Track of the Day: Neve Bowen – Song For Anna (2023)
Despite the number of younger artists around, it still impresses me when a kid under the age of 20 produces such sophisticated and mature music. Enter Neve Bowen. A 19-year-old singer-songwriter from London, Bowen brings the nostalgic elegance of David Bowie and Kate Bush to the 21st century in a Florence Welch meets Lana Del Rey design.
When the Covid-19 lockdowns began, Bowen was only 15 but with a home studio and passion for music, the young lady would emerge with over 50 songs by her 18th birthday. Upon moving to London from Bristol, Bowen focused on live performances across the capital playing notable venues such as the Half Moon and The Sanctum “putting her music out there…” A serendipitous meeting with producer Matt Brettle led to a production deal with Sticky Productions, spending 2022 in a studio in Guilford, and now the release of her debut single ‘Song For Anna’.
Falling alongside Florence and the Machine, Neve Bowen fuses elements of indie-pop with baroque pop and a flair of soft rock around the edges. From the soft opening with hushed, simplistic vocals atop a soothing melody, ‘Song For Anna’ presents as a soothing ballad. Yet, the rush of bold guitars with pounding drums engulfs you in a kaleidoscopic whirlpool of sound. Neve Bowen’s vocals elegantly traipse along the tune but simultaneously ooze a harmonic vulnerability as she twirls about in a melancholic haze.
One of the more intriguing features of ‘Song For Anna’ is how the melody has a calm effect but soon surges into a brash rush of sound aligning with the poignant lyricism. Penned as a cathartic expression of anxiety, frustration, fear, inner turmoil and conflict, ‘Song For Anna’ is about “…the worst kind of best friend a girl can have; living in your head and trying to ruin your life…”
The first in a series of songs leading up to her debut EP, Lifeline, ‘Song For Anna’ is sentimental, sincere, tender and explores human fragility in a way far surpassing Bowen’s years.
For more from Neve Bowen, check out her Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
