Electric pop duo PHOENO have returned with their brand new single ‘Made of Stone’. PHOENO (fee:no) is made up of Adam Matthews and Liam Corbett, an independent duo from Dublin. ‘Made of Stone’ is the first single from their upcoming album, which is scheduled for release in Spring of this year. A song about feeling emotionally frozen and longing for ease of youth, ‘Made of Stone’ is a statement of intent about who PHOENO are as a band encapsulating the sophisticated approach the lads take with lyrics and music.
Speaking to Goldenplec following the song’s release, they discuss the choice of ‘Made of Stone’ as their return single, the process behind the record, working with producer Richie Kennedy (Interpol, White Lies, Shame), and their upcoming album.
Q: Why have you chosen 'Made of Stone' as the first single of the year?
That feeling, where optimism clashes with the weight of what’s left behind is the type of energy we tapped into with 'Made of Stone'. Its lyrics lean into the melancholy, but the music lifts, carrying it somewhere lighter, somewhere hopeful – we thought that was quite apt this time of year.
Q: What inspired you to write the track?
Music has always been a kind of exorcism for us - pulling out the thoughts that keep us up at night and throwing them into sound. ‘Made of Stone’ comes from that restless place, a tension between longing and inertia. It’s about watching the world move around you, knowing joy exists because you’ve felt it before, but feeling paralysed and emotionally stuck, unable to step back into it.
Q: Sonically, it sounds similar to an All Tvvins track of old, what was the process behind the production side of the song?
We’re flattered by the comparison. IIVV was on rotation for me back in 2016, a time when I really needed it. Sonically, that makes sense. There’s a shared love for vintage synths, old-school drum machines, and the beautiful imperfections of analogue gear.
Our production process is tight now, built around the way we write - but it wasn’t always that way. It took time, trial and error, figuring out what works. Now, when an idea sparks, we can disappear into it completely, chasing a feeling and shaping it into something real.
‘Made of Stone’ came together fast - the bones of it were written and recorded over a weekend in our studio, one of those rare moments where everything just clicks. Later, working with Richie as part of the album recording, we pushed it further, refining and elevating it. But at its core, it’s still that same spark, captured in the moment like it was meant to be.
Q: You recorded with Richie Kennedy across the UK and Ireland, what was that experience like, considering the artist's he's worked with in the past?
Richie’s a top-class producer; he just gets it. He knows exactly how to push a song in the right direction, no matter the genre. We go way back, before Phoeno was even a thought. We played in a band together years ago, and he’s one of our closest friends, someone who’s been in our lives for as long as we can remember. That kind of history makes the studio feel less like work and more like instinct.
There’s no ego, no second-guessing, just trust. Every idea gets its moment, every suggestion is met with respect. That freedom made our upcoming album what it is. We experimented with sounds, samples, entire genres, and sometimes it clicked, sometimes it didn’t. But when it did, it felt like finding the missing piece.
Q: Is there a project on the way that 'Made of Stone' is laying the groundwork for?
Yes, an album coming this summer. ‘Made of Stone’ is just one side of it - the lighter moment in a journey that moves through friendship, happiness, family, life, death, and love. Comfort in the Knowing is exactly that; finding peace in the chaos, in the things we can’t control. If you really sit with the lyrics, you’ll hear that. No compromises, no shortcuts.
Q: Listeners unfamiliar with your work, what would you most like them to take away from the song?
Enjoy the vibe. Interrogate the lyrics. There’s ease in it, a kind of permission to let go. If you let it, the music can carry you to exactly where you need to be.
Q: Have you any live shows/performances on the horizon?
Yes, we’re kicking off summer with an album launch gig - details coming soon. And we’re buzzing to be playing Beyond the Pale.
More than anything, we want people to listen and step into this world with us. If our music resonates, if it sticks, if it becomes part of your journey - that means everything.