PANIK FLOWER announce upcoming EP 'rearview'
NEW SINGLE “ALKALINE” GIVES FIRST TASTE OF THE
DOUBLE-EDGED NEW PROJECT STREAM | WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO
PLAYING NYC’S NEW COLOSSUS FEST IN MARCH + SINGLE RELEASE PARTY WITH LIP CRITIC AND SCARY BRADSHAW
Today, rising NYC five-piece dreamgaze band, PANIK FLOWER shares “alkaline,” the first single off of their upcoming EP titled rearview (arriving on April 30). With this track, band members Sage Leopold, Mila Stieglitz-Courtney, Jordan Buzzell, Max Baird and Marco Starger create a haunting atmosphere of rising and crashing; a system of pushing and pulling. Implementing a lush soundscape that careens into driving hooks, the song is filled with a sense of desire and longing. “alkaline” is where the best of dream pop and the unmistakable shoegaze sound exist in harmony, the ideal first taste of the band’s sophomore EP — Stream “alkaline” / Pre-save rearview.
“Jordan brought this to us a long time ago, and I remember being incredibly persistent about having to flesh it out,” shares guitarist and vocalist Mila Stieglitz-Courtney on how the eerie moodiness of the chords struck something really deep within her.
Vocalist Sage Leopold continues, “We spent a lot of time perfecting the wall of sound at the beginning of this track – we wanted to capture a certain intensity with this part while also having it be fuzzy and warm. The dynamics swiftly shift into a more pared back, sparse instrumental which really plays with this push-pull dualism that a lot of the EP encompasses. You’re then thrust into this super driving chorus. The whole song really has this sense of yearning from instrumentals to lyrics.”
Formed in 2022, PANIK FLOWER has another EP under their belt titled Dark Blue. While their previous project was primarily focused on the complexity of romance and relationships, their upcoming EP, rearview, is rooted in internal matters. It explores identity, namely the double-sided nature of uncertainty and self-acceptance. It transcribes this self-exploration into a plush and emotive soundscape. The new EP was produced, mixed, and recorded by James Duncan (Taraneh, Nara’s Room, Dead Tooth, Raavi) and mastered by Carl Saff (Drops Nineteens, Dr. Dog, Sonic Youth).
Bringing their all-consuming, elevated and raw style to the main stage, PANIK FLOWER are set to perform at New York City’s New Colossus Fest in March 2025. And on January 17, they will host a release party for “alkaline” with DJ performances from Lip Critic and Scary Bradshaw at T.J. Byrnes in New York.
ABOUT PANIK FLOWER:
Through a chain of chance introductions and long-time friendships, PANIK FLOWER materialized within the New York music scene. Mirroring the push and pull of their city’s intensity, the band instinctively began pairing atmospheric dream-pop with a restrained use of well-timed punchiness. Their soundscape of soft harmonies, hard-hitting instrumentals and cutting lyricism evoke the hazy nostalgia of distant memories — ones of love, loss and identity that have captivated audiences from NYC, to the Southeast, and onward.
The majority of the band’s members are native New Yorkers, and PANIK FLOWER’s sound is inherently reflective of the ever-changing city; one that shifts and melds, yet stays rooted in its identity. PANIK FLOWER is made up of co-collaborators Sage Leopold (vocals), Mila Stieglitz-Courtney (guitar/vocals), Jordan Buzzell (guitar), Max Baird (bass) and Marco Starger (drums). The knot of circumstances that binds PANIK FLOWER together isn’t something that can neatly be untangled. It’s a gnarled, kinked path, but one that was always fated to play out. With their second EP rearview arriving on April 30, the band’s strongest work to date sees them marrying a shoegaze sensibility with post-punk undertones, grounded in their ethereal, DIY roots.
For more information on PANIK FLOWER, please visit:
Website | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | Apple Music | Bandcamp
Press photo by Ivan Alexander
