This is not Panda Bear’s first experience in the music scene. The American artist, whose real name is Noah Lennox, has become a symbol of ongoing creativity, demonstrating that the process is just as crucial as the end result. Through his contributions to Animal Collective, he has redefined indie songwriting by offering new perspectives, while his solo discography is rich with depth—without even mentioning his numerous side projects, collaborations, and features. He generally likes to stay active.
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Now residing in Lisbon, Panda Bear wrapped up 2024 with a series of intimate headline shows, including gigs in London. Sitting across from CLASH, he enjoys the downtime between soundcheck and stage time; his upcoming album ‘Sinister Grift’ (releasing on February 28th through his long-time label Domino Records) is a central element of the set, with songwriting reflecting his current creative momentum.
“The song only comes alive when you play it with others,” he notes. “All the shows have felt like practice, but not in a negative way. I know that sounds off, but we’re just really comfortable with the material, and we took our time to work out the arrangements. They aren’t exact replicas of the album tracks or older songs; they have been slightly reworked, which I encourage. I wanted it to evolve into something distinct, rather than just remain as one concept.”
Animal Collective's 2022 album ‘Time Skiffs’ followed by the laid-back 2023 release ‘Isn’t It Now?’ have reaffirmed their ongoing creativity, defying expectations with each full of new innovations. Meanwhile, Panda Bear has remained extremely active in Lisbon, collaborating with Sonic Boom on the praised 2022 project ‘Reset’.
“It’s continuous; everything intertwines with the next,” he observes. “It all connects. I enjoy staying busy, and I get restless when I’m not creating.”
“Sometimes I think about taking a break or relaxing… but when I do, I almost stop feeling human. Creating is my way of affirming that I’m alive.”
Last year’s impressive collaboration with Dean Blunt, titled ‘DOWNER’, showcases how fluid his schedule can be. The two “drifted in and out” of each other’s lives while the UK artist was residing in Lisbon; “I vacated my practice space, and he moved into it for a bit.”
After sharing some beats, Dean Blunt wondered if Panda Bear could expand on them—resulting in ‘DOWNER’, a brilliant blend of Noah’s ethereal vocals with a gritty, grunge-influenced sound. It balances light and dark, sincerity and irony, exemplifying their open-ended approach to music-making.
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Interestingly, Dean Blunt was supposed to appear on ‘Sinister Grift’. In conversation with CLASH, Noah recalls that the UK artist was initially meant to lay down vocals for the track ‘Anywhere But Here’, but time constraints led to his daughter taking that feature instead.
“She’s not really a writer,” he chuckles, “but she was thrilled to earn the paycheck! She contributed some material, and what you hear is essentially what we felt fit the vibe. We didn’t do much editing; it’s pretty much how she performed it.”
This element of spontaneity and collaboration permeates the entire album; notably, it marks the first Panda Bear solo record to include all members of Animal Collective, though separately. Ever the trendsetter, emerging underground talent Cindy Lee features on the lead single ‘Defense’.
“The unifying theme here is that I aimed for a more traditional setup for the music. I initially recorded everything—drums, bass, vocals, guitar—myself, then began abstracting it. However, over time, we found ourselves enjoying the straightforward nature of those initial recordings in a way I haven’t experienced before.”
Taking inspiration from early rock ‘n’ roll and 50s country music—he’s a fan of Hank Williams and the Louden Brothers—Panda Bear generally kept things uncomplicated on his new record. “I thought I would be going for more abstraction,” he admits. “There’s some experimentation, but it’s mostly unrefined!”
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Some tracks, like ‘Just As Well’, were written more than five years ago, patiently waiting for the right moment. In contrast, songs like the standout ‘Milligrams’ were crafted just months ago. What ties the songs together is a focus on “simplicity” stemming from his work with Sonic Boom. “We didn’t aim for elaborate arrangements,” he explains. “We lean toward a less-is-more approach, which could be why those classic country songs resonate with me so strongly.”
Drawing from dub producers as a significant influence, Panda Bear could cut away at those initial recordings, treating the sounds as building blocks to be rearranged. “There’s a lot of fine-tuning,” he grins. “It’s a bit like sculpting. You can remove entire sections.”
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This isn’t Panda Bear’s first experience. The American artist, whose real name is Noah Lennox, has come to embody the concept of ongoing creativity, which the