Bristol Synth-Pop Duo Phonseca Just Love “Staring At The Sea” [Premiere]

Phonseca is a Synth-pop/Ambient/Electronica project which brings together Bristol’s much-respected keys/synth player Matthew O’Connor and brilliant Swedish vocalist Kristina Sheppard.

The pair have already been championed by both Gideon Coe and Steve Lamacq for their debut album and are now beginning to unveil tracks from the follow-up, of which “Staring At The Sea” is the first!

The single is a heartfelt, pulsating, all-out pop single. A declaration of love and wasting no time with a sense of urgency, the track’s wide-eyed cinematic pop sentiments feel immediately familiar as Matthew’s ’80s-style drum machines and synth moods combine with Kristina’s soaring vocals for epic effect.

When asked about the single, Matthew explains:

“I was asked by a Library Music company to write some positive upbeat songs for a Disney video, sadly it wasn’t accepted, but thankfully we kept it, sat on it for a while and tweaked it to become one of our best pop songs so far and an obvious single.”

Matthew continues:

“We acknowledge the genius of Prefrab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon in the opening lyric who I’m a big fan of. It’s also one of the songs that shows off Kristina’s vocals. I also wanted the talking bit to be in Swedish, to give the track an otherworldly feel.”

The first fruits of the pair, their debut album Between A Dream, came out in 2019. The album was championed in the UK on BBC Radio 6 Music by both Gideon Coe and Steve Lamacq. With Steve Lamacq featuring it in his Recommends show. It also picked up lots of airplay and excellent reviews around the world. Matthew’s classical piano training has an influence on his work. In addition to Phonseca, he has composed Library Music where his work has been synched on primetime TV such as BBC1’s – The One Show, Channel 5 programs and National TV in most of Europe.

This was the catalyst for first writing with Kristina, initially working on songs for a Disney project, which followed a chance meeting at a wedding fayre, where they had stalls directly opposite each other. Since its release, the pair have spent the past few years promoting the debut album while writing/recording the second, Everything Lasts Forever, which is now ready for release via Old Bad Habits Label.

Phonseca – Kristina Sheppard

The single is out now via the Old Bad Habits label and the duo play The Louisana in Bristol on October 27th . Pick up tickets from here.

For more information on Phonseca, check out their social media here.