Phoebe Rings – Aseurai: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day
Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland dream-pop quartet Phoebe Rings – led by Aotearoa/NZ jazz-school-trained pianist and songwriter Crystal Choi – today announce their debut album Aseurai and release its first two cuts, title-track ‘Aseurai’ – sung in Choi’s native language Korean – and ‘Drifting’ with their music videos.
Here’s the blurb with more:
Dubbed an “indie supergroup” by RNZ given its members’ involvement in other notable NZ projects such as Tiny Ruins, AC Freazy, Princess Chelsea, Fazerdaze and Lucky Boy, the announcement arrives ahead of two sold out shows in Naarm/Melb and Gadigal Land/Syd where Phoebe Rings will support The Beths later this month (full details below). ‘Aseurai’ and ‘Drifting’ are out everywhere now, stream/watch HERE; Aseurai (LP) is out Jun 6 via Carpark Records, pre-save HERE.
“아스라이 흩어지는 하늘의 별이 (May the falling light of faraway stars) / 그대의 손 끝에 닿아 숨이 돼주길 (Reach your fingertips and let you breathe),” Choi sings in the title track ‘Aseurai’, which was imagined as a breezy track inspired by a 90’s Korean pop band. “
Aseurai means around you in the atmosphere, hard to reach, fading away,” she says, “it’s a poetic expression. You wouldn’t say it in normal conversation, but I like that.”
Choi discovered only when fleshing out the lyrics that it was about yearning for people she couldn’t see anymore, in this case her late grandmother who she was separated from for a large period of her life. And perhaps that’s why she wrote it in her mother tongue of Korean, wishing to pull closer to the grandmother she’d hoped to have spent more time with on earth through song and shared language. Guitarist Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent’s lead single ‘Drifting’ is an unrequited celestial love song framed by bouncing bass and playful synths.
While Phoebe Rings – named for the outermost ring around Saturn which is known to be the largest, but the least visible – was originally a solo project of Choi’s, Aseurai marks a shift with contributing songwriting credits from the whole band, which includes guitar/synthesist Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent, bassist Benjamin Locke and drummer/producer Alex Freer. They add disco and city-pop influences while staying true to the dream-pop sound of their debut self-titled EP, released in October. With a more ambitious collection of instruments, Choi says this album heralds the start of true collaboration: “I feel more precious about this LP because it includes everyone’s gems.” The broth is richer with more cooks in the kitchen, and the brewing of textures creates a distinct ‘Phoebe Rings’ sound.
If their S/T EP was spacey, then Aseurai settles on earth, rooted in tangible moments. “Without getting too gloomy, it’s a weird world out there. A lot has changed in the world since the EP came out,” says Kavanagh-Vincent on this transformation. The album delves into hope and longing across all possibilities, and this exploration of holding on and letting go is organically threaded throughout. Across ten songs, Phoebe Ring’s storytelling ranges from tongue-in-cheek musings on gentrification to tender autobiographical memories, marking out a brilliant new constellation in their sky, bringing their individual compositions to the fore whilst seamlessly threading them into one celestial body all underpinned by their ongoing inspirations: Studio Ghibli films, Zelda and Stardew soundtracks, Bossa Nova, Stereolab, and 90’s Korean ballads.
Phoebe Rings – Crystal Choi (she/her; keys/vocals), Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent (they/them; guitar/keys/BVs), Benjamin Locke (he/him; bass/BV), Alex Freer (he/they; drums/BVs) – made the trek to so-called Australia for the first time last year to perform at SXSW Sydney. They’ve supported Arlo Parks and The Beths, played Going Global, Festival of the Lights and Future Future Festival, and are making their live debut in Taiwan this month. Their self-titled debut EP saw support, airplay and acclaim from Stereogum, BBC 6 Music, Rolling Stone (Best NZ EPs of 2024 – #8), 13th Floor, Under the Radar, Northern Transmission, 2SER, Triple R, RTR, Three D Radio and many others, with Paste Magazine saying of its lead single ‘Daisy’, “as floral and spritely as its title suggests. With a style that reflects the layered, dimensional love that stitches together the cultural tapestry of Choi and her band’s instincts.”
Phoebe Rings – Aseurai
out Jun 6 via Carpark Records | pre-save
TRACK LIST
Aseurai
Not A Necessity
Mandarin Tree
Get Up
Playground Song
Fading Star
Static
Drifting
Blue Butterfly
Goodnight
TOUR DATES
Sun 16 Mar – The Wall Live House – 臺北市/Taipei, TW
Sat 22 Mar – Rogue & Vagabond – Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington, NZ
Thur 27 Mar – Corner Hotel – Naarm/Melbourne, AU * SOLD OUT
Fri 28 Mar – Crowbar – Gadigal Land/Sydney, AU * SOLD OUT
Sat 29 Mar – Whammy Bar – Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, NZ
Fri 4 Apr – Space Academy – Ōtautahi/Christchurch, NZ
* w/ The Beths
CONNECT WITH PHOEBE RINGS
Instagram · Facebook · Bandcamp · Spotify · Apple Music · YouTube
phoeberings.com
