EP Review: Phoebe Rings

Go looking for the band’s earlier material and you could be scrambling. That’s because Auckland dream pop outfit Phoebe Rings have wiped the slate clean, expunging previous recordings from the internet in order to make way for their highly accomplished new EP slated to be released on celebrated USA indie label Carpark (Chelsea Jade, The Beths) this October and followed up by a short promotional tour at selected venues across the motu.

The band’s name references the outermost ring that orbits Saturn created by dust from one of the plant’s 146 moons, Phoebe, which is estimated to be about 215 km across – although stats may vary depending on who’s got the telescope at the time.

Orbiting around writer and vocalist Crystal Choi, the band who include Alex Freer (drums), Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent (guitar, synths), and Benjamin Locke (bass) mix up what they rightly claim to be a “unique blend of introspective yearning with celestial danceable grooves”.

Their new self-titled debut EP is a re-release of an earlier effort, recorded and mixed by the band, Tom Healy, Jonathan Pearce and Bob Frisbee during Lockdowns and put out in 2021, and now sounding even more lush and voluptuous thanks to the wonderful studio mastery Mr Pearce (he of The Beths) and some strings by Charmian Keay (violin) and Kathleen Tomacruz (cello).

It includes crowd favourites Cheshire, a delicious dreamy, swirling number, inspired by ‘Alice In Wonderland’, apparently and the slightly twee Spissky. With sprinkles of sci-fi pop synths the latter seems to be manifest in the other-worldly, iridescent cover art by In Joo Park. Like the art of albums by Princess Chelsea, it promises a sort of fairy tale adventurism that will inspire and delight. And that song, like the image delivers that vibe confidently.

The band suggests these six tracks are something of a ‘love letter’ to their influences – which include Studio Ghibli films, the Zelda and Stardew Valley game soundtracks, old skool Bossa Nova, material by French Avant-popstars Stereolab, and smoochy 90’s Korean ballads.

If you close your eyes you can play your own game in inspiration train-spotting, especially on the hyper-positive single Daisy (also the only ‘new’ track). For me I was transported to a widescreen cinema scene of bright sunshine and wide-open fields and spring colourings, triggered with sparking uplifting lines like “When you’re next to me, the world’s full of daisies” and the buoyancy of swirling Rhodes-like synths. Choi’s voice is fresh, candy velvet smooth. You could lose yourself in the richness of her over dubbed harmonies which is a pure meadow of opulent lushness.

With a slight twist in the tale, January Blues, Choi reveals her Auckland jazz-school-trained piano playing. This is a beautiful, lounge-ist track, perfect with an extravagant cocktail.

As light a feather, the sweet K-Pop feel of Lazy Universe seems to float across the ears, as delicate as a puff of candyfloss drifting through a beam of sunlight. Only towards the end does the sugar rush finally hit full potential.

And then there’s a live recording of the mesmerising sway of Ocean, recorded live at the Powerstation, dripping in reverb showcases the band’s full lush colour box.

Conspicuously absent is the immaculate pop balladry and disco vibes of Aseurai, written in Korean, and released last year with a wonderfully mystical video by Nahyeon Lee. But that’s only a minor niggle.

This EP has a luxurious sound, and is bright, cheery, often dreamy, even magical – a perfect way to welcome the warm invitations of spring, the fizz of early sun rays on skin and the gentle, comforting tickle of fresh new grass underfoot.