IVY FLINDT Find Beauty in Uncertainty With Cinematic New EP ‘SPHINX’

Hamburg-based art-house pop duo IVY FLINDT return with their four-track EP SPHINX, a deeply personal collection exploring vulnerability, resilience, and the complicated emotions that shape human connection. Released November 13, the project features the new single “You Could Have Called Me” alongside previously released tracks “Welcome to L.A.,” “I Like The Weather,” and “What I Call Home.”

Comprised of vocalist and songwriter Cate Martin and multi-instrumentalist Micha Holland, IVY FLINDT have developed a distinctive musical identity that exists somewhere between atmospheric indie pop and cinematic storytelling. Their latest project continues that evolution, bringing Grammy Award-winning producer Danton Supple, whose credits include Coldplay, Nick Cave, and Amy Macdonald, into their creative process.

Recorded entirely in the duo’s home studio outside Hamburg, SPHINX embraces a more intimate approach without sacrificing the layered production that defines their sound. Rather than relying on grand gestures, the collection places emotional honesty at its center, allowing each composition to develop within its own atmosphere.

“I Like The Weather” stands out conceptually, using unpredictable weather as a metaphor for turbulent relationships and the strength required to walk away from unnecessary conflict. Meanwhile, the newly released “You Could Have Called Me” arrives with an accompanying music video, adding another visual dimension to the project’s artistic identity.

There’s something refreshing about IVY FLINDT’s commitment to subtlety in an industry increasingly obsessed with immediacy. Their creative direction prioritizes storytelling, atmosphere, and emotional connection over chasing trends.

Following their acclaimed debut album In Every Move and performances across Europe and North America, SPHINX represents another meaningful chapter for the German duo.

Ultimately, IVY FLINDT remind listeners that powerful music doesn’t always need to demand attention. Sometimes, its greatest strength lies in giving people something worth sitting with.

You’ve described SPHINX as your way of holding your ground in a world that keeps getting louder. What aspects of today’s culture or music industry made you feel the need to protect your creative identity, and how did that influence the direction of this EP?

Micha Holland: We believe that there is a time for everything. We want to record our songs when they’re ready to be recorded. I recognize that today’s music industry wants a constant stream of releases, but we don’t think that more is better.

“You Could Have Called Me” introduces another layer to the EP’s exploration of human connection. What’s the personal story behind this track, and what does its title represent within the larger narrative of SPHINX?

Cate Martin: Even though I am turning my personal experiences into songs every now and then, I am not intending to then tell the story itself. Somehow it deprives the song the story has led to. And the song is always more than the story the song started with.

Working with Danton Supple brought an outside perspective into a project recorded entirely in your own studio. Was there a moment when his approach challenged your instincts or pushed a song somewhere you wouldn’t have taken it?

Cate Martin: Not at all. As far as we got to know Danton, his approach is to get to know the artist and their vision. Then he works to get this vision across through the recording. I think this is a beautiful way of looking onto a producer’s role.

“I Like The Weather” explores the strength that comes from walking away from pointless conflict. Do you think emotional maturity is sometimes less about learning how to communicate and more about recognizing when a conversation is no longer worth having?

Cate Martin: My goal is not maturity. My goal is to always stay playful. I don’t think society considers this as mature.