Today Panda Bear releases his new single “Ends Meet,” the final preview of his new album Sinister Grift before its release onFebruary 28 via Domino. The track features instrumentation by Panda Bear’s Animal Collective bandmates Avey Tare and Geologist and backing vocals by Maria Reis and Spirit of the Beehive’s Rivka Ravede.
“Ends Meet” follows the previously released singles “Defense,” featuring Cindy Lee on guitar, and “Ferry Lady.” Panda Bear’s North American tour, including dates with Toro y Moi, kicks off tonight at First Avenue in Minneap0lis. His UK & Ireland tour kicks off on 31stMay and includes a performance at Lido festival on 7th June. All US tour dates here and tickets are available here. UK tour dates below:
PANDA BEAR UK TOUR DATES
- 31st May - Button Factory – Dublin, IE
- 1st June - Slay – Glasgow, UK
- 2nd June - Brudenell Social Club – Leeds, UK
- 3rd June - Castle and Falcon – Birmingham, UK
- 4th June - Gorilla – Manchester, UK
- 5th June - Beacon – Bristol, UK
- 6th June - Chalk – Brighton, UK
- 7th June - Victoria Park – London, UK
Two decades since debuting as the masked-and-nicknamed drummer and vocalist of Animal Collective, Noah Lennox has led so many creative lives, navigated so many different styles, and been part of so many beloved recordings, that it can be easy to overlook just how consistent his creative vision has remained. From landmark solo albums like 2007’s Person Pitch and 2015’s Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, to breakthroughs with Animal Collective like 2004’s Sung Tongs and 2009’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, to his boundary-pushing collaborations with Daft Punk, Solange, Dean Blunt, Paramore and Jamie xx, all of his work followed an instantly identifiable emotional throughline while influencing multiple generations and genres of artists.
On Sinister Grift, Lennox’s first solo album in five years, he has returned with another statement that feels equally cumulative and unprecedented in his catalog. While his solo records have ranged from starkly intimate expressions of grief to colorful, electronic opuses, his music has never before sounded so warm and immediate. Working in his Lisbon, Portugal home studio with Animal Collective bandmate Josh “Deakin” Dibb, Lennox transforms Panda Bear into something resembling an old-school rock ensemble, playing nearly all the instruments himself and inviting kindred spirits into the process such as Cindy Lee, Spirit of the Beehive’s Rivka Ravede, and—for the first time on a Panda Bear solo album—each of his Animal Collective bandmates.
Watch the visualiser for “Ends Meet” here.
“Working on this record felt like a sacred and warm return. Noah and I first started putting music down to multitrack cassette in 1991. 32 years later and working in the same fashion, two friends alone in a room searching for sounds and feelings that move us, I am very proud of what we created together. Sinister Grift feels like the songwriter I've known for over 30 years but also feels like some sort of new chapter for Noah. Couldn't be more proud of the result.” - Josh “Deakin” Dibb
“A classic rock dream that ebbs beautifully into a little bit of a nightmare.” - Daniel Lopatin
“On Sinister Grift, Panda Bear cuts a lone figure, bracing himself against the winds of fortune and calamity. Noah’s pure and poignant lamentations are less elusive this time around, as though our narrator has awoken from a sobering dream. Singing a familiar round on an imperiled path, Panda Bear presents a set of torch songs conveying hard-fought wisdom, buoyant despite the load they bear.” – Jessica Pratt
“Noah has the ability to be incredibly concise in his songwriting. Feels like every idea, every word and every sound is there to serve a purpose - the purpose being the actual song. Sinister Grift has that all-timer feel to it, as if the songs have been around for decades and at the same time full of fresh new light as though they’re pointing forward.” - Maria Reis
"In these dark times we all need music to get through life. Panda Bear has the magic, his voice feels like the medicine to heal this world. Noah has given us Sinister Grift, I feel relaxed and the beach doesn’t feel far away. Merci Noah for the gift.” - DJ Falcon
“Sinister Grift is a beautiful album. Everything sounds authentic and natural, as if it has always existed and will continue to do so. True and timeless. Thank you Noah.” - Alan Braxe
Sinister Grift is available for pre-order on limited-edition Clear vinyl (Domino Mart), Curacao Blue vinyl (indie exclusive), standard LP, CD, and digitally. All LPs include a double-sided 12”x36” poster.