Dutch and Surinamese singer-songwriter néomí has released her new EP Another Year Will Pass.
Written during “a time of personal upheaval and deep introspection,” Another Year Will Pass captures the feeling of setting down the urge to fight and slipping into an acceptance of what you cannot change.
It’s a mix of bittersweet, ethereal alt-pop, threaded throughout with néomí’s warm, emotive, deep vocals.
“This EP was a very reflective time for me,” néomí shares. “After two years in therapy, and everything I’ve been through, I realised that I’ve started to see the world differently. Sometimes it’s frustrating that my brain doesn’t work the same way as others, but I’ve learned to accept it. I’ve even started to see it as something beautiful.”
At just 22 minutes, the six tracks on Another Year Will Pass still manage to pack a punch, despite their fleeting length.
A mix of fairly dark alt-pop melodies, the double-layering of néomí’s vocals creates some stunning harmonies, particularly on the title track “Another Year Will Pass”, specifically on the vocal run néomí sings during the verses. The title track particularly feels like a rainy-day song – this is a sad song, even as the lyrics and title reveal acceptance of difficult times, the blow softened by the barely-there brass instrumentation woven throughout.
This particularly sad tone isn’t present throughout the entire EP, however. More upbeat melodies are present on tracks like “Sit Back Baby”, even as néomí sings of hospitals and grief and learning to let go of things – “sit back, baby/let it go” urges the chorus, punctuated by a particularly lovely bassline.
This same mood follows through to “The Dog”, which features a hopeful-but-not-upbeat melody even as néomí sings “it’s getting late/it feels like time to go.”
These two tracks are some of the most emotionally complex on the EP; the pain woven into them asks for real attention. If you only take in the melody, you miss out on néomí’s quiet, deliberate form of storytelling.
Perhaps the most straightforward heartbreak on the EP is the aptly-named “It’s Never Easy (Leaving Someone Behind).”
Lyrics like “but who am I to tell you what is right?” hint at something layered and full of regret. The instrumentals stay mostly stripped back, giving the song’s emotions the space to fully land and be felt.
Closing the EP is “Trigger,” which, while lovely, feels like an unexpected choice for the final track. If the order were rearranged, I’d sooner swap it with “It’s Never Easy (Leaving Someone Behind).”
However, “Trigger” does feature some very well-placed, emotive strings, as well as néomí’s vocals at their most emotional – at points, it almost sounds as if she’s about to burst into tears.
Overall, Another Year Will Pass is a beautiful snapshot of heartbreak and acceptance, carried by stunning vocals that never feel over the top. It’s the kind of work that shows a true artist unafraid to pour real emotion into every moment.
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