.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s important to you?

Nathanial Rateliff – Falling Faster Than You Can Run will always be my answer. It took me a few listens to really get into it which I think is a good sign of music that you will never get sick of. The power and use of dynamics in this album, often just with a vulnerable voice and a guitar will never stop astounding me.

What do you hate right now? 

I can’t find a book that I can get lost in right now, I hate not reading enough.

What do you love right now?

I saw Jordan Mackampa live at Scala the other day and cannot stop thinking about how good it was.

What comes next in the Neev story? 

A much bigger project (wink wink, nudge nudge) with things to listen to and hopefully things to watch alongside. But it’ll take time and probably change a lot along the way, so we’ll see.

Is there any new music you’re enjoying from 2021?

Joy Crookes new album is fantastic, also Little Simz new record too. I really like the new IDLES track, it’s a cool change of pace for them.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? 

Go and see live music if you feel safe enough/ able to! I’ve lived in venues throughout October, it’s been amazing to see musicians back on stage and they need the support right now.