With “Suspiros”, singer, violinist and songwriter Phoebe Violet presents a new album that is characterized by restraint, emotional depth and a bittersweet, slightly melancholic mood. No grand, dazzling musical theater, but a quiet, intimate musical experience with touching sonic warmth and stylistic clarity. Together with Austrian guitarist Andreas Haidecker, Violet performs sensitive, atmospherically dense songs with a calm tone, reduced character and poignant emotional resonance.
The focus is on pieces for voice and guitar, which move stylistically between traditional fado, South American song culture, European art song echoes and chamber music interjections. Phoebe Violet’s voice carries the pieces without gimmickry – clear, slightly vulnerable and with a mysterious aura. She combines naturalness with a special charisma that is rarely heard elsewhere. The songs, sung in Spanish, tell of inner landscapes, of quiet sadness, glimmers of hope and moments of relief.
Andreas Haidecker’s guitar playing complements Phoebe Violet’s vocals with great restraint and a fine touch. He stays in the background, but contributes with fine precision and musical sensitivity. The arrangements dispense with unnecessary embellishments and thus clearly focus on the interplay. The musical partnership between the two is audibly based on mutual trust, respect and a shared understanding of sound.
“Suspiros” thrives on atmosphere, not effects. The pieces develop slowly, leaving space between the notes and thus gaining depth. The music seems calm, but never without tension; reduced, but not empty. It is this focus on the essentials that makes this album so appealing.
Anyone looking for handmade, sincere music outside the mainstream will find it here. “Suspiros” is not a loud record – but one that resonates. Unobtrusive, atmospheric and with a fine emotional balance.
Michael Ternai
“Suspiros” will be released digitally on 6/10/2025.
Phoebe Violet live:
6/13/2025 Theater am Spittelberg, Vienna
7/17/2025 Lunz am See, wellenklaenge Festival
10/3/2025 Spielboden, Dornbirn
Translated from the German original by Arianna Alfreds.