From the very first downstroke of the guitar, Burning pulses with urgency. Naomi’s voice, equal parts vulnerability and trauma, carries the weight of someone who’s been through it and comes out louder. “This is not a story / like you push me aside,” she sings, carving her pain into melody. Then comes the unrelenting refrain: “It’s burn, it’s all burning now / burn burn burn burn / we’re all burning now.” The repetition scorches. It’s a ritual. It’s a scream. It even almost feels like a release!

But where others might lean into despair, Naomi finds defiance. Even amid lyrics about sticky chairs, fractured friendships, and a body under medical siege (“take my temperature / take my love / I’m so much more than bluff”), Burning stays alight with momentum. There’s anger here, yes, but also an almost mischievous glee in turning destruction into power. She doesn’t just sing about falling apart, she makes it sound exhilarating!

Self-produced in her home studio and polished at Abbey Road (yes, that Abbey Road), Burning is as sonically rich as it is emotionally raw. You can hear the punk roots in her DNA, those early East Bay days fronting a band with her sisters, but Naomi’s voice has grown deeper, more dangerous, and more nuanced with time. Her sound now straddles indie grit and alt-rock grandeur, with flashes of folk tenderness just beneath the blaze.

In Burning, Naomi Neva builds a bonfire of reckoning; and weirdly, it’s a thrill to stand close!

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Naomi Neva is an experienced singer and songwriter who has been writing songs in the eucalyptus forests behind her house since she was just a kid. ‘Ernestine’ is a part of her debut, 4-song EP. This powerful and raw feminist anthem is written by Naomi Neva for her best friend and is an ode to living life on your own terms.

The song, going smoothly from hushed, moody, and mysterious beginnings to explosive and frenzied hooks, is a dazzling display of Naomi Neva’s songwriting talent, as well as her dynamic range, and her raw, unbridled charisma. A refreshing arrangement, ‘Ernestine’ makes use of fluttering synths, distorted guitars, and a solid groove to create distinctively colored sections that flow effortlessly, aided by Neva’s soulful and passionate vocal performance, and her poignant words. 

‘Ernestine’ is a thoroughly enjoyable anthem. Lush, beautifully written, and with a powerful message, Naomi Neva carried her heart on her sleeve for this song and this vocal line, and the power comes across like a torrent.