PANDA BEAR - Sinister Grift

Panda Bear returns with what is his tenth studio album: he does so now approaching his fifties, with more than twenty-five years of career behind him and six years on from his last solo record; in between came the 2022 collaborative album with Sonic Boom and two further works with his three Animal Collective bandmates, namely "Time Skiffs" (2022) and "Isn't It Now?" (2023).

We're talking, then, about a seasoned musician, a former prophet of what used to be called indie - in every possible sense of the term - and someone who was both driver and witness of the genre's growth and mainstream popularization, both as part of the quartet so beloved by "hipsters" - especially during the "Merriweather Post Pavilion" era - and through his own solo albums.

The fact that Panda Bear was, is, and remains the most famous of the four members of Animal Collective, and certainly the one with the greatest popularity among the "general" public, isn't due solely to the fact that his productions are typically particularly accessible and welcoming even to those who aren't fans of alternative folk or experimental minimal electronics. Noah Lennox's numerous collaborations also play a part: from Daft Punk back in 2013 to Solange Knowles, through to Flume and, more recently, Jamie XX. A considerable wealth of experience combined with a significant reputation - that of a reserved yet capable musician, who became a hero of the scene he emerged from while somehow remaining a bit of a "niche" figure.

It all comes together on this new album, "Sinister Grift", on which the first thing Lennox does is fall in line with the contemporary trend of returning to acoustic instruments and "analogue" sounds: the result is a hazy, psychedelic folk record with ethereal atmospheres and treatments that make it dreamy and soft to listen to.

While the difference couldn't be more obvious compared to the alternative indie-synth sound of 10 years ago - on "Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper" (2015), in particular - you could say the artist is either keeping an eye on the scene's changes or, just as plausibly, in the grip of deep nostalgia. It's not hard, in fact, to find the sounds of this tracklist echoed in his early-2000s work, and in those made alongside his three bandmates as well.

So is this an aged, nostalgic Panda Bear, or a rejuvenated, enthusiastic one? It hardly matters, because "Sinister Grift" is a solid, engaging record, even in its mellowness — something Lennox can certainly afford: at this point in his career, with everything he has behind him, he's entitled to do exactly as he pleases, and fully deserves that freedom.

Hence songs like the hazy, reflective “Anywhere But Here,” the breezy, thoroughly pop “50mg,” the acidic, lysergic “Just As Well.” The Beatlesque “Ferry Lady,” meanwhile, stands out as the album's most incisive track alongside “Defense,” a deep yet unsettling duet with Cindy Lee – who caused quite a stir last year with her lo-fi folk opus “Diamond Jubilee.”

A side note for “Venom's In,” a track with a decidedly more shadowy atmosphere than the rest of the songs here – most of which are fairly “cheerful” – and which sounds almost like something written by Neil Young or Stephen Stills in the early 1970s. In short, there's certainly no shortage of depth and ideas on this tracklist – quite the opposite.

The record draws heavily on folk tradition, from Tim Buckley to Mac DeMarco, while Lennox busies himself recreating the vocal harmonies explored with Avey Tare, Deakin and Geologist, to the point that if you heard these songs without knowing they were “only” his, you could easily mistake them for compositions by the collective itself.

Ultimately, "Sinister Grift" is a thoroughly accomplished work that reaffirms the stature of an established artist, respected and worthy of respect, capable of making great music even with decades of a career behind him, and sounding perfectly light and at ease while doing it. What's more, it will surely please Animal Collective fans too, which in the mid-2020s is certainly no small feat.

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06/03/2025