Central Coast's NEAV revisits deep cut, 'To Love' from 'ELEGY' EP, and strips it back for heavy emotive take

Central Coast artist, NEAV revisits a stunning take from her 2022 EP, ‘ELEGY’ and strips it right back for a more raw and heartbreaking performance in ‘To Love’, which is out today.

Since signing a world-wide publishing contract with ‘ORiGiN Music Publishing’ (Wally De Backer [Gotye]), at 16 years of age, NEAV has expanded her creative capacities and network immensely. NEAV signed to Sydney-based boutique independent Record Label ‘Double Drummer’ at the age of 17 and released her debut EP a year later in November of 2022.

NEAV, the musical alter-ego of singer/songwriter Niamh Watson, shows a version of ‘To Love’ that is true to its roots.  The stripped-back ‘To Love’ is goosebump-inducing, beautifully heartbreaking acoustipop from a songwriter that has wisened beyond her years. Where the original EP version of the song is stunning synth alt-pop, the rawness of this pared-back version cuts deeper, and hits harder, also allowing NEAV’s full vocal force to flood through. This is true ‘I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying’ torch-song finesse.

Speaking on the song’s journey from its conception to modification, then back to its core, NEAV explains how ‘To Love’ came to be.

“To Love was the first song I wrote after a month or so mourning a big breakup. It was a song that I don’t quite remember writing, almost as if it was already completed and ready to spill out of me before I even picked up my guitar. It really was the song that burst open the flood gates for a few albums worth of breakup songs that I wrote afterwards but somehow this one stuck,” she said.

“I released an edgy pop version of the song on my debut EP ‘ELEGY’ but I wanted to capture it as it was written and show its true essence off as well. I find sometimes there really is power in simplicity.”

The track was produced by Connor Massey at The Grove Studios on the Central Coast and mastered by Tahlia Rose Coleman at Studios 301 in Sydney. The cover art was shot by Nick Langley in The Garage Studios on the Central Coast.

The 7 track EP “ELEGY”, and its striking accompanying visuals, has received critical acclaim from entities such as Rolling Stone Australia, Amazing Radio (UK and USA), Triple J (Australia), and MTV Australia.

NEAV has opened for or shared the stage with artists such as Greta Stanley, The Moving Stills, Dan Sultan, Pierce Brothers, Imogen Clark, Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird, Little Quirks, Elaskia, and Molly Millington in well-known venues across Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast.

The acoustic version of ‘To Love’ is out now on all streaming platforms.