We’ve been obsessed with the NYC pop rock pioneer Leah Nawy ever since sinking into her lusciously groove-pocketed debut single, NUISANCE, which has racked up over 46k streams on Spotify alone since its release in 2023. In the opening verses of her sophomore single, Friend of Mine, the singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist exhibited a softer and more vulnerable side in her confessional release which alludes to how opening yourself up to people is only priming for the scars that will be left when you inevitably part ways.
When there’s little to separate realism and pessimism after life experiences have taught you that optimism is the outlook of the naïve, sentiments which unravel with the same pensive sting as the lyrics in Friend of Mine are inevitable. Yet, by the time the track reaches the midway mark, it transcends into a soulful power ballad before metamorphosising into an indie rock anthem for the disenfranchised but tenacious despite the bruises masses.
By bursting the bubblegum pop bubble with spikes of cultivated indie rock, the melancholy within Friend of Mine adopted a brand-new ferocity as an attestation to how you can reflect on your shortcomings without falling into a trap of self-pity. With a voice as indomitable as Lady Gaga fused with a cutting-edge indie pop rock signature sound, she’s a rare artist whose work merits her being referred to as an icon. We can’t wait to hear what follows.
Friend of Mine was officially released on December 22. Stream it on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast