Navvy is the stage name of Auckland-born Phoebe Lee Jasper, the latest graduate from Oceania’s apparent fast track development programme for smart, female electro-pop solo artists that launched the careers of household names such as Sia and Lorde (who even comes from the same town as Navvy).

Jasper’s backstory though is engrossing in its own right, a professionally trained opera singer, who studied singing and songwriting at the University of Auckland, she, by her own admission, grew up in a house with virtually no music, and only found her passion through exploring the classical records in her grandparents’ collection.

The Final Pieces is her third release to date, a record that rounds out a trio of storytelling EPs that began with The Break Up in 2018, a record that documented the collapse of Jasper’s relationship, and was followed by the self-explanatory No Hard Feelings EP. This latest offering, then, is all about looking forward, while processing and understanding the difficult pasts we all have.

Opening track I Learnt To Lose A Friend So Young, written with Josh Naley and Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent, is a haunting start, a sparse song sonically but one of huge depth lyrically as Jasper deals with the death of someone close to her with wisdom and insight beyond her tender years.

Running In My Sleep is a dreamy number with layered vocals and delicate strings and slide guitar that compliment Jasper’s exquisite vocals, while Somebody Else raises the tempo with a sharp beat and catchy chorus. The EP closes with the lead track Pieces, a heartbeat-esque beat piled high with more fantastic vocals, and “Ooh nana” flourishes.

Navvy had been due to make her UK festival debut this summer with an appearance scheduled for Dot To Dot festival. So while we wait for things to get back to normal and a chance to see her live, The Final Pieces is here to keep us going and build the anticipation, something it accomplishes with ease.

Watch the official video for Pieces here.

The Final Pieces EP tracklist:

1. I Learnt To Lose A Friend So Young

2. Running In My Sleep

3. Somebody Else

4. Pieces

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.