Lyrical Muse

Anna Duboc is leaning into a lighter side of herself on “Boy Next Door,” the latest single from her forthcoming EP Once in a Blue Moon. Released Oct. 2, the track trades the introspection that has coloured much of Duboc’s songwriting for bright guitars, a driving rhythm and a mischievous pop-rock energy.

At 20, Duboc is writing from a particularly transitional place. Once in a Blue Moon was shaped during the move from high school into college and the larger, less certain process of figuring out who she is as both a person and an artist. “Boy Next Door” captures a different piece of that process: rather than treating growing up as inherently heavy, Duboc allows herself to have some fun with it.

The song also represents a new direction for an artist whose catalogue moves between intimate piano writing, atmospheric pop and heavier guitar-led arrangements. Its jangling guitars and hook-forward chorus give “Boy Next Door” an immediate pop-rock pull, while colourful vocal layers keep the production distinctly Duboc.

That hands-on approach extends well beyond songwriting. Duboc is also a music engineer and handles her own background vocals, including their recording and arrangement. Her growing audience has already found her outside traditional music channels, with TikTok performances generating millions of views. A teaser for “Boy Next Door” alone drew roughly 900,000 views and 36,000 likes in three days.

The single arrives ahead of Once in a Blue Moon, a seven-track collection that tackles heartbreak, complicated relationships, addiction and the uncertainty of early adulthood without settling into a single sound.

Duboc says she hopes listeners will “hear their own stories in the lyrics” and find some reassurance in knowing “they are not alone.” Just as importantly, the EP gives her room to develop on her own terms, increasingly trusting her instincts rather than writing towards an algorithm or somebody else’s idea of success.

“Boy Next Door” may be one of her brightest turns yet, but the point is less reinvention than range: Duboc is discovering how much of herself can fit inside the same record.

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