NYC dreamgazers PANIK FLOWER released their new single and video, “ocd,” on March 4. The single is the second track from rearview, their sophomore EP that arrives on April 30.
“ocd” rolls off of vocalist Sage Leopold’s tongue as the pointed, yet syrupy, “obsessive consumptions diet.” With a guitar riff floating in outer space, the song remains shackled to earth by a formidable rhythm section. Haunting and anxiety-ridden, “odc” is an unending loop of cynical bingeing.
“The song explores the obsessive and addictive relationship we have with media consumption in today’s world and how that shapes us as individuals. It has a complete chokehold on our daily functions living in the modern world, even when you’re aware of how toxic it is. The chorus really drives this point home with the repetition of the lines you catch yourself, but you can’t catch a break, you catch yourself, but you can’t look away.”
– Sage Leopold
At the beginning of the year, PANIK FLOWER announced rearview with the release of their first single “alkaline.” Through a lush soundscape that careens into driving hooks, the song is filled with a sense of desire and longing.
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). rearview will be available everywhere on April 30.
The single arrives with an erratic official video directed by Aji Bass. Filmed primarily at Porter Studio in Brooklyn, with additional footage shot in upstate NY, the video is a visual juxtaposition between stability and disorder.
“For the ‘ocd’ music video, we wanted to lean into a grungy ‘90s aesthetic and let the themes of the song guide the edit. The more composed wide shots of the band represent ‘reality;’ a typical PANIK FLOWER rehearsal or performance. The video quickly devolves into an implied destabilized mental state by the first chorus. Intrusive thoughts make their way into the video in the form of quick, frenetic cuts and teasing of a mysterious silhouetted figure who continuously appears and disappears. The structure of the song lends to this juxtaposition, between chaos and stabilization then back to chaos, until we end where we started: wide on the band, back to their reality, maybe just a little more disheveled than before but still standing.”
– Aji Bass
Bringing their all-consuming, elevated, and raw style to the main stage, PANIK FLOWER is set to perform at New York City’s New Colossus Fest on March 7th at Arlene’s Grocery. For more information, click here.
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