Phoebe Rings shimmers into orbit with their debut LP, Aseurai, pulling from lead singer/synthesist Crystal Choi"s Korean mother tongue to encapsulate the themes. "Aseurai means around you in the atmosphere, hard to reach, fading away," Choi says. "It"s a poetic expression. You wouldn"t say it in normal conversation, but I like that." Following the four-piece band"s 2024 self-titled EP, Aseurai adds disco and city-pop influences while staying true to dream-pop roots. While Phoebe Rings was originally a solo project of Choi"s, Aseurai marks a shift with contributing songwriting credits from the whole band. The four musicians cut their teeth working on other notable NZ projects such as Princess Chelsea, Fazerdaze, Tiny Ruins, AC Freazy, Sea Views and Lucky Boy.[info sheet from distr.]