Phoebe Rings grew up in the Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland music ecosystem, performing gigs in their unique signature blend of jazz-inspired dream-pop and building a devoted fanbase. They formed in 2019, having met through mutual creative friends and projects, with their first major gig opening for The Beths.
After signing to Carpark Records in 2024, they released their self-titled debut EP last October, and their forthcoming debut LP Aseurai will be out 6th June 2025. Affectionately dubbed the ‘Sunday Sessions,’ by lead singer/synthesist Crystal Choi, the band religiously wrote, practised, recorded and produced for the album every Sunday across 2023-2024 while balancing work and other musical projects.
The talented ‘Indie Supergroup,’ as coined by RNZ, are all prolific musicians with distinct solo projects. This includes involvement with other notable NZ acts such as Princess Chelsea, Fazerdaze, Tiny Ruins, AC Freazy, and Lucky Boy.
While Phoebe Rings was formed by Auckland jazz school-trained pianist Crystal Choi, Aseurai shines with an intentional, collaborative shift with songwriting from drummer Alex Freer, guitar/synthesist Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent, and bassist Benjamin Locke.
Though four different people contributing songwriting credits posed new challenges, says Kavanagh-Vincent, “we all still came together in a cohesive manner.” After all, they share common ground in Phoebe Ring’s celestial dream-pop roots with a love of Stereolab, Broadcast, Studio Ghibli and video game soundtracks.
This shift signals an exciting direction for Phoebe Rings, and Choi says their focus for the next year includes “expanding, adding more rings to our planet, playing in more places including Asia, meeting new people and being inspired by seeing other great bands play.”
Phoebe Rings are looking forward to their first international tour across Taiwan, Australia and NZ in March & April. They’ve recently played at Sydney SXSW, Festival of Lights 2024, finished touring their debut EP launch around New Zealand, and have performed at Future Future Music Festival, Fringe Festival (Outsider Festival), and Nestfest. The band has made ‘Best Music of the Week,’ round-ups on the Rolling Stone, with music featured on Kid Sister (TVNZ+) and White Fever (ABC, AU).
The future is fizzing with momentum and Phoebe Rings are currently working on their second album.