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Jun 23, 2022 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Aaron Alan Mitchell

Earlier this year, Under the Radar premiered a new single from Suriname-born, Dutch-based singer/songwriter néomí, an early taste of her lush chamber pop and indie folk stylings. Following her previous singles, “if i wasn’t made for love” and “eyes filled with sky,” néomí shared another pair of singles, “i’ll be there” and “not good enough,” teasing her forthcoming debut EP, before. Today, néomí has shared an early listen to the EP, along with its unheard track, “redemption,” premiering with Under the Radar.

As a whole, before is a sampling of lush and lilting folk pop, but each song manages to unwind in its own way. Opener, “if i wasn’t made for love” opens with wistful fingerpicked guitar and gently plucked banjos, but steadily grows into one of the EP’s most anthemic and powerful moments in its latter half. Meanwhile, “not good enough” leans into winding and ethereal melodies and “i’ll be there” offers the EP’s most traditional folk cut, with glassy harmonies and contemplative fingerpicking burnishing néomí’s lovely vocals. Finally, the EP closes with the sun-lit daydream of “eyes filled with sky.”

The EP’s unheard track, “redemption,” is a fitting companion to its full release, bringing forth the record’s most starry-eyed and joyous track. As néomí explains, the track was envisioned as a thank you to her family. “I wrote ‘redemption’ with a smile on my face which doesn’t happen that often,” she explains. “This song is just truly a thank you to my family. I have so much love for them. I am grateful for the culture my mother gave me, the wisdom my father passed on and the life lessons my sister taught me. This song is about the nostalgic feeling of being younger and feeling safe with my family. It is about asking for forgiveness for not understanding how precious family is, and about understanding how precious family is. It is me telling them ‘I would do anything to give them back the years they had my back.’ And a promise I will have theirs forever.”

Speaking about the new EP, néomí says, “This EP is about the juvenile you, the story from ‘before’ life starts. It’s for the inner child who’s careless, free maybe even a bit heartbroken. On the verge of growing up but fighting against it. I hope it awakens and reminds listeners of the juvenile we all have inside. This EP means growing up to me, and seeing the world from the first baby steps into adulthood.”

Check out the full EP below. Before is out June 24th via [PIAS].