Credit: Erina McSweeney

Before we ring in the New Year, Lea Neu still has something she would like to say. The then-Allston-based, now-Manhattan-residing popstress has recorded a new single. Currently working her dream job as a child welfare case worker in the Bronx, the Emerson grad has settled down and is ready to move on.

Like a middle finger coupled with a blown kiss, “Allston” plays just like a post-breakup song should. It begins slowly, establishing heartache before gaining energy. Seething remarks burn like old wounds reopened. “I usually pick you off the floor, now if you’re crying do you know how to stop?” Neu sings to a past lover. By the end of the song, she has transitioned from brooding resentment to tongue-in-cheek. A thumping drum beat, grooving guitar and bass married with a crisp vocal come together in messy harmony as a lover reconciles their bitter past before ultimately moving on, leaving the other far behind. 

Credit: Langley Custer

Written by Neu during their last year at Emerson College before moving to Manhattan, the pop singer found themselves dealing with the memories of a broken relationship. “I wrote it as an antithesis to my first song “Cobwebs”. It’s about how when I think about my Allston ex now, it is because I still feel like I need to take care of them because I always did in our relationship,” explains Neu, “[big] red flag. It’s my first “fuck you” song.”

Produced by roommate/podcast audio engineer Katherine Silva, the song features Remy Tyndall on bass and Langley Custer on lead guitar. A slight shift from her earlier releases, “Allston” still retains the cheeky vibe that Lea Neu listeners have come to expect. No longer a B-line hopping RatCity art student, but a busy working New Yorker, Neu may have begun to settle in, but she’s eager to see what’s next. 

“Allston” by Lea Neu is available now on all streaming platforms. Follow Lea on Instagram for more!